Dad with boys

Homeschooling Resources

Today, I know a lot of parents today are going to be looking for resources on how to homeschool their children.


Here’s a list of ways to get started right now…

  • Read God’s Holy Word – This may seem obvious, but the Bible is our number one teaching resource. It is what instructs and transforms us. Do not underestimate the power that daily Bible reading can have on the education of your children.
  • Read classic books – Training them to listen to you as you read is an important skill. After you read a few chapters, have them narrate back what they heard or even write it out in a journal.
  • Listen to classic hymns together – In the wonderful age that we live, you can access a ton of these on YouTube and other sites. Many of these old hymns are rich with theology and doctrine and they force our children (and us) to think deeply about spiritual truths that we might miss in daily life. (Here are some recommendations: Shane & Shane Hymns, Indelible Grace Music, Sovereign Grace Music, & Chris Rice Hymns)
  • Work on handwriting – This is a lost art. Work with your children to teach them how to write in cursive and print neatly. Make an art project out of your favorite Bible verses. This is probably something we all need to practice more.

Many people are looking for online resources to use when homeschooling their children. Here are some links our Tope Family recommend…

BibleProject (https://bibleproject.com/) is a nonprofit animation studio that produces short-form, fully animated Bible videos and other Bible resources to make the biblical story accessible to everyone, everywhere. We create 100% free Bible videos, podcasts, and Bible resources to help people experience the story of the Bible. From page one to the final word, we believe the Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus.


AmblesideOnline (https://amblesideonline.org/index.shtml) is a free homeschool curriculum that uses Charlotte Mason’s classically-based principles to prepare children for a life of rich relationships with everything around them: God, humanity, and the natural world.  They have full curriculum year by year from Year 0 (Pre K) to Year 12 with many of the recommended books available for free online.

 
Khan Academy (https://www.khanacademy.org/) offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom. We tackle math, science, computer programming, history, art history, economics, and more.


The Library of Congress (http://read.gov/) is the largest library in the world, with millions of books, recordings, photographs, newspapers, maps and manuscripts in its collections. The Library is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office.


Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org/) is a library of over 60,000 free eBooks. Choose among free epub and Kindle eBooks, download them or read them online. You will find the world’s great literature here, with focus on older works for which U.S. copyright has expired.


I hope this helps. Of course, these resources should be used by the parents as they engage in teaching their children. Use discernment in this process. For example, not every book that is displayed on the Library of Congress site is going to be helpful or appropriate for our children.

I’ll update this list as ideas come to mind. The LORD commands us to be heavily involved in the education of our children (Proverbs 22:6, Ephesians 6:4). May the LORD bless you and keep you as you reorder your life around what is most important.


Joel Tope
Associate Pastor (Youth & Music)
First Baptist Kingsland