8 Homeschool Books that will easily make you rethink home Education (and parenting)

Homeschool Books – Food For Thought

I started reading several of these homeschool books (and parenting books) before officially homeschooling which, I think, set me up well for the next chapter of our journey when we made the official switch. Because homeschooling is a lifestyle choice which interwinds with parenting and our bigger family goals, many of these books fall under the parenting category.

But, each one of them has absolutely helped me, leaps and bounds, in my homeschool journey. That said, there are way more books on my list than I have read thus far. I’ll start by sharing the books I have personally read followed by recommended books from other homeschool parents, those I plan on reading in the near-ish future.

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THE AWAKENED FAMILY

Dr. Shefali Tsabari is a pioneer, helping us rethink the way we parent, as a society. She urges us to listen to, trust, and respect our children by looking at ourselves and recognizing the unjustified (often societally charged) fears we hold for our children which are causing our relationships to suffer.

Rather than nagging our children to do what society thinks they MUST do, she encourages us to be their biggest advocates, standing up for what’s best for THEM even if it means going against the grain and potentially ruining outside relationships.

We are in the midst of an educational and parenting crisis and it is our job to create a mindset shift for ourselves so we can advocate for and raise, healthy, passionate, strong adults who can break these archaic societal patterns.

The Awakened Family might get you rethinking your values and have you confront some of your parenting and schooling fears.

This book is a go-to “road map” of sorts for my husband and me and now my own parents, who spend a fair amount of time with my son. Be prepared to not only shift your views on education and parenting but also yourself.

SIMPLICITY PARENTING: USING THE POWER OF LESS TO RAISE CALMER, HAPPIER, MORE SECURE KIDS

As an ongoing minimalist seeker living in a 750 sq ft apartment, I was surprised how much I gained from Kim John Payne, M.ED’s book. While the author discusses and has some opinions on ADHD (which was helpful for our family!), this books is relevant for all families.

Simplicity Parenting is not just about simplifying our stuff (although turns out, my son’s bookshelf had way too many books!), but about minimizing information, our calendars, and slowing down our pace of life to help our children be less anxious and therefore “defiant.” Today’s busier, faster society is waging an undeclared war on childhood.

This book is all about preserving childrens’ childhoods.

This book is great for any parent and particularly great for ADHD households.

IF I HAVE TO TELL YOU ONE MORE TIME…

A program that gets your kids to listen without nagging, reminding, or yelling.

Why does it feel sometimes as if our children have special powers that enable them to tune us out completely? You ask your child to do her homework, get ready for school or bedtime. You think she heard you but . . . no response. You’ve tried everything—time-outs, nagging, counting to three—and nothing seems to work.

In this invaluable book, Amy McCready, founder of the popular online parenting course Positive Parenting Solutions, presents a nag-and-scream-free program, a virtual toolbox of strategies they can use to give their children the attention and power they crave—and do away with the challenges, upsets, and arguments, that adults dread.

Also check out her Positive Parenting Solutions parenting course. My husband and I found tremendous value from this and I still post regularly in the private Facebook group anytime we hit a wall in our parenting.

THE BRAVE LEARNER

This is one of the few books on my list that actually falls under homeschool books but that said, it’s so much more. It’s pretty amazing. Julie Bogart is pretty amazing. I love what she has to say about parenting or homeschooling.

In The Brave Learner, she paints a magical homeschool world, one that every parent can’t help but want to step into. She has been there, done that, and totally gets it! This book is for all levels from beginner to veteran homeschooling parents and even non-homeschooling families. Julie gives so many practical tips, resources, and “how-to’s” throughout the book.

And perhaps most importantly, the scope of the book is far beyond homeschooling–it’s about how we do life with our kids.

The Everything parent’s guide to Emotional Intelligence in children: How to raise children who are caring, resilient, and emotionally strong

THE EXPLOSIVE CHILD: A NEW APPROACH FOR UNDERSTANDING AND PARENTING EASILY FRUSTRATED, CHRONICALLY INFLEXIBLE CHILDREn

Living with a high-energy, easily excitable, ADHD boy, it’s easy to see how I mistakenly saw him as an “explosive” child. After reading the first few chapters of this book, however, my husband and I quickly realized he is far from “explosive”. In fact, he seems fairly easy-going compared to many of the children described in the book. However, I feel the techniques can be helpful for ANY parent with a kid going through a “stubborn” phase or who is having a hard time with transitions or other “requests” from adults.

While you may not relate entirely to the kids in this book (or perhaps you do!), the ideas of plan A, B and C were insightful and caused me to rethink many of my conversations with my son for more effective communication.

The Whole Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary strategies to nurture your child’s developing mind

Written by a neuropsychiatrist (Daniel J. Siegel) and a parenting expert (Tina Payne Bryson), The Whole-Brain Child explores how a child’s brain functions and matures. It explains why young children do not act like adults and why they can appear to be out of control. The book proposes “twelve revolutionary strategies to nurture your child’s developing mind, survive everyday parenting struggles, and help your family thrive”.

What YOUR FIRST-GRADER NEEDS TO KNOW (or KINDERGARTNER, SECOND-GRADER, THIRD-GRADER, FOURTH-GRADER, or FIFTH-GRADER)

This one is actually more of a “curriculum” but, it is one of those homeschool books that helped me rethink our home learning approach. It’s a great resource book, which led me to realize how much we can pick and choose and just “go with the flow”, learning what, when, and where we want. I feel confident knowing that I can peruse through this to “make sure I am covering the basics” and have a few learning options to share with my son when he needs a little more guidance. This book has allowed me to relax and stop digging for a “set” curriculum or core standards and it has helped me stop comparing our learning to others.

WARNING: Book may cause an increase in confidence.

Homeschool books (and parenting books) I have not yet read which have been recommended by other homeschool families

CALL OF THE WILD AND FREE

Minimalist Homeschooling

I just started this books which reads more like a quick reference guide. I’m including it here, since I haven’t finished it, but as a simplicity/minimalist wanna-be, the concept is fairly straightforward and already has me inspired to get back on track with my lifestyle vision.

Is clutter that shows up in the form of a too-crazy schedule, curriculum choices that aren’t worth the hassle, or a gotta do it all mentality, sucking the joy out of your home learning and vision you have for your family?

If home learning feels hard every day, if you feel over-burdened, if you are always busy but never sure of what you accomplished, then Minimalist Homeschooling is for you. If you feel like you need a little help simplifying and regaining your sanity, this is one to add to your to-read list.

What books have changed your home learning a parenting approach? Are there any books you feel should be included on this list?