I wanted to share the resources that have been helpful to me in my homeschooling journey so far. Many of the descriptions are taken directly from Amazon. I didn’t use all these resources with each child, especially as I began to homeschool multiple children and had to determine what I could feasibly include during each schoolyear. May the Lord bless your journey as you trust Him to lead you to the resources that would be best for your family. (And if you don’t have children this age at the moment, why not consider some of these for a baby shower gift?)
Babies and Toddlers
For Mom:
“This is a small collection of thoughts on mothering young children for when you are motivated, for when you are discouraged, for the times when discipline seems fruitless, and for when you are just plain old tired.”
Each chapter is only two pages long, but provided much fodder for discussion in our moms prayer group.
“Fit to Burst is chock-full of humorous examples and fresh advice covering issues familiar to every mom such as guilt cycles, temptations to be ungrateful or bitter, and learning how to honor Jesus by giving in the mundane things. But this book also addresses less familiar topics, including the impact that moms have on the relationships between dads and kids, the importance of knowing when to laugh at kid-sized sin, and more.”
Mom Enough (Free!)
“This short book with twenty-four short contributions from seven young mothers, explores the daily trials and worries of motherhood. In the trenches, they have learned how to treasure God and depend on his grace.”
Am I “Mom Enough?”
Absolutely not.
I read an article each day one month, and it provided so much encouragement as well as the feeling that I’m not alone in the journey.
David Suchet Audio Bible
David Suchet has recorded the entire Bible in his rich voice, and it is all available in playlists on YouTube. For example, just search “David Suchet Ecclesiastes” and you’ll find the playlist you’re looking for. This has been an excellent resource as I do my stretches in the morning and has been helpful to re-listen to books of the Bible multiple times in a row to get a better understanding of the themes and principles.
“This is the podcast for moms who need the refreshing truth of the gospel repeated over and over, giving us hope in the everyday moments. We are imperfect mothers, still learning, still growing and still fully recognizing we don’t have it all together – but we serve a God who does.”
It’s been encouraging to listen to these two moms discuss all kinds of topics on motherhood through the lens of the gospel.
For school:
It’s a Bible you can hug! In this soft and cuddly book, little ones will find a collection of ten favorite Bible stories in rhyme, filled with comforting truths told through scripture. Keep God’s word close to your baby’s heart in this perfect package.
Sally Lloyd-Jones introduces the very young to the stories of the Bible and to God’s great love for them.
Music:
So many Bible story songs focus on the “heroes” of the Bible. These upbeat, folksy cds focus on God as the true Hero.
When Isaiah was a newborn, I found myself listening to these even when he was asleep.
The first cd uses the words to the Baby’s Hug-a-Bible as the lyrics.
Hidden In My Heart Scripture Lullabies
Using Scripture as the lyrics, these lullaby cds have brought such calmness to my soul in times of stress.
I listened to them quite a bit in the last 2 weeks before Isaiah was born.
There are also some gorgeous instrumental songs mixed in.
Screentime:
If you’ve seen Baby Einstein, these DVDs are similar, except they have worship songs in the background and engaging video footage and pictures of everything a toddler loves—babies, animals, cars, food, friendly faces, etc.
You can even select only children’s voices singing the worship songs or an instrumental version
