Shaping your Homeschool Schedule: Form Before Fill!

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I’ve been a homeschooling mom for nearly thirty years now, and I’ll be the first to admit that for many of those early years, I filled our lives with far too much. It’s easy to think that adding more activities, more lessons, and more experiences will somehow lead to a better homeschooling journey. But in reality, it led to overwhelm for both me and my children.

Thankfully, there came a moment when I stepped back, took a deep breath, and reevaluated everything. I asked myself what I truly wanted to achieve in our homeschool. Only then did I start filling our schedule with intentionality and purpose.

You might be wondering where I got this approach. The answer is simple: Genesis 1.

We are made in the image of God. As homeschooling moms, we have the privilege of shaping, forming, and creating a unique learning environment for our children. But to do this well, we need to ask the right question. Not, “What should we be doing?” but rather, “How did God do it?”

In the Beginning

In the Creation story, we see God’s wisdom and order on full display. First, God formed. Then, He filled.

In the first three days of Creation, God formed the world, establishing the systems that would support life. He created the heavens and the earth, separated the waters from the land, and set the stars in the sky. He built the structure that would sustain everything He would later fill the world with.

In the next three days, God filled the world He had created. He added plants, animals, and man to the framework He had carefully established.

Let’s break it down:

Formed:

• Day One: Light, Heavens, and Earth
• Day Two: Water and Sky
• Day Three: Land and Vegetation

Filled:

• Day Four: Sun, Moon, and Stars
• Day Five: Fish and Birds
• Day Six: Animals and Man

As homeschooling moms, the mistake we often make is trying to fill our days before we’ve taken the time to form a structure around our schedules, work, and relationships. We can get caught up in emotions or desires, adding activities without thinking about how they will impact us or our children in the long run. This can lead to stress, burnout, and a lack of focus on what truly matters.

Nothing good happens by accident. If you want something good to happen, you have to put some structure around it. Just like God formed the world before He filled it, we need to form a strong foundation for our homeschool before we add activities and extras.

Here are some good homeschool FORMING questions to ask:

• Why do I homeschool? What’s my real reason for making this choice?
• Ten years from now, what would I consider a homeschooling “success”?
• What values do I want my children to carry into adulthood?
• What would a great homeschooling day look like for us?

Once you’ve established your homeschool foundation, consider these FILLING questions:

• What am I doing that aligns with my homeschool goals?
• What activities support my homeschooling vision?
• What activities are distractions or hindering progress?
• Where do I need help or additional support?
• What works well in our schedule?
• What do I need to cut?
• What could I add to enhance our homeschool?

The forming process isn’t something that happens overnight. It takes time to build a solid foundation for your homeschool. And just like with God’s creation, the filling will change with the seasons of life. Sometimes you’ll be in a season of doing more, and other times, you may need to scale back.

Looking back, I’m so thankful I took the time to evaluate our homeschooling journey. I’ve now graduated seven kids, with three more to go, and I’ve learned the value of forming before filling. With God’s guidance and wisdom, success can be found, and homeschooling can be a blessing to your family. Keep going, mama! You’ve got this.

Download and complete the Forming & Filling worksheet to help you shape your homeschool schedule!

Hope and Refreshment for Homeschooling Parents

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