9 Best Books for Homeschool Moms to Read

Planning a homeschool year can be very overwhelming. There are – quite literally – a million and one resources and curriculum available, and if you haven’t tried them yet or seen them in person, how on earth are you supposed to narrow it down to ONE math/science/phonics/underwaterbasketweaving program for your kindergartner? (Only slightly kidding on that last one, chances are good there’s one out there somewhere)

I’m starting to learn that if you, as a mother and teacher, can have a clear sense of what you want your homeschool to look like, suddenly all of the other decisions regarding curriculum and materials will easily fall into place. But how do you get to this place of knowing what you want? How do you decide if you want to mirror the public schools, or do something entirely different? How can you find out if you’re attracted to the Montessori philosophy, Charlotte Mason’s ideals, or Classical education? What about unschooling or interest-led learning? The best answer I know is that you need to read. Read as much as you can, read all the best books for homeschool moms, and find out what aspects of other homeschool philosophies stir your soul and ignite your imagination.

Therefore, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite, most helpful, best books for homeschool moms! I’ve read most of these twice or more and they have greatly helped me to understand why and how I want to teach my children. As I learn more about my own Why and How, it becomes easier to evaluate potential resources.

Sure, that looks like fun, but it doesn’t fit with my vision for our homeschool. No thanks!

Happy reading! And please, leave a comment with any great books that I’ve missed! I’m always on the look out for more to read.

In no particular order, the best books for homeschool moms to start with:

• Teaching From Rest and The Read Aloud Family, both by Sarah Mackenzie
• For the Children’s Sake by Susan Macaulay
• The Brave Learner by Julie Bogart
• Learning All the Time by John Holt
• When Children Love to Learn by Elaine Cooper
• The Call of the Wild and Free by Ainsley Arment
• The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer
• The Disappearance of Childhood and The End of Education, both by Neil Postman (not technically about homeschooling but fascinating books with lots of applications to education)

There you have some of my favorite, best books for homeschool moms to savor and enjoy! One final note of caution: as much as I adore reading, I’m also seeing that you can’t just pick a philosophy that you admire and foist it upon your children without considering them as persons with feelings and opinions. Observe your children carefully to learn how they learn (many of these books will tell you this also!), and keep that well in mind as you read and plan.

Originally written July 7 2020