A Simple, Minimalist Approach to Homeschooling
If you’re already homeschooling but feeling overwhelmed. Or maybe you’ve been thinking about homeschooling but the idea feels a little intimidating. I want to gently encourage you: it doesn’t have to be complicated to be meaningful.
Our homeschool is a simple, minimalist blend. It’s not unschooling, and it’s not fully Charlotte Mason either BUT I take a lot of inspiration from her philosophy. I love her books and definitely agree most learning comes from living books, time outdoors, and nurturing curiosity over checklists.Most importantly, I want you to hear this clearly:
*your homeschool will not look like anyone else’s and that is a good thing.
Our Homeschool Vision
When I think about our homeschool, I don’t start with curriculum, grade levels or test scores. I start with the vision, not just what I want my children to know, but who I hope they become. Homeschool is not meant to mimic public or private school. It WILL look and feel different.
After writing down the vision for our children, our homeschool is designed to:
- Glorify God
- Foster a genuine love of learning
- Build a deep love of reading
- Teach perseverance through difficult concepts
- Encourage good manners and a strong work ethic
- Nurture creativity and self-control
- Develop strong written and oral communication
- Strengthen critical thinking and memory
- Raise confident, thoughtful decision-makers
- Teach collaboration and independence
- Build motivation and the ability to focus deeply
If my children grow up loving to learn, think deeply, and walk with integrity, I will consider our homeschool a success!
Our Simple Homeschool Space
Before talking curriculum, I always like to start with our environment! I have seen the most incredible homeschool rooms and can’t say I don’t fight jealousy. After three years of homeschool I did boost our homeschooling from just our dining table to a side room. However if it’s just at your table and some baskets for supplies – that is more than okay!
Our homeschool space is still very simple:
- We built an IKEA setup for of two pieces of butcher block on top of shelves.
- Supplies go inside the cabinets
- A small cubicle shelving unit for books and our printer
- Individual baskets for each child’s curriculum (math, LA, writing, etc)
Minimal doesn’t mean bare. It means functional, calm, and inviting. I want our home to support learning, not overwhelm it. Its also super simple to clean up at the end of the day!
Our Minimal & Intentional Homeschool Curriculum
So what are we actually using day to day?
Reading & Phonics
Since preschool we have been using the Good and the Beautiful and honestly, I was surprised by how quickly my kids picked it up. I read A LOT with them outside of the curriculum though. As soon as their CVC words were mastered we picked up readers that were above their levels and by doing this consistently they picked up reading so quickly.
My five-year-old daughter is already reading chapter books like Sophie Mouse, and my almost seven-year-old son is currently reading Robin Hood and Davy Crockett with ease.
I don’t share this to brag, but to encourage you. I know Charlotte Mason often suggests waiting longer to begin formal reading instruction, but my children were eager. Once we pushed through the tricky phonics stage, they truly took off. The Good and the Beautiful is a great curriculum to start with!
Now that we’ve hit second grade though we will be moving to more of a classical curriculum and I will share more on that soon!
(If you’d like a detailed post or video on how I taught them to read, let me know — I’d love to share.)
Bible & History
My son especially loves Bible stories and history, so we lean into that interest. He enjoys Who Was… books, and we’ve started The Story of the World history curriculum last year which he absolutely loves. This is something both my 5 and 7 year old can participate in. I believe there are four volumes. Last year we read through ancient history and this year we are working through the Middle Ages. These read like a novel, are faith based and you will learn a ton along with them!
Bible reading every morning is our anchor. It sets the tone for our day and keeps our priorities aligned! We’ve been going through the Driven by Grace Studies and they are great!
MATH
For Math we actually combine Saxon Math with the Good and the Beautiful Math. Okay, this is maybe not so simple BUT it has been great and it seems to cover all bases. Choosing just one of these is totally beneficial though:) I highly recommend both.
OTHER
We don’t use a curriculum for science. We go through different books we find on nature, our bodies, space etc. Living books from the library are completely sufficient for elementary ages! We mix in art and music via piano lessons. The kids also participate in sports. THIS is all just weaved into our lives rather than a set curriculum. As they get older this will change. If you are starting in older grades I still think keeping it simple the first year is more than enough to help them continue learning. Once a routine is set it is easier to add more studies as you go.
There is no perfect curriculum — only the one that serves your family well in this season. Give yourself permission to keep it simple, follow your children’s interests, and build days that feel life-giving rather than overwhelming.
If you have questions or would like me to share more details, whether it’s a closer look at our curriculum or how I taught my children to read, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
