10 Encouraging Books for [not just] Homeschooling Moms

There are certainly a lot of titles out there on the subject of homeschooling, but today I want to focus on the books that have given me encouragement and fresh ideas over the years. Several aren't books written solely for homeschoolers, but they have provided fuel for me when the going gets tough. ~Affiliate links~

10. When People Are Big and God is Small, Edward T. Welch - Most of us hit some sort of opposition to our choice to educate our kids at home, and I can always use a good reminder of Whose I am and what He has done for me. In light of the gospel. it just doesn't matter what other people think.

9. Mitten Strings for God, Katrina Kenison - I've read Mitten Strings for God twice because Katrina Kennison reminds me to slow down and savor the simple things with my kiddos. I need simple. They crave it, too.

8. Real Learning: Education in the Heart of the Home, Elizabeth Foss - I first read Real Learning at a time when I was gasping for air. I had 5 or 6 children, a newborn, and a lot of school in there somewhere. Elizabeth had been where I was before me, and her chapter on burnout is worth the price of the book.

7. The Day I Became an Autodidact, Kendall Hailey - After graduating high school, Kendall Hailey watched her friends traipse off to college without giving it much thought. She, however, saw great value in educating herself in the classics. I read The Day I Became and Autodidact when I was in high school and I wished then that I'd had the courage to be an autodidact, too. Truth is, I've learned more homeschooling my children for the past 16 years than I did in 13 years of public education and an expensive private university degree.

6. Godspeed, Britt Merrick - You were made for this! This moment, this life, this family, this calling. Even if you're homeschooling for a small moment in time, you were made for this and Britt will encourage you to seize the opportunity to point your children (and your husband, neighbors, friends...) to Jesus.

5. Educating the Whole Hearted Child, Clay and Sally Clarkson - If you've ever read anything by the Clarksons, you know why I'm recommending this one. Real books, real life, real relationships.

4. The Busy Mom's Guide to Bible Study, Lisa Welchel - A 15-Minute daily plan? Yes, even I can do that. Even you, too. Before we got involved in a local Bible Study with a fabulous child discipleship program, I was grasping to try and find any time at all in the Word. Lisa's book helped me to take small bites and ingest them in ways that helped me manage each day.

3. Who Should We Then Read?, Jan Bloom - If you're building a home library for your kiddos and wanting to fill it with great literature that has lasted for years, you'll love having Jan Bloom's book as a resource. Brief biological sketches, titles, and suggestions for age-level reading.

2. The Essential 55, Ron Clark - I've written about this one before, and I still use it as a resource. The truth is, there are good things for kids to learn in a classroom setting that I can miss at home: show respect for other teachers in any setting, etc.

1. The Well-Educated Mind, Susan Wise Bauer - Further your own education, mama. If you think you don't have what it takes to give your kids a solid foundation in literature or you just want to improve your own knowledge, you'll appreciate Susan Wise Bauer's guide to educating yourself.