How to Achieve Homeschool Excellence by Choosing Homeschool Minimalism

Do you feel overwhelmed by your homeschool? Are you tired of trying to “get it all in?” Do you find that you don’t ever get to those subjects that you really value because they are crowded out by things that you question whether you even need?

My Journey into Minimalism

A few years ago, I began to embrace a minimalist approach to life. It started when we were moving to a new home. I never realized how much stuff we had collected; much of it completely needless and wasteful.

After a big yard sale and a fresh new home, I realized that I never wanted to go back to that old lifestyle. I began a practice of only keeping what I needed or loved. This brought me peace and freedom. I began to apply this philosophy to other areas of my life as well.

Minimalism Can Be Applied to Homeschooling

Minimalism is a way to simplify life and achieve excellence in the important areas, and it can be applied to homeschooling. A minimalist homeschooling approach weeds out the unnecessary to focus on the best.

It unclutters your schedule and your home so that you can prioritize what you love and value as a family. You can’t do it all, but you can do the most important things well.

I began applying a minimalist approach to homeschooling last year, and the change in our school and my mental state has been awesome.

Goals & Values

The goal of our homeschool used to be the completion of books and levels and the gaining of facts. It always felt like we were wasting our time doing things that would not benefit my kids just because we “should.”

“Should” is someone else’s values.

If you are struggling with feeling like your homeschool is overwhelming or boring, you’re operating out of “should.” It should be a joy, albeit it is not easy. Homeschooling is hard, but it should bring joy to you and your children.

Minimalism in Your Subjects

If you give utmost priority to a subject that your child isn’t interested in and hardly ever get around to the ones that they take delight in, your child can become confused about where your priorities lie. In turn, they will lose interest in what brings them pleasure and makes them truly who they are.

I began to truly think about what my goals were for my family; what our values were. This is what defined which subjects and which books to keep. I chose just one ‘most important subject’ for each child; the one that brought them the most joy.

Minimalism in Your Schedule

Now, my kids do music and art FIRST because they love them, they’re good at them, and it could be what leads them to their destiny. Our second focus is Bible and character training.

It is also important to me for my children to be good communicators and be able to get whatever job they might want some day, so our final focus is on the basics: math, language arts, science, and history. We do these with excellence, and we spend what time we need on them. We do them every day.

There were minor subjects that I wanted to add, like nature study and animals. We do these a couple of times a week, but not every day. They are not the focus.

That’s all. We don’t do any planned extracurricular activities either. My children do all kinds of learning activities in the afternoons, but they are not supervised activities. I give them educational apps and resources, and they enjoy where their interests lead them, like sports and educational YouTube videos.

Minimalism in Your Choices

Allow yourself to focus on what is most important to your family. What will lead you to your end goals? Take the focus off of what you should teach and think about what you want your family to know.

What aligns with your own values?

When you catch yourself thinking “everyone else”, you are looking outwardly for direction. Direction can only come from within. Everyone else can give us advice, ideas, and opinions but only you can be led to know what is right for your family.

Don’t apologize for your choices.

Uncertainty dissolves when you are operating from your core values. You will find a sense of empowerment and confidence when you are being motivated by your own values. It is hard work to be focused on who I want our family to be, but it is not complicated.

Minimalism in Your Supplies

We also keep only the necessary school supplies and books on hand. It is amazing how easy it is to focus on excellence when you only have a few things to focus on, and your environment is clutter-free.

To help with deciding what to keep and what to discard, remember, your choices should be driven by your values.

Applying minimalism to our homeschool allowed us to focus on what is important to our family and gave us direction. It brought joy and peace back to our days. I hope it does the same for you.