4 Out of the Box Books for Homeschool Moms + FREEBIE Book Lists

Most book lists geared toward homeschool moms are directly related to the education and character development of the kids. And that’s great! But there are at least 4 titles that might not make it on many homeschool mom book lists, yet they will be game-changers for your homeschooling philosophy. Here are 4 out-of-the-box books for homeschool moms. And be sure to grab the FREEBIE book lists at the end of this post!

 

The Book Whisperer

If you are struggling to implement a dry, boring grade-level reading curriculum in your homeschool, then consider the premise of The Book Whisperer:  Every Child is a Reader. You just need the right approach to reading. And this book gives you guidance for meeting every child where they are, whether a developing, underground, or dormant reader. 

Even though the author, Donalyn Miller, is a public school teacher, the methods and philosophy espoused in this book apply well to an at-home approach.

We used to follow the traditional school model of graded reading books, worksheets, and book reports. Reading was just a subject to get through as fast as you could and there wasn’t much enjoyment in it. When classic literature was included in reading books, many times the story was abridged or dumbed down.

Now we have embraced a reading culture in our home more than ever. Hubby and I always have several books going at a time. But how do you pass that on to your kids? Give them the time in their schedule to read and enjoy it! Require grade-level timeless literature but also allow them to find what they enjoy.

The biggest change in our homeschool reading culture has been the freedom to linger longer in our favorite books. 

So, instead of zipping through a “story” in a reading textbook, we have minimum time standards for Reading List titles and Free Reading time.

If you have a love-hate relationship with your homeschool reading methods, then check out The Book Whisperer.

The Dyslexic Advantage

One of my kids has dyslexia. Maybe one of your kids is struggling too? Don’t wait a second longer to read The Dyslexic Advantage.

Brock and Fernette Eide give practical solutions for helping our struggling learners to accommodate their learning differences while at the same time offering a ton of hope.

Did you know that dyslexics make up a disproportionate amount of entrepreneurs? It’s because their brains are wired to see solutions, to think outside the box, and to make connections that the rest of us can’t see.

While this book is not geared toward homeschooling parents, you will quickly see that the approaches advocated by the authors are best done in a one-to-one setting, which obviously makes homeschooling a prime model.

168 Hours

One of the top ten issues that homeschool moms struggle with is time management and productivity. With so much on our plates, how can we possibly get everything done?

Laura Vanderkam’s book, 168 Hours, will change the way you look at time.

Her practical suggestions, such as doing a time audit and then using time blocking techniques, will suddently make you realize that “you have more time than you think” – just as her subtitle promises.

Having the mindset of 168 Hours is magical because even one bad day can’t ruin your productivity. When you have a whopping 168 hours in a week, you do have time for homeschooling, homemaking, and even a job if you so choose. 

The 4 Tendencies

Finally, if you love psychology and personality tests, then you will love The 4 Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin. Once you take her online quiz, you can identify your primary tendency.

Depending on how you respond to outer and inner expectations, you are an Upholder, Rebel, Questioner, or Obliger. Suddenly all your quirks and productive personality (or not) will make sense.

But it gets even better when you can identify how your kids respond to expectations and how to help them use their personality strengths but also create positive solutions for their personality weak spots.

So do a quick check and see if your library has these titles. If not, you could order a copy and then pass it around to your homeschool mama friends. These four books are out of the box titles for homeschool moms, but I think you’ll love them.

Want more book lists?  You can find them at 4onemore.com