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Real Questions About Homeschool Curriculum Choices and Homeschool Structure — Answered
You’ve been up at midnight Googling curriculum options, schedule templates, and whether you’re doing enough for your kids. Friend, that stops here. This episode is your permission slip to stop building your homeschool off random internet advice — and start getting real answers from someone who has actually done this for over twenty years.
In this Summer Homeschool Help Desk Live Q&A, homeschool expert Christy-Faith — author of Homeschool Rising, founder of the Thrive Homeschool Community, and a homeschooling mom of four who also works full time — takes unscripted questions from real moms on homeschool curriculum choices, daily structure, teaching history with living books, what to do when a child is behind in reading, handling naysayers, and how to survive the toddler years without losing your mind.
How Working Moms Make Homeschooling Work
Christy-Faith homeschools her four kids and works full time — and so does her husband Scott. Her honest answer? It’s absolutely possible, especially once your kids are past the toddler stage and beginning to read on their own. The real key isn’t doing everything yourself. It’s sourcing smartly. That means choosing curriculum and tools that do the heavy lifting in certain subjects so you can be present and engaged where it matters most — conversations, discussions, deep dives — while trusted programs handle the lesson planning, grading, and instruction in other areas.
For Christy-Faith, that looks like using BJU Press Homeschool for science, Bible, and her youngest’s English and reading. The lesson planning is done for her. She checks in, has discussions, adapts on the fly — and gets her work done in between. That’s not cutting corners. That’s working with the system, not against it.
Why Homeschool Structure Matters More Than You Think
Instagram makes it look like the ideal homeschool is kids frolicking in fields with zero schedule — and Christy-Faith wants to push back on that. Backed by seventy years of research in child psychology and development, she makes the case clearly: children thrive with structure. Not authoritarian, rigid structure, but a predictable, warm framework that tells kids what’s coming next. Without it, kids become anxious. They need that grounding force, and it’s a gift — not a constraint — when you build it into your day.
Not sure where to start? Christy-Faith has free sample schedules covering preschool through high school — download them free here. And if you want the full framework — year schedule, monthly, weekly, and daily — that’s inside the Thrive Homeschool Community.
Teaching History with Living Books (and Why the Spine Isn’t Enough)
A “spine” is essentially the textbook backbone of your history curriculum — it covers the ages and eras, keeps things organized, but by itself it’s unlikely to make your child fall in love with history. Christy-Faith’s approach: use the spine (she loves Story of the World and listened to it in the car) and then supplement with living books and picture books that make the story come alive. She taught junior high history students with picture books at a private school — and they loved it and retained far more than from the textbook alone. Don’t be afraid to meet kids in the middle on level, and don’t worry too much about grade labels on history materials.
Reading Disabilities, Phonics, and When to Seek Help
If your child is behind in reading, the first question Christy-Faith asks is: are you using a phonics-based program that follows the science of reading? Before jumping to expensive interventions, she wants to make sure moms have exhausted strong, proven curriculum options first — because sometimes the gap is the program, not the child. But if you’ve been consistently using solid phonics-based curriculum and your child is around ten with a significant reading gap, it may be time to look into a formal evaluation for a reading disability and consider targeted interventions. Christy-Faith also recommends downloading her free curriculum recommendations — everything on that list is vetted, and none of the inclusions are paid placements.
Homeschooling with Toddlers in the House
Christy-Faith lived this — a five-year-old, two-year-old twins, and a seven-month-old baby, all at once, while homeschooling. The child she worried most about at five is now a high schooler reading at a collegiate level, running a small business, and completing his fifth year of Latin. Her message: you will be fine. For the toddler years specifically, think creatively — busy bags, Duplos, a special preapproved screen time window when you need to get focused lessons done with an older child, or a mommy’s helper a few hours a week. It’s chaotic. It’s also temporary. Give yourself grace and think outside the box.
Handling Naysayers and Building Your Support Tribe
If the people around you are questioning whether homeschool will prepare your kids for the real world, the most important thing you can do is actively build a tribe of people who are rooting for you. That could be a local co-op, an online community, or Thrive — but you need people who want you to succeed, not people waiting to say “I told you so.” Christy-Faith has given conference talks on handling skeptics and naysayers, and her baseline advice is clear: don’t try to defend your choices to people who’ve already decided. Find your people and lean in.
⭐ New to Homeschooling? Start with Episode 101 — the New Homeschooler Series is the best place to begin.
Resources Mentioned
- 5-Minute Homeschool Style Finder — Free quiz to identify which of the 9 homeschool styles fits your family
- How to Homeschool Guide — Free 26-page ebook with 6 steps to get started and launch your homeschool
- Free Sample Homeschool Schedules — Sample schedules from preschool through high school
- Free Curriculum Comparison Chart — Side-by-side curriculum comparisons to help you choose
- Free Curriculum Recommendations Download — Christy-Faith’s fail-proof subject-by-subject list (no paid placements)
- The Christy-Faith List — Free directory of homeschool-friendly businesses, doctors, reading specialists, and providers
- Thrive Homeschool Community — Full scheduling framework, curriculum guidance, and a community of moms who get it
📚 Looking for more free resources? Find all of Christy-Faith’s freebies — including Curriculum Recommendations, Homeschool Style Finder, and Sample Schedules — at christy-faith.com/#freebies
Related Episodes
If this episode resonated with you, you’ll also want to listen to:
- How to Start Homeschooling: The Legal Stuff & Choosing the Right Approach (Ep. 101) — The best starting point for anyone new to homeschooling. Listen here
- Finding Homeschool Curriculum & Resources (Ep. 102) — A deep dive into how to find, evaluate, and buy curriculum without wasting money. Listen here
- Creating Your Schedule & Finding Socialization (Ep. 103) — How to build a homeschool schedule that actually works for your family. Listen here
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you homeschool while working full time?
According to Christy-Faith, yes — and she does it herself alongside her husband Scott. The key is what she calls “sourcing smartly”: choosing curriculum and programs that handle lesson planning, grading, and instruction in certain subjects so you can focus your time and energy where your presence matters most. It becomes significantly more manageable once your children are past the early reading stage and developing independence.
How do I choose homeschool curriculum without getting overwhelmed?
Christy-Faith recommends starting with your homeschool style — take her free 5-Minute Homeschool Style Finder to identify which of the nine homeschool pedagogies fits your family. From there, her free curriculum recommendations download gives you a vetted, subject-by-subject list of programs she personally endorses — with no paid placements.
Do homeschool kids need a daily schedule?
Christy-Faith explains that based on seventy years of research in child psychology and development, children genuinely thrive with structure. Not a rigid, authoritarian schedule — but a predictable daily framework that gives kids a sense of what’s coming next. Children without structure tend to become anxious. She offers free sample schedules for preschool through high school at christy-faith.com/download-free-sample-homeschool-schedules.
What should I do if my child is behind in reading?
Christy-Faith’s first step is to confirm you’re using a phonics-based curriculum that follows the science of reading. Many reading gaps come from the wrong program, not a disability. If you’ve been using solid phonics-based materials consistently and your child is around ten with a significant gap, she recommends looking into a formal evaluation for a reading disability and considering targeted interventions. Her free curriculum recommendations download includes her approved reading and language arts programs.
How do you homeschool with toddlers in the house?
Christy-Faith homeschooled her oldest when she had toddler twins and a baby simultaneously, and she’s honest: it’s hard. Her practical advice includes busy bags, Duplos, a preapproved screen time window during focused lesson time with an older child, and getting creative about support — a mommy’s helper, a family member, or scheduling intensive work during nap times. The good news, she says: it’s a season, and the child you’re most worried about now will surprise you.
About Christy-Faith
Christy-Faith is a homeschool expert, author, speaker, and the host of The Christy-Faith Show — the podcast for homeschool moms who take their craft seriously. With over 20 years of experience in education, a master’s degree, and a background founding and directing one of the country’s top private learning centers, Christy-Faith has advised everyone from everyday families to A-list celebrities and billionaires on their children’s education. She is the author of Homeschool Rising: Shattering Myths, Finding Courage, and Opting Out of the School System, the founder of the Thrive Homeschool Community, and the creator of the Christy-Faith List — a free directory of homeschool-friendly businesses and providers. A homeschool mom of four, she reaches over 400,000 followers across social media and has built one of the largest and most trusted voices in the homeschool movement.
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