This post is all about resources for teaching character in homeschool.
Protecting your children’s youth, training them up the way they should go, or flexibility of schedule are usually the reasons I hear for choosing home education. A big reason I decided to continue homeschooling was seeing the opportunity to focus on character.
Teaching character looks a lot like working on it myself. Aiming to model it at every turn. Life is different each day, and provides plenty to work on together. There are often learning opportunities for the whole family with this gift of time that homeschooling has offered.
If you have wanted to take your home education experience beyond academics, read on for some tips and resources I have gathered along the way.
This post is all about teaching character in homeschooling.
Teaching Character with Books
YWAM Publishing
I can’t say enough about the biography series from YWAM Publishing. They have a History of Heroes and Christian Heroes: Then and Now series. We have read aloud a whole shelf of their biographies now, mostly in our family studies, and each one has left us inspired and at times, teary eyed. The passion and grit of each life has been touching, and I’m so grateful to be able to discuss these with my children!
YWAM has different types of books all with the same meaning and purpose.
Christian Heroes *suggested for ages 10+ (but we read them starting at 7)
These exciting, challenging, and deeply touching true stories chronicle the lives of ordinary men and women whose trust in God accomplished extraordinary exploits for His kingdom and glory. Written specifically to challenge readers with the powerful lives of missionaries who have profoundly shaped history, these books answer today’s call for positive role models and for opportunities to see how God works through the lives of those who follow him. Real people, incredible, inspiring true stories, great for the whole family. Check out this box set!
Heroes for Young Readers *suggested for ages 5-10 year olds
These hardcover, 32 pages, fully illustrated books introduce younger children to the lives of Christian heroes! Whether reading for themselves or being read to, children love the captivating rhyming poems and unforgettable color illustrations of the Heroes for Young Readers series.
International Adventures *suggested for ages 14+
Amazing true autobiographies of spiritual victory and personal triumph. On every continent, in every nation, God is at work in and through the lives of believers. From the streets of Amsterdam to remote Pacific islands to the jungles of Ecuador and beyond, each international adventure that emerges is a dramatic episode that could be directed only by the hand of God. Sample one here.
Books That Build Character
If you’re looking for an easy family guide to classic novels, poetry, Bible stories, fables, and more, check out this book. They offer more than 300 titles to check out, and all explore the difference between right and wrong in their own unique way. It’s great to reference when you want to work on a specific character trait. Here are some of my favorite read-alouds that subtly and simply touch on character through the power of story.
Teaching Character with Curriculum
Beautiful Feet Books
You probably have heard of Beautiful Feet Books for their living history curriculum. Did you know they also have not one, but two studies that teach about character? One is geared towards K-3, and the other one is for grades 4-6. Each presents books that touch on a character trait, and the teacher guide provides discussion questions to spark conversation. We took our time, and completed this study in 2 years as evening read alouds. I thought it would be nice as bedtime stories, and they could think about it as they fall asleep.
[RELATED POST: Review of Around the World with Picture Books Curriculum]
Generous Family Curriculum
Most recently, we pulled the Generous Family Homeschool Curriculum (use code “juicebox” for 15% off) in our homeschool morning basket. At first, I wasn’t sure if spending a whole year on the topic of generosity would be excessive. In the end, I had absolutely nothing to be concerned about. The thoughtfulness of this curriculum offered variety in terms of presentation. We had short biographical stories in audio form along with awesome video suggestions to illustrate real life generosity in action.
This curriculum provided ideas for how we can put our learning into practice. We put together blessing bags as a family. Additionally, my youngest chose to save up some extra money to donate to Hydrating Humanity. I highly encourage you to check out this curriculum, and use the code “juicebox15” for a discount. It was one of my favorite pieces of curriculum we used this past school year!
CM Simple Studies
The Heroes and Hope Guide from CM Simple Studies includes 36 lessons, a coloring book, copywork pages, a suggested book list, and recipes. The spine text is The Children’s Book of Heroes by William J. Bennett, but there are plenty of additional suggested books within the curriculum. It is just as the title describes – a simple study without frills.
The lessons are labeled as Lesson 1, Lesson 2, etc., which makes it easy to schedule in any week. You can do one lesson a week for a full year, 2 or more lessons a week make it a semester study. Lessons take about 15 minutes, and the instructor can read aloud the chapter. It covers a bit of history, narration, art, memorization, and critical thinking.
[RELATED POST: Review of Meadow Creatures from CM Simple Studies]
Teaching Character Resources
September & Co
When I can, I really love to support small businesses. Here is a great one stop shop for some character resources. They have adorable character cards for beginners and older elementary children. Also, they have matching posters for easy visual cues are also available in their shop.
Our morning meeting will consist of utilizing their character cards. I love the look of these, and the wonderful topics we will cover. This year, we will need to be mindful of the time we take, so this is a perfect resource to study character daily in a short period of time.
[RELATED POST: 2024-2025 Homeschool Curriculum Plans]
Habits Tee
I love teaching about habits and character training so much, I designed a t-shirt (or crewneck or hoodie) to encourage you! There are a variety of colors, and are so comfy and soft. Share and tag me on Instagram so I can personally thank you!
Generous Kids Book Club
My youngest has been enjoying being a part of this book club. Each month, a new picture book is delivered along with stickers, a collector’s card, and a QR code to the portal that includes printables and a read aloud of the story. It is designed for younger kids so I would only suggest this club for kids under 10 years old. You can use my code “juicebox” for a 15% off discount.
This post was all about living and resource books that teach about character.
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