5 Homeschool Hacks Every Intentional Mama Needs to Know
- Jenna Johnson
- Jun 16
- 4 min read
I didn’t plan to homeschool. Not really.
I thought it was something for women with denim jumpers and chore charts taped to the fridge.
Not for me — not with my overflowing laundry basket and the toddler stuck to my leg like velcro. After all, I have 4 kids!!
But then the world slowed down. Or maybe I just did. Postpartum was interesting the 4th time around, because finding a new balance with a newborn and three others in tow was challenging and now I was going to add homeschool on top of it?
But I felt a calling…
I had a million questions about how I wanted to raise my children — not just teach them.
How was I going to do it all? Where was I going to start? Even after 10 years of teaching elementary special education, I still wasn’t sure that I could handle my own kids…be a mom AND a teacher? That was a lot to handle.
So here we are, one year later… and I can confidently say - I WISH I STARTED SOONER.
Homeschool is nothing like public school. Well, they have their similarities. Our “classroom” may lack individual desks and a chalkboard, but it does have a homeschool room filled with watercolor paints and half-eaten apples, and stacks of curriculum along with hands on learning games.
I’ll skip over the part where we get the occasional tantrum over who gets the sharpest pencil.
Homeschooling can feel heavy. It’s a noble weight — but a weight all the same. Being responsible for your child’s entire education can seem daunting.
So if you’re reading this because you are considering homeschooling, or are already homeschooling…and breathing through the chaos while craving peace in your rhythm, let me offer you five of my most sacred homeschool hacks — not the Pinterest kind, but the real, raw, soul-saving kind.
1. Create a “Flow”, with Anchors - Not a Set Schedule
Rigid schedules break. But rhythms? They bend with your day.
We don’t ring a bell at 9am. We anchor our learning to real life.
Morning basket after breakfast. Nature walk after snack. Read-alouds before rest. These gentle patterns make space for real life — teething, spilled breastmilk, meltdowns over math, and more.
🌿 Hack in action: Keep a basket with books, beeswax crayons, and herbal tea ready by the couch — your slow start to the day. Make the kids their own morning baskets, and they can have their 20 minutes of quiet time first thing after wake up. Another hack would be to include a sunrise snack. It keeps the hunger at bay!
2. Teach Less. Learn More.
You don’t need to cover every subject every day. You don’t even need to finish the workbook. Take each day one step at a time. Follow your child’s lead.
You need connection. Curiosity. Courage to go deep instead of wide.
One rich conversation about why the leaves are changing color is worth more than a worksheet on photosynthesis.
🌿 Hack in action: Got an extra hour? Choose one “main” subject and go all in. Think deep, not wide.
3. Nourish the Environment (Not Just the Curriculum)
Some moms light a beeswax candle before they begin. Little rituals set the tone. Not because it’s necessary — but because it signals presence.
The learning space matters. Soft lighting. Nature nearby. Books within reach. Less clutter. More calm.
This isn’t about perfection. It’s about creating a space where their nervous system can rest and their curiosity can rise. Visuals are important too!
🌿 Hack in action: A clean table, a reading nook, and a quiet corner are often better teachers than any online program.
4. Build in Mama Margins
You can’t pour from an empty cup — or an overstimulated, overtired one. This was the hardest lesson for me to learn this year… Because I love to run myself into the ground!
Schedule time for yourself, not just your kids’ lessons.
It can be 15 minutes of silence with a magnesium drink. I say this in all seriousness, because this is about all the alone time that I get during the day.
It can be a slow afternoon with music blasting your favorite child appropriate tunes and the baby on your hip.
Postpartum, perimenopause, burnout — they’re real. And they matter.
🌿 Hack in action: Declare quiet time sacred. Even if it’s just audiobooks and rest time, it gives you the breath you need. The kids will follow your lead.
5. You’re Not Behind. You’re Becoming.
There will be hard days. You’ll wonder if you’re doing enough. You’ll feel the pressure of comparison — from Instagram reels to the neighbor’s color-coded planner.
But homeschooling isn’t a race. It’s a lifestyle. One where growth is measured in eye contact, in giggles during science experiments, in the way they run to you with a new discovery.
You’re not behind. You’re right where you need to be.
🌿 Hack in action: Keep a “learning journal” — jot down what your kids explored each week.
You’ll see the magic happening, even when the math book stays closed.
Mama, you’re doing holy work.
Homeschooling isn’t about checking boxes. It’s about raising whole humans — and becoming one yourself in the process.
If you ever doubt it, light the candle. Breathe. Remember that slow and sacred is still strong.
I’m cheering for you — From one barefoot, beeswax-loving, balance chasing homeschool mama to another.
With heart,
Jenna