It’s the most wonderful time of the year! And not just because the song said so – but because Christmas truly is a season of wonder, beauty, and joy. But have you considered how to incorporate Christmas or Advent into your homeschool? Friend, you are in the right place because I LOVE homeschool during the Christmas season.
What is Adventschool or Christmas School?
Advent means “coming”, and so during Advent we celebrate the coming of the Messiah, while we also await His second advent. While Christmas School, or Adventschool will look different to many families, the overall idea is that the focus of our homeschool is solely on Jesus for the entirety of the season.
Where We Started
Years ago I set out to make the season special in our homeschool. I had no idea where to start, but I knew that I wanted December to be a time my children could look back on fondly with memories of slow, intentional living, celebrating the coming of our Lord Jesus. My hope was to draw the focus away from the receiving of gifts, and rather shift it to one of giving, being joyful, and prayerful. I wanted my children to be filled to the brim with joyous memories of baking, cuddling up on the couch to read Christmas books and watching Christmas movies. To associate the season with glorious smells of brown sugar, gingerbread, peppermint, and cinnamon.
Starting out, I knew that I could use some help. I knew that I wanted to put all of our regular studies on hold for the entire month so that we would have all the time we needed to soak in the season, but I wasn’t sure where else to start. Thanks to some internet searches and homeschool groups on Facebook, I found step one. It was an Advent plan for homeschool families, which we ended up loving so much that it launched me into deeper research over the years in an attempt to try out numerous studies. For a few years I actually found myself in over my head, purchasing more plans that we could realistically cover, but I think we’ve finally found our groove. So to help you get started (and hopefully save you from trying to cram in too much) here are 5 enriching ideas you should consider incorporating into your Adventschool, Christmasschool, Advent homeschool (or whatever you’d like to call it) this year.
Clear Your Schedule
Sounds simple, but the holidays are notorious for busyness. Cookie exchange parties, Christmas parties, shopping for presents, family coming to visit, travel,… these are all great things, but it’s easy for the time to get away from us. Keep your schedule as open as possible, so that you have time to slow down and enjoy the season with your children.
Choose A Curriculum
There are tons of beautiful Advent curricula on the market, and we’ve tried out a few of them ourselves. If you are new to Adventschool or Christmas School, I recommend purchasing a curriculum to help get you started. Many of them are filled with scripture, guided discussions or stories, as well as artwork or crafts to go along with the lesson. Here are a few of our favourites:
- Slow + Sacred Advent by the late Jennifer Naraki (I’m not sure whether this is still being updated to reflect each years’ dates, but it is beautiful none the less)
- Truth in the Tinsel (this one is for the younger crew and VERY craft heavy. If you’re low on time and have lots of small children, you may want to consider only choosing a handful of the crafts to complete – signed, a mama who found the prep work too intense)
- Celebrating the Seasons with Children: Advent (great for the nature loving family, and those who follow the Charlotte Mason method and include nature study into their homeschool)
*There are TONS on the market that are really wonderful, but these have been our top three.
Add in Special Moments
Think about what your fondest Christmas memories are with your family and consider doing those same things with your children, or creating new memories and traditions. Maybe you visit a tree farm each year to cut down your own tree. Perhaps you bake a different Christmas recipe every week. Maybe it’s as simple as lighting the Advent candles each night with prayers.
Exemplify the Joy of Giving
Kids love getting gifts. Christmas morning is probably the most exciting day of the year for children. But have your kids stopped to consider the joy of being the one giving the gift? Make a point to do some giving this year. Perhaps you can serve at a local food bank (most don’t allow small children, so ask around), get involved in a community project, or bake cookies to deliver to the neighbors with a note of blessing.
Enrich With Seasonal Beauty
There are so many beautiful enriching extras you can add into the season that will help deliver the Advent message. Along the way we’ve found a few favourites that we use every single year, as they are simple enough to slip into our regular morning time routine, with dinner, or the lighting of our Advent candles. Here are a few that we love:
- Jotham’s Journey (This is actually a series of 4 Christmas stories that all tie into one another. We’ve read all four and will rotate to read a different book each year – here are the rest of the stories in the series: Tabitha’s Travels, Ishtar’s Odyssey, Bartholomew’s Passage.)
- Kids Read Truth Advent Conversation Cards
- Jehovah (Shameless plug, this is my personal Advent devotional I wrote to help my family learn the names of God to help us understand His nature. You can purchase this in digital form, or printed copies are seasonally available for shipping within the US)
Have an Advent plan you’ve used and loved in your homeschool? Be sure to leave a comment below and share what’s worked for your family.
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