We live in a time when there’s no shortage of great reading options for home educators. I’m incredibly grateful for that because that’s exactly where we turned when we began homeschooling.  We turned to our local library and researched diligently to prepare for our journey. Since then, I’ve continued to turn to books for homeschooling parents for encouragement, further learning, and new ideas.

There’s plenty to choose from in the way of homeschooling books, but some options have been more helpful than others.  Then there are some books that I simply haven’t read yet or wouldn’t be useful in our homeschooling setup.

However, there are several books that I’m beyond grateful to have found.  These are the books that I’ve highlighted line after line, marked up the pages, and don’t usually stay shelved for long.  Here’s a look at my favorite books for homeschooling parents.

10 Great Books for Homeschool Parents

1.  Home Learning Year by Year by Rebecca Rupp – Out of all of the books I’ve read about homeschooling, this is the book that I turn to time and time again.  Since we’re eclectic homeschoolers and our teaching methods vary between subjects, Home Learning Year by Year is a great general guideline of what to cover and when.   If you’re like us and don’t necessarily use one curriculum or publisher across the board, this is a book you need to have on your homeschool shelf!

2.  A Charlotte Mason Education by Catherine Levison – This is the perfect book if you’re a homeschool parent who is curious about the Charlotte Mason homeschooling method or simply don’t know where to begin with Charlotte Mason in your homeschool.  There’s plenty available to read from Ms. Mason herself, but this is one of my favorite homeschooling books because it’s a great introduction to the homeschool method.  I also appreciate that Levison kept it short and sweet; no one needs to be overwhelmed when exploring an educational philosophy!

3.  How We Teach – iHomeschool Network has several helpful books for homeschooling parents, but How We Teach is an especially great book to have in your library!  How We Teach is a collaboration from iHomeschool Network bloggers that explores homeschool methods, subjects, and age ranges and how those three elements uniquely come together in each home.

4.  The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise – I know many homeschool parents who feel that The Well-Trained Mind is the homeschooling book of all homeschooling books because it’s such a fantastic guide for classical education.  We don’t own this one, but I’ve found myself borrowing it from our local library several times throughout the years to consult for various reasons.   If you’re considering classical education for your homeschool, you’re probably not going to be happy with an occasionally borrowed copy.  You’ll want your own Well-Trained Mind to refer to at your convenience.

5.  When Children Love to Learn by Elaine Cooper – This is one that I’m currently reading so I can’t offer too much of an explanation yet.  Two chapters in, if we can refer to A Charlotte Mason Education as an overview of a Charlotte Mason education, then When Children Love to Learn is a chance to dig deeper into her methods and understand why they benefit children and society today.

6.  Plan to Be Flexible: Designing a Homeschool Rhythm and Plan That Works for Your Family by Alicia Michelle – This is one of my recent homeschool-related reads and I loved it!  Plan to Be Flexible encourages rhythms and routines over hardcore scheduling and helps homeschooling parents keep their sanity when life and homeschool collide.

7.  Simply Homeschool by Karen Debeus – Once upon a time I was a do it all kind of homeschool mom.  (The kind that felt like jam-packed lesson plans and expensive curriculum equals homeshcooling success.)  I read Simply Homeschool as I was coming out of that season and found it to be so encouraging and affirming.  This is a fairly quick read, but is one I recommend to any homeschool parent who feels overwhelmed and lost in a sea of to-do lists and expectations.