Guide

How do you plan your first year of homeschooling around family worship?

Plan your first homeschool year around a short daily rhythm that opens with family worship and catechism, then reading, writing and arithmetic in the morning, with reading aloud and outdoor time after lunch. Teach four or five days a week in three terms with breaks, buy only the core, borrow from the library and print the rest free.

Household Theology Press, a project of Michael Tribett · Last updated November 15, 2026

What should come first in a first homeschool year?

Put family worship and catechism first, both in priority and in the day. A first year goes best with a small, steady core: Scripture, prayer, catechism, reading, writing and arithmetic, done most days. Everything else can be added slowly. A simple plan you keep beats an ambitious one you abandon in October.

Before you begin, check the legal side. Homeschool laws differ from state to state, and they change. Read your own state’s law, from the state itself, before you start, and keep whatever records it asks for. This guide gives no legal advice.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 pictures parents teaching God’s words to their children through the whole ordinary day, at home and on the road, morning and night. A homeschool can be built around that same shape: the day begins with God’s Word, and the rest of the day’s learning sits inside it.

What does a sample daily rhythm look like?

A good first-year day has a short, predictable order. Begin with family worship and catechism over or right after breakfast, then do the core lessons while minds are fresh, and keep the afternoon for reading aloud, outdoor time and play. For young children, keep the focused work to the morning.

Here is a sample rhythm for a family with children of several ages. Treat the times as rough guides.

Some families hold family worship in the evening, when everyone is home. That works too. If you do, keep the morning catechism slot anyway, so it stays part of the school day. The guide How do you start family worship? has sample orders of worship.

What does a weekly rhythm look like?

A simple weekly rhythm is four full lesson days and one lighter day, with the Lord’s Day kept free of school. The lighter day suits library trips, nature walks, catching up and the catechism recitation. Repeating the same week gives children security and makes planning easy.

The catechism column follows the site’s weekly catechism schedule: one new question a week, about ten minutes a day.

How do you plan the year in terms?

Divide the year into three terms of about twelve weeks, with a week or more of rest between them. Short terms give you natural points to stop, review and adjust. Plan only the first term in detail, then plan the next one during the break, using what you learned.

A sample year:

A plan like this fits most calendars. Check it against whatever your own state requires.

By the end of the first year, a child on the weekly schedule will have learned roughly thirty catechism questions, with review weeks built in. That is a real foundation.

What should you buy, borrow or print free?

Buy only what you will use every day, borrow what you will use once, and print what is freely available. In a first year that usually means buying a few core books and supplies, borrowing most reading material from the library, and printing catechism and handwriting pages at home.

Buy:

• A Bible for each reader, and one for family worship
• One arithmetic program and one phonics or reading program, chosen after you have looked at samples
• Pencils, lined paper, notebooks, crayons and a binder

Borrow:

• Read-aloud books, history, science and nature books from your library
• Books and games from friends who have homeschooled before you

Print free:

• Catechism memory cards and copywork for every question
• The weekly catechism schedule
• Other free helps listed on the resources page

This guide does not recommend paid curricula by name. Look at samples, ask families at your church what they use, and choose what fits your children.

How do you avoid overbuying curriculum?

Start with the smallest set that covers the core, use it for six weeks, and buy more only when you can name a need. It is easy to buy too much in a first year, because every catalog looks essential. Children in the early years need good books, steady practice and your time more than they need many programs.

Simple rules that help:

1. Buy one subject at a time. Start arithmetic and reading first. Add others later.
2. Wait six weeks before adding anything. You will know by then what is missing.
3. Look before you buy. Use samples, borrow a friend’s copy, or buy used.
4. Skip complete boxed sets in the first year. You do not yet know how your children learn.
5. Use the library first. If a library book works well, buy a copy later.

If a program is making your days worse, it is fine to set it aside. Your plan serves your family.

Where do catechism and family worship fit when the day goes badly?

Keep family worship and catechism even on the worst days, and drop other lessons first. Ten minutes of Scripture, prayer and catechism holds the day together when nothing else does. A sick day or a hard morning can shrink to just that, and the day still counts for what matters most.

A bad-day plan:

1. Family worship: read a short passage and pray.
2. Ask this week’s catechism question.
3. Read aloud for as long as everyone can listen.
4. Call it a day.

Hard weeks come in most first years. Pick up the next morning with the same simple order.

Where to go next

• Print the weekly catechism schedule and start your first Monday with it.
• Read How do you start family worship? for a ten-minute order of worship.
• Visit Start here for an overview of everything on this site.