Grief School
Homeschool
Audio By Carbonatix
When Lesson Plans Give Way to Loss—and Grace Becomes Your Curriculum
Grandmother slipped into eternity last week, less than two weeks before our first day of the new homeschooling year. I shuffled to the dining room where my planner was—the one color-coded with history timelines, literature read-alouds, and math facts—only to realize every task suddenly felt irrelevant. Tears blurred the pages. How do I homeschool when my heart feels split in two?
Maybe you’ve been there: a death in the family, a miscarriage, a medical crisis, or the slow ache of caring for an aging parent or grandparent. We say to ourselves, “I should keep the kids on track.”
Yet above that whisper, grief shouts, “Everything has changed.”
Friend, this messy middle ground doesn’t replace homeschooling. It is homeschooling. Our children are watching us live real life in real time. The lessons they learn as they watch us walk through hardship is something that will impact them for life. These are lessons are ones no curriculum can replicate.
Academics can pause, but discipleship never does. Grief becomes a classroom where grace takes the teacher’s chair.
5 Ways to Give Yourself (and Your Kids) Grace in Seasons of Loss
| Step | What It Looks Like | Why It Matters |
| 1. Declare a “Selah Week.” | Press pause on formal lessons. Read Psalms. Watch clouds. Light a candle and let everyone breathe. | A holy pause teaches kids that hearts matter more than worksheets. |
| 2. Shrink the schedule to “Must-Dos.” | Keep one main subject (maybe math) for familiarity. Let the rest of the time be filled with books, audiobooks, and nature walks. | Predictability offers security, and space allows mourning. |
| 3. Invite help without apology. | Text a friend: “Spelling is on hold—can my kids join your history lesson today?” Accept freezer meals from church. Invite a compassionate friend for coffee and don’t worry about the mess. | Community reminds children that the Body of Christ shows up in practical ways. |
| 4. Turn memories into mini-projects. | Have kids write Grandma’s favorite recipe, create a photo collage, or graph family heritage. | Learning woven through grief honors the one you lost and keeps brains engaged gently. |
| 5. Model lament and hope. | Read Lamentations 3:22-23 aloud, then pray together—even if your voice cracks. | Kids discover that tears and trust can share the same sentence. |
Quick Scripts for Asking Help
(Copy-Paste, Tweak to fit your situation, Send)
- Text to a Co-Op Friend:
“Hi, friend. We just lost my grandpa. Could my kids hop on your science lesson this week so I can handle funeral details?” - Email to Church Family:
“We’re navigating grief and still homeschooling. If anyone has a spare afternoon to read picture books to my littles or bring over flashcards, we’d be grateful.” - Note to Yourself (taped to the fridge):
“Permission granted to order pizza, skip handwriting, and stack cuddles higher than laundry.”
Reflecting on Grief in our Homeschool
Where is grief exposing your need for help, and who—if asked—would gladly shoulder a corner of that load?
Grief doesn’t cancel school. Instead, grief rewrites today’s lesson plan. When our children watch us trade perfection for just being together, our children learn the most essential equation: weakness + Jesus = enough.
A Prayer for the Grieving Homeschool Mom
Father of Compassion,
You see the empty chair at our table and the ache in my lesson planner. Thank You that You grade on grace, not performance. Help me lay down unrealistic expectations and pick up Your easy yoke. Send helpers who will love my children and feed our weary souls.
Lord, this is a hard season. May my tears become the ink that writes faith on their hearts. Teach us, together, that Your mercies really are new every morning. We need you now. Thank you for your presence. Amen.
So breathe, mama. Cancel the quiz if you must. Curl up with your kiddos and let Psalm 23 tutor every heart. THIS—the loving, grieving, leaning on Jesus together—is homeschooling, too.
Additional Resources
Stories of Wonder: Bible Tales for Kids
Fun. Faith. A fresh view of the Bible—straight from the next generation of storytellers.
What do you get when you mix Bible stories, creative teenagers, and a whole lot of imagination? You get Stories of Wonder: Bible Stories for Kids. This book is packed with 27 fun, inspiring, and surprising retellings of Bible stories—from the big boat of Noah to a piglet in the Prodigal Son’s backyard!
Written by homeschooled teens in Tricia Goyer’s writing class, these stories bring old favorites to life in fresh new ways. And they give children beautiful glimpses of God’s care and love.
