This is a guest post contributed by Leah Hudson. You can learn more about Leah in her bio at the bottom of her post.

I spend a lot of time thinking about how best to educate my children. Hours and hours are dedicated to simply planning the year ahead. Another immeasurable chunk of time is consumed actually carrying out those plans - reading, writing, discussing, reviewing. It is a lot.

I was recently perusing my commonplace journal and ran across this quote a few weeks back. Beware, it's long (you might want to grab a cup of coffee).

"Human learning is of good use to prepare for the study of better things, as a coarser dye prepares the cloth for a richer and deeper dye. But the fault is when the study of Christ is neglected. The knowledge of Christ ought to have the pre-eminence. It was surely not without a mystery that God allowed all Solomon's writing about birds and plants to be lost, but what he wrote about spiritual wisdom to be miraculously preserved, as if God would teach us that to know Christ (the true Wisdom) is the crowning knowledge (Prov. 8:12).

One leaf of this tree of life will give us more comfort on a death-bed than the whole idea and platform of human science. What is it to know all the motions of the orbs and influences of the stars, and in the meantime to be ignorant of Christ, the bright Morning Star (Rev. 22:16)? What is to understand the nature of minerals or precious stones, and not to know Christ the true Cornerstone (Isa. 28:16)? It is undervaluing, yes despising Christ, when with the lodestone we draw iron and straw to us, but neglect him who has tried gold to bestow on us (Rev. 3:18)

- Thomas Watson, The Godly Man's Picture

Reconsidering the Purpose of Homeschooling

All this had me re-considering my plans. Am I preparing my kids to study "better things?" As I carefully craft my school year, am I also considering how I can shift the focus from the creations of the world to the Creator of the world? While I am laying out timelines of history, am I sufficiently telling HIS story? As I begin to lay out the grammar of verbs before them, am I laying open the Verbum (the Word) before them, too?

And the more practical part of me asks, "How do I do that?" How do I prepare my children for Higher learning?

I don't begin to have all the answers, but I do have some simple ideas. These are things that take almost no time to implement. But they imbue our days with wonder in our Heavenly Father. They point our hearts in His direction throughout the day, demonstrating to my kids the mission statement of our educational pursuits:

And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.

Deuteronomy 6: 6-7

Simple Worship

Since my kids were little - preschool age - we have talked about God as Creator and Sustainer - the object of our worship. We had a couple of board books which gave us such a simple way to identify God as Creator and give Him thanks in toddler words. We still have little toddlers running around the house. Thus, we have never quite gotten out of the habit of noticing a beautiful sunset and immediately saying, "Good job, God!"

Is it silly to tell God good job? Absolutely not! In my opinion, taking the time to simply exalt God throughout the day for the things He has done or for His character is a practice adults should do more often. There is something about having kids and desiring to teach them to be better and do better than us that inspires this new (or renewed) practice.

As our kids get older, we can introduce them to the Psalms where the psalmist put that simple praise, "Good job, God," into much more eloquent and "spiritual" phraseology. Our kids will be able to recognize the transition much easier when they have a background in praise.

Simple Bible Study

Another practice I try to make a concerted effort to maintain is simple Bible study. Early years of Bible study include Bible stories (our favorites are Read Aloud Bible Stories and our vintage Egermeier's Bible Story Book) for our littles. As they get older, we have started them early with the inductive study method for kids. This simple Bible study has become a family favorite. In fact my kids beg for Bible study time around our chalkboard table.

We try not to over-complicate it much. We focus on storytelling and key words mostly. But the beauty of those times gathered around the Word is almost inexpressible. The privilege of sharing the very Word of God with my kids is so humbling and exhilarating!

Simple Catechism

Although I did not grow up with a catechism, I discovered it a number of years ago. I just loved the simple, classical way it teaches theology to my kids. Although we are not the best about introducing new catechism on a regular basis, we are able to walk through the questions and answers we know rather quickly, any time. I came up with simple nursery tune inspired songs to go with a number of the early questions. I have taught each of my kids from their earliest years the catechism. It is such a delight! By the way I have some simple Catechism cards available on my blog with some tips for starting catechism in your home.

Simple Dialogue

The foregoing simple practices - worship, Bible study, and catechism - can often lead to questions from my kids. Some of them are silly sounding yet earnest questions. I still remember a conversation between my oldest two about why we celebrate Easter and did God really die? Does He really die each Easter? Kids are going to have questions! So I try to maintain an open dialogue with them where I take each of their questions seriously.

The reward of these practices and the open dialogue is the conversations we get to have with our kids when they start to develop into the dialectic stage of learning. I wrote in my journal about the night my eldest walked in and asked, "Mom, am I a Christian yet?" In another wonderful recent conversation, she and I pondered together what it will mean to be "perfect" in heaven.

I am so thankful God has given me these kids to point to Jesus! I consider it the greatest challenge of my life. My prayer and hope is they are always willing to come ask me the questions on their heart.

Simple Prayers

The last of these simple practices is another result of each of these practices and an impetus for more of the same. I try my best to utter simple prayers in front of my kids. I think kids see adults praying and they start to question their ability to talk to God. When I pray with my kids, when I show them how I talk to God, I try to remove the pretense and the repetition. I try to remember I am showing them how to talk to a Holy God and a loving Father.

What I Want my Kids to Remember

I tend to be fairly nostalgic and can remember almost every time I stepped foot in a church before I was ten years old. It wasn't because there were a lot of those times, quite the opposite. But I remember visiting my grandparents' church of Christ in Mississippi in the summers of my elementary years. Going to VBS and listening to old-time hymns, sung acapella. I can remember joining hands and praying around the supper table. (He was calling me even then.)

As I look at my kids I want a different experience of Jesus than I had. I want His love to be known and spoken of often enough in our home they can remember years by Bible verses and hymns we learned and sang. I want a completely different culture for them; one cultivated by the simple practices of a simple faith.

In the most simple terms, I want to remember to teach them to esteem Christ- to recognize Him as the true Cornerstone, the bright Morning Star, the Creator. Praise God we have these simple gifts for the encouragement of our souls and our children's souls! May God magnify Himself through them.

Hi, I am Leah, the wife, homemaker, and homeschooling mom behind Simple.Home.Blessings. I like to think of myself as a problem-solver and joy-seeker. Instead of getting bogged down in the problems of life, I try to find a solution and then glory in it. I would like to share one of all-time favorite solutions with you - head over to my site to get a FREE set of our Gathering placemats! Find me on Instagram as well!

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