Our 2025 Summer Homeschool Curriculum

I thought I’d take a quick moment to share our summer homeschool curriculum choices for this year. As always, our weekly schedule will be pretty busy due to the girls’ gymnastics commitments. We actually took an extended break last summer while we were in the process of switching to a different gym, and as much as I think we all enjoyed the downtime, I’ve realized we do better when we stick to a gentle learning routine year-round.

This year, we’re keeping things simple and flexible. We’re taking a break from our “Around the World” study this summer to focus on creative writing, history, a little math, and some fun hands-on activities — with plenty of time left over for play, of course! I’ll share more details below in case it’s helpful as you plan your own summer learning activities.

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Morning Time

We call it morning time, but in reality sometimes it’s in the afternoon. We have to remain flexible due to the girls’ time-consuming gymnastics practice schedule. Since morning time serves as the foundation of our school days, it remains part of our summer homeschool routine, too.

Our Summer Homeschool Morning Basket

Here’s what our morning basket includes this summer:

A Journey Through Time in Verse and Rhyme

We each take turns choosing a poem from A Journey Through Time in Verse and Rhyme and reciting it aloud. It’s been my kids’ favorite way to do poetry for the past year or so.

Me and My Feelings: A Kids’ Guide to Understanding and Expressing Themselves

Since we’re pausing our virtues study for summer, this activity book helps us continue to build emotional awareness in a fun, low-pressure way.

Happy Confident Me: Life Skills Journal

I’m working on cultivating a daily journaling habit with the kids, and the Happy Confident Me: Life Skills Journal is a lot of fun!

Mistakes That Worked: 40 Familiar Inventions and How They Came to Be

This book shares stories of inventions that came about by accident, reinforcing a growth mindset and showing how mistakes can lead to success.

Solve It With Sherlock Holmes

A fun puzzle book inspired by the famous detective’s adventures, I’m hoping this one’s a hit! It looks like it’ll be a great way to work on logic and problem-solving skills.

Adsumudi

We’re adding Adsumudi to our summer morning basket as a simple way to keep up with math facts during our daily number talks. It’s quick to play and gets everyone thinking creatively with numbers—perfect for sneaking in some fun math practice without it feeling like a lesson.

Read-Aloud

We usually include a couple of read-aloud books each day, with our morning selections typically tied to our history curriculum or one of our country studies. We also set aside some fun family reads for the summer, which we tend to enjoy together closer to bedtime.

Language Arts

For language arts this summer, we’re diving into creative writing with Gail Carson Levine’s book Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly. The chapters are short and approachable—we read one together, then spend 15–20 minutes on the related writing prompt. So far, it’s been a fun and easy way to build writing skills without feeling too heavy.

History

We just wrapped up Part I of United Stories: An American History Homeschool Curriculum, which took us from pre-colonial times through the War of 1812. It’s been a rich, story-driven journey filled with a plethora of living books and hands-on activities.

Over the summer we’ll begin Part II, diving into the 19th century—from westward expansion and the Civil War to the early 1900s. This next chapter will guide our history studies throughout the upcoming school year.

Since our history curriculum is literature-based, it’s pretty easy to weave into our days. We usually include a read-aloud during our morning basket time and make the most of audiobooks during our daily commute to the gym.

Math

This summer, we’re keeping math fun and simple with a mix of activities:

Hands-On Equations Verbal Problems Workbook

We’re using the Hands-On Equations Verbal Problems Workbook to practice early algebra. Both my kids have enjoyed using the Hands-On Equations approach over the past year, and this will allow them to get some additional practice with word problems over the summer.

Challenge Math

Edward Zaccaro’s Primary Grade Challenge Math and Upper Elementary Challenge Math books are a collection of fun, brain-stretching problems designed to develop logical thinking and problem-solving skills in young learners. We don’t always have time during the regular school year to fit these into our busy schedules, so summer’s a perfect time to slow down and work through them at our own pace. The problems are challenging but engaging, making them a great way to keep math skills sharp without the pressure of a full curriculum.

Math Antics

My oldest will be starting pre-algebra in the fall, so this summer she’s using Math Antics—videos and worksheets included—as a simple, approachable way to solidify the basics before jumping into more challenging material.

We’re also using this time to encourage a little more independence. She’s in charge of pacing herself and deciding how much to tackle each day based on her understanding and schedule.

I’m always here if she needs help, but as she heads into sixth grade, I’m really hoping this gentle approach builds her confidence and helps her begin to develop the skills she’ll need to approach more challenging subjects independently.

More Summer Homeschool Curriculum Activities

Over the years, we’ve gathered some fantastic books and resources that don’t always fit into our busy school routine. Sometimes we start them and then have to put them aside because life intervenes, but summer is the perfect chance to pull them back out and really enjoy!

Here are the ones we’ll be making a priority this summer:

I love these kinds of books because they really encourage creative, hands-on learning. I’m still trying to find the perfect system to make them more of a priority during our school year, but in the meantime, summer is a great time to dive in without any pressure. Plus, a lot of the times they’re a fun way to include friends and make learning social!

Gameschooling: Making Board Games a Summer Priority

One of our goals this summer is to make board game time a regular part of our learning routine. Playing games is such a great way to build critical thinking, social skills, and teamwork—all while having fun. We love to invite our neighborhood friends over to join in, too.

Realistically, I know we may not get to it every single day, but even a few times a week is a great goal to strive for if you’re hoping to add a little structure and screen-free family fun to those long summer days.

Other Summer Homeschool Curriculum Ideas

Make Time to Learn a Handicraft

Summer is also the perfect time to introduce your kids to a new handicraft—whether it’s crochet, wood carving, watercolor painting, or something else entirely. Beyond being a practical life skill, handicrafts nurture creativity, build patience and confidence, and strengthen fine motor skills.

You might even explore local farmers’ markets or craft fairs for inspiration—your kids could be motivated to create and sell their own handmade items! My oldest plans on making bracelets to sell this summer, and my youngest will be learning crochet.

Wondering what kinds of handicrafts your kids might enjoy? Don’t miss our full list of suggestions [in this post].

Pick a Topic to Explore Together

Another fun activity to incorporate into your summer homeschool curriculum is a themed unit study. If you’re interested in exploring the world from home this summer, our Global Explorers program makes it easy with hands-on country studies full of fun activities like interesting books, music, art projects, and recipes to try together. Honestly, some of our most treasured homeschool memories from the past three years have come from our country studies!

If you’re not quite ready for a full unit, try one of our mini mapwork and journal activity packs instead—they’re a simple, fun way to ease into mapwork and encourage self-directed learning throughout the summer.

If you have multiple children, each one can choose a different country to explore and even share what they’ve learned with the family. You could even throw a little party featuring foods, crafts, and music from the countries you’re studying and celebrate your summer learning!