As we read from the best books with our children, our spirits become more refined and we learn moral lessons through timeless stories and characters. We are drawn to the people we meet in these books as we observe their struggles, dreams, challenges, and choices. We learn from the way our favorite characters choose to live (or not) by a moral compass, and we see the consequences of their successes and failures. We cheer for them when they win, and we cry with them when they suffer loss. We become more empathetic and inspired to be people of integrity.

Learning together fosters not just increased knowledge, but improved relationships. Older children become leaders and mentors to their younger siblings, which improves their own confidence and understanding of concepts. They learn to be patient as they help the younger children do new things. And the younger siblings are very interested in emulating their older brothers and sisters. They observe older siblings closely and are motivated to achieve what they admire in them.

The purpose of our daily devotional is to focus on unifying our family around the day’s demands of school, activities, goals, values, needs, and more. It helps to strengthen our family spiritually and emotionally before the pressures of the day begin. As an integral part of our homeschool, it is also the best time to teach our children the subjects and values that go beyond the usual “school” curriculum. For example, some of the topics we might discuss include what it means to be resilient or emotionally flexible, why hard work is so important, how to make wise choices in friendships and dating, or to how to address gaps in our knowledge of scripture or doctrine.