Homeschool Coffee Break

Some homeschool graduates launch into adulthood with confidence, while others finish all the curriculum and still feel stuck. The difference is rarely grades — and this episode is going to show you exactly what it is.
We are breaking down the shift from raising students to raising homeschool graduates who are truly prepared for real life, with 3 practical things you can start doing this week:
✅Why completed curriculum and good grades do not equal real-life readiness
✅1 question every homeschool mom needs to ask about building life skills in your kids
✅What truly successful adults have in common — and how to build it before they leave home
✅Why character, initiative, and problem solving matter more than any test score
✅How to let your child solve one problem this week without stepping in — starting today
Grab the Free Character Building Mini Chart mentioned in this episode and start building what really matters in your homeschool today.
Resources for You
Free Character Building Mini Chart
New homeschool support community early access
Show Notes:
Why Some Homeschool Graduates Launch Into Adulthood With Confidence — And Others Don't
Have you ever wondered why some homeschool graduates launch into adulthood with confidence while others seem stuck — even though both finished their curriculum and both made good grades? What if you are checking off all the boxes but missing the thing that actually prepares your child for adult life?
Today we're talking about the difference between information and preparation for real life.
What Traditional Education Rewards vs. What Real Life Rewards
Many graduates know facts, but they struggle with decision-making, responsibility, work ethic, communication, and initiative. Traditional education — at least for the past 200 years — rewards compliance and completion. Real life rewards wisdom, perseverance, and leadership.
We tend to measure success by completed curriculum, grades, transcripts, and test scores. Those things are easy to measure, so we feel secure in them. And yet that isn't always what is best for our kids. The things that are easy to measure aren't always what will prepare them for real life. Character, wisdom, initiative, responsibility, leadership — those are harder to measure. And yet those are the qualities that determine success as an adult.
So I want you to ask yourself this question today. What adult skill are you intentionally building in your children right now? Time management? Communication? Problem solving? Responsibility? Grab a piece of paper and write down three things you want your kids to be able to do or be known for at the age of 25. Then see if those are things you're actually working on with them right now.
You might notice that most of what you write down are character qualities — not academic achievements.
Clara Barton Didn't Change the World With a Transcript
Clara Barton started the American Red Cross. She was educated largely at home because she was very shy and struggled in traditional settings. She had very little formal schooling compared to what standards are today. Why? Because her family focused on character, service, and practical responsibility.
She later founded the American Red Cross and became one of the most influential humanitarians in our history. Her impact didn't come from a high school transcript. It came from compassion, leadership, courage, and a willingness to take responsibility when others wouldn't. Does anyone remember Clara Barton because she completed a curriculum? No. They remember her because she had an impact on others. She served others well.
The Real Question Is Not Can They Find Information
Information has never been more readily available. Kids can find any fact they want instantly on their phones. The question is not can they find information. The question is can they use that information wisely? Can they solve problems? Can they make wise decisions? Can they think critically? Can they follow God when life gets hard?
Those are the things I wanted for my own children. Now that I watch them going through some trials — they're all in their 30s — I am thankful that God is still working in them and they are making wise decisions.
What qualities consistently show up in successful adults? The ability to think critically and biblically. To communicate. To solve problems. To keep learning. To have a strong character and a strong work ethic. To persevere. To have integrity and dignity. These are not measured by a worksheet or a test score.
Booker T. Washington and the Tuskegee Model
Booker T. Washington is one of my favorite historical characters. He was born into slavery. He had very little formal education. He pursued learning relentlessly and went to Hampton Institute, where he was trained not only academically but in discipline, responsibility, and leadership.
He later founded Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. When you went to Tuskegee, yes, you chose an academic major — but you also had to choose a practical activity you would use to help build the university. Some students were construction workers who built the new buildings. Some were cooks who cooked the food all the students ate. Some were gardeners who grew the food. It was a dual pathway to graduation — academics and real-world responsibility together.
Booker T. Washington's success came from perseverance, leadership, and responsibility. And in one particular year, there were more millionaires from Tuskegee than from Harvard, Yale, and Princeton combined — because his system worked. He didn't just teach academics. He taught life skills that students could use for the rest of their lives.
The education that changes life isn't just information. It includes character formation and practical wisdom.
Who Is Your Child Becoming?
Many moms can plan subjects, lessons, and activities. But few intentionally plan character building, leadership opportunities, decision-making practice, independent thinking, real-world responsibility, work ethic, self-discipline, communication, and biblical wisdom. Those are all things your children need to be successful as adults.
Most homeschool moms ask — what should my child learn? But the real question is — who is my child becoming?
Make a list of who you want your child to be when they leave your home. If they're five, you have lots of time. If they're 15, that's okay too. There is still time. God is gracious and He has the Holy Spirit — and that is what can take you through and get your kids prepared.
Most adults don't struggle because they forgot algebra. They struggle because they can't manage money, relationships, priorities, or decisions.
If your child graduated tomorrow, what would you want people to say about them? I know what I wanted. I wanted someone to say they're following Jesus. They honor Jesus. They live a life of godly character. They have perseverance, work ethic, and integrity. It's not what your kids are memorizing — it's who they become.
What to Do This Week
Let your child solve one problem without you. Don't step in immediately. Give them time to think it through. That builds lifelong skills. If they're not sure where to start, ask them — what do you think you should do first? Let them find the answer.
That one shift — from solving it for them to asking them to think — is the beginning of everything.
If this episode helped you, would you please share it with someone? That would mean the world to me.
I also have two things for you. First, a free character building mini chart — the link is in the show notes. Second, I'm building a limited community of homeschool moms where we can encourage each other and answer questions about where you are right now. If you'd like early access, there is a sign-up link in the show notes as well. year?

You have been researching homeschool curriculum for weeks, filling carts, reading reviews, and asking everyone what they use. What if none of that matters as much as what you do before you ever open a single book?
This episode shares 3 simple tips that will make a bigger difference in your homeschool this year than any homeschool curriculum purchase ever could:
✅Why your attitude and atmosphere are more important than the curriculum you choose
✅How to take a CEO planning date that prepares you for the whole year
✅1 tradition that creates lasting memories your kids will still talk about decades from now
✅3 questions to ask about each child before buying any homeschool curriculum
✅Why knowing your learner always comes before choosing any program
Join the waitlist for the new homeschool support community mentioned in this episode and be first to know when it opens.
Resources for You
Raising Leaders Not Followers Course waitlist
New homeschool support community waitlist
Your Biggest Homeschool Decision This Year Is Not Curriculum
Raise your hand if you've already started looking for curriculum. Maybe you've already spent hours reading reviews or filled up an online shopping cart. What if I told you your biggest decision in your homeschool this year is not curriculum? It's the atmosphere and the expectations you create before you ever open a book. Today I'm sharing three simple tips that will make a bigger difference in your homeschool than which curriculum you buy.
Tip #1: Prepare Yourself Before You Prepare for School
There are moms like yourself that spend weeks organizing books, labeling bins, printing out schedules — but almost no time preparing themselves. What kind of mom do you want to be this year? Peaceful? Flexible? Intentional? Joyful? You really do need to decide that before you move forward, because when you are ready, your kids will automatically follow along.
I want to strongly encourage you to take a CEO homeschool planning date. I used to do this. I still remember one particular planning date — we were living in Idaho, and there was a coffee shop called Bootser's. I went up there for a whole Saturday morning and worked on things to prepare for our homeschool that year.
Get somewhere you can be by yourself with a notebook and a calendar. You're not going to plan the whole year — I don't even understand when people say they plan the whole year in a day. What if your child, three weeks in, doesn't understand the Pythagorean theorem and you've got to go back? Plan an overall idea of what you'll cover each month, but the weekly details? Plan one or two weeks at a time. Life happens. My past two weeks, I had no idea I was going to spend two weeks helping my mom recover from surgery. That just wasn't what we expected. But I had the freedom and the blessing to go be there for her.
One of the most important things you can do before that planning date is pray. Ask God what He wants you to do, how to plan for this year, what is special about each of your children right now. When mom is prepared emotionally, the whole homeschool changes.
Charlotte Mason was having dinner at her home once and asked her guests — what is the most important thing in your home? Someone said bookcases. Someone said the cradle. She said no. Space is the most precious thing, because that will help you clarify your attitude and create a life-giving atmosphere.
Mom, a life-giving atmosphere starts with you. For some of you that may mean purging the clutter. Have a garage sale before September. Maybe it means getting rid of some extra activities — even that tournament team your kids are on. You need to look and see what is really life-giving and what will make a lifelong impact on your children.
Charlotte Mason said — education is an atmosphere, a discipline of life. And a mother's attitude shapes the home more than the curriculum you choose. She spent enormous time preparing mothers, not just preparing lessons.
Tip #2: Create Traditions Your Kids Will Remember
Almost all of you get on social media and take a first-day-of-school photo — and those are cute, I love them too. But I want to challenge you to create at least one tradition that goes deeper than a photo.
My mom took each of us four kids out for an individual back-to-school lunch before school started. I still remember sitting in a little restaurant in the mall with the windows open where you could watch people walk by. We'd go buy school supplies after lunch. I do this with my grandkids now — usually Jason's Deli because they can get a free ice cream cone with their meal.
But the number one tradition in our home? Ice cream sundaes for breakfast on the first day of school. The first year I did this, my kids came to the table and their eyes got wide as saucers. Hunter, the youngest, as a senior in high school, still expected ice cream sundaes. Last year I started it with my grandkids, and they came downstairs and were thrilled — because they'd heard all about it from their parents.
These weren't educational moments. But they are something my children remember. And something my grandkids are already hearing about and looking forward to.
Choose one tradition this year — not ten, just one. Maybe it's pancakes shaped like their age. Maybe it's donuts with dad. Maybe it's a special prayer or a family blessing over the children on the first day. Maybe it's a lunch date or buying something new.
You see, God knows children remember experiences better than lectures. In Deuteronomy 6, God created annual family traditions around Israel's calendar. In Joshua 4, they built a stone memorial so that when children asked, what do these stones mean, the parents could tell the story of what God had done.
I have a memory from 50 years ago — I was in a high school youth group, we went to Colorado, we were studying Joshua, and we each brought back a small stone and built a stone memorial in the churchyard. I don't know if it's still there. But I still have that memory. That's the thing about memories. They come back and jog your mind. What experiences are you giving your children?
Tip #3: Don't Choose Curriculum Until You Know Your Family
Many of you are going backwards. You're choosing the curriculum first and then trying to fit your family into it. Instead of asking what curriculum should I buy, ask these questions first.
Who are my children? How do they learn? What season is our family in? What kind of homeschool do I want?
If you're homeschooling a six and eight-year-old while a two and four-year-old are running around, that is going to look completely different than when those older ones are teenagers. You need to know your family before you ever start choosing homeschool curriculum.
What is your personality? Are you willing to change something if it's not working for your kids? I remember using a particular math program all the way through, but when it came to algebra, it just was not clicking for one of our kids. I changed it and found something that worked. Are you so tied to the choices you already made that you'd fit the child into the curriculum instead of the other way around?
What is your family's schedule? Do you have special needs in your family? How big is your house? What is your stress level? Just because your friend loves a curriculum doesn't mean it will be right for your family.
Before buying anything, write down these three questions for each of your children. What is one strength of this child? What is one struggle of this child? What do I want this child to love this year? Then buy the curriculum.
Maria Montessori developed her educational ideas at the turn of the 20th century by observing children before she ever created any materials. She didn't begin with the curriculum — she began with the child and their needs. Her students became confident, enthusiastic, and self-directed learners. They had the tools of learning. They could think critically, work collaboratively, and act boldly. Great educators always start with the learner, not the program.
What You Actually Need
As I've talked to hundreds of homeschool moms, I've realized something. You don't need another curriculum recommendation. What you need is encouragement. You need a community of other people walking beside you. You need accountability.
So instead of asking what should we study, ask — who are we becoming as a family? What atmosphere do I want in our home? What traditions will my kids remember? What actually fits our family — not everyone else's?
Those questions will shape your homeschool far more than another curriculum purchase. Moms don't need more curriculum. They need support. You don't need another planner — you need confidence. You don't need more information — you need community.
If you'd like to hear first when our new homeschool support community opens — with a special founding member discount — join the waitlist at howtohomeschoolmychild.com/wait. The link is in the show notes wherever you're listening.
And if you're watching on YouTube, would you please leave a comment and let me know your biggest takeaway? What is the one thing you're going to implement this week as you plan for your next homeschool year?

What if the sport your child plays every week is one of the most powerful character development tools you have — and you are not fully using it yet? Character development through sports goes so much deeper than winning and losing.
This episode pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to raise coachable, confident, resilient kids, sharing 5 practical insights from a coach with 26 years of experience at the college and NBA level:
✅The number one life skill that separates great players from average ones — and it is not talent
✅Why 70 percent of kids quit youth sports by age 13 and the surprising reason behind it
✅The one thing every parent should say after a game — and nothing more
✅What you say on the ride home after a game matters more than you think
✅How to turn failure into the most powerful character-building moment of all
✅The simple 3-step approach to test taking and decision making that builds real confidence
Check out the resources mentioned in this episode and start building character development through sports in your family today.
Resources for You
On the Right Path website and all resources
On the Right Path six-book series for kids ages 3 and up
Life and Basketball 12-week interactive curriculum for middle and high school
Online educational classroom with videos from NBA players on life skills
Show Notes:
Building Leadership and Life Skills Through Sports — A Conversation With Brett Gunning
Today I have Brett Gunning here, and we're talking about building leadership skills and life skills through sports. I love sports. My kids grew up in a sports family. And Brett has spent 26 years coaching — 14 years at the college level and 12 years in the NBA. What he's sharing today goes way beyond basketball. These are life skills that apply to any sport and really to any area of life.
The Number One Life Skill: Be Coachable
Brett spent years watching what separated great college players from great NBA players. And it kept coming back to one thing — being coachable. Being teachable.
When a parent, teacher, or coach gets on you, it's most likely rooted in a desire to help you. But a lot of kids can't get past the ego part to see that. They can't move from why are they getting on me to — this person loves me, they care about me, what is the message they're trying to give me?
For as simple as it sounds, most kids are not coachable. So that's where we have to start. Whether it's basketball, football, gymnastics, music — whatever it is — being coachable is the foundation.
Honesty and Letting Kids Make Decisions
Brett learned from a great coach who used to say — the greatest gift anyone can ever give you is the truth. And that's a biblical principle. When you're honest with your kids, you may not get the result you want immediately. But over time, when they start seeing on their own — every time dad told me something, he was right — that's when it sinks in.
Let them make the decision. Then sit down and have the difficult conversations about what happened. Let them learn the natural consequences. Instead of making your kid do something, be honest with them and give them the freedom to make the choice — then hold that conversation afterward about what they could do differently next time.
That's what coaches do. Right after a game, the best coaching moment is watching the film and evaluating the decisions. Then sitting down and saying — next time you're in this position, here's something to think about. You can do the same thing at the dinner table.
For a spelling test — if they waited until Thursday to study for a Friday test, have the conversation about how to prepare differently next week. That's not punishment. That's coaching.
The Ride Home — The Gut Punch That Changed Everything
70% of kids quit youth sports by the age of 13. And the number one reason? The ride home.
When Brett Gunning heard that statistic, he said — I'm done. Because making it to the college or professional level is about as likely as winning the lottery. So let's take that pressure off the table. What matters is that your kid has a great experience playing the sport through their high school years.
Here's the advice — after every game, say one thing. Just one thing. I loved watching you play today. Not — why didn't you do this? Why didn't you pass to Johnny? Why didn't you catch that?
Just — I loved watching you play. Let the ride home be that. Then maybe later that night or the next day, circle back to one teaching moment. But the ride home is where we are losing kids. Don't let that be the moment.
Building Confidence and Resilience
Brett's eight-year-old son was playing in a basketball game, down one with 10 seconds left, bringing the ball up for the last shot. He missed it. And Brett said — right away I flipped a switch and thought, this is going to be a much bigger teaching moment than if he made it. Because it's easy to handle success. It's hard to handle failure.
How do you build resilience? You have to embrace the hard moments. You can't run from them. You don't tell your kid — it was the ref's fault, you got fouled. You say — you missed the shot. It's okay. You're not going to win every game. Keep a great attitude. Shake their hand. You're going to have other opportunities in your life to hit the game-winning shot.
And guess what — one week later, same scenario, last game of the season. His son hit the game-winner. He said, "Dad, how did you know?" Brett told him — I didn't know it was going to happen next week. I just knew at some point you were going to be in that spot again.
Whether it's a failed test, a hard season, or a breakup — the only way kids become resilient is if we let them face the difficult moments, accept them, and learn from them. If we go through a failure and don't take the lesson from it, it's a wasted opportunity.
Teamwork, Humility, and Helping Others
If you don't want to be part of something bigger than yourself, go play tennis or golf. If you're going to play a team sport, you are part of something. And that requires humility.
In basketball, someone sets a screen so you can get open for a shot. If they don't do their job, you don't get the shot. Having the humility to recognize — I am part of something bigger than myself — is everything.
After 26 years in the game, Brett has seen it over and over. When you help someone else get open, the ball moves, your defender goes to help, and you end up getting the shot. You helped someone else and it came back to you. That's a biblical principle. When you help someone, it always comes back.
As parents, praise the unselfish things. Don't just say great job, you scored 10 points. Say — great job helping your teammate up when he fell. Great job cheering for your buddy when his head was down. Great job passing. Every kid already knows how many points they scored. Emphasize the things that don't show up in the box score.
Be Knowledgeable — Go Seek the Information
The second life skill Brett Gunning teaches is being knowledgeable. There has never been more information available. Whatever you want to be great at, every morsel of information is out there. Go get it.
Don't wait for someone to hand it to you. Go seek it. Whether it's cooking, basketball, coding, music — no matter what the profession, there are no secrets. It's all available. Our job as parents and coaches is to help kids understand they have to go pursue it. Learn as if you're going to live forever.
On the Right Path — Brett's Nonprofit and Book Series
Brett started On the Right Path based on Proverbs 22:6 — train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. He uses basketball to guide kids on the right path at the beginning of their journeys, tying every life skill and basketball skill together with a Bible verse.
He has three resources available. A six-book series for younger kids — each book teaches a life skill through basketball in a way kids and parents can read together. A 12-week interactive curriculum called Life and Basketball for middle school and high school ages — a great parent-child learning experience built around the game. And an online educational classroom on the website with videos from current and former NBA players talking about humility, resilience, and being coachable.
The Lesson From John Wooden
Brett Gunning once had the privilege of spending two to three hours with John Wooden — one of the greatest coaches of all time — about a year before Wooden passed away. At the end of that visit, Brett asked him one question. Coach, you've been through it all. What is the most important thing for a young coach to remember?
Wooden thought for a moment. Then he said — patience. Patience with your team. Patience with your players.
And that is a great place to close. For as much as we want our kids to get it as fast as possible, because we care about them and we know what's on the other side — we also have to hang in there with them. There's a dynamic of patience that we cannot overlook.
You can find Brett's book series, 12-week curriculum, and online educational classroom at ontherightpath.org. Links to all of it are below this video.

What if one simple daily habit this summer could reduce screen battles, spark meaningful conversations, and build your child's character — all at the same time? Summer reading activities do not have to be complicated to be powerful.
This episode shows how 10 minutes a day of read alouds can transform your summer into something your kids actually remember . . . with practical ideas for every age from elementary all the way through high school:
✅Why read alouds are the single most powerful summer reading activity you can do
✅Age-by-age ideas for elementary, middle school, and high school that actually work
✅How one question after any chapter sparks real conversations without any pressure
✅Simple hands-on activities that pair perfectly with any book your family is reading
✅Why stopping read alouds when kids can read on their own is one of the biggest homeschool mistakes
✅Why 10 consistent minutes beats any elaborate summer learning plan every time
Grab the FREE Read Aloud Magic and start your summer reading activities this week.
Resources for You
Read Aloud Magic (free resource — favorite read aloud books, tips, and ideas, linked in show notes)

Show Notes:
One Simple Summer Habit That Does More Than Any Curriculum
What if I told you there is one simple habit this summer that could reduce screen battles, build family relationships, improve reading skills, spark meaningful conversations, and create memories your kids remember for years? It doesn't require expensive curriculum, elaborate lesson plans, or hours of preparation.
Many homeschool moms during the summer are thinking — should we keep schooling? What if they forget something? Do I have enough time to take a break? What if summer learning could feel more like family connection and less like school?
Summer is the perfect time to shift from worksheets to stories, from checklists to conversations, and from assignments to curiosity.
The One Habit: Read Alouds
Read alouds give you so much more than just reading. They give you leadership. They give you learning. They give you character development. They give you family bonding and family conversation. And best of all, one book can work for many ages.
I still remember when Steve was reading the Little Bridges series to our kids. We were driving in our giant van and all of a sudden the kids started talking about how that grandpa in the story was so crotchety. They said they'd never want their grandpa to act like that. Did I ask them questions? Did I give them a multiple-choice test? No. They had been so involved in the story that they were comparing the grandpa's character to their own grandpa's. That is family bonding, character development, and family conversation — all happening naturally.
How to Get Started This Week
If you are not reading aloud, especially in the summer when things slow down, I want to challenge you to pick a book today or tomorrow and start reading 10 minutes a day. Before breakfast, after breakfast, before bed, during lunch while the kids are eating and you have their full attention.
Don't overthink it. Consistency matters more than length. It is better to do 10 minutes every single day this summer than to do 30 minutes today and then nothing for five days. Schedule it. Put it on your calendar so it actually happens.
What C.S. Lewis Knew About Stories and Imagination
C.S. Lewis lost his mother when he was very young, and books became a refuge for him. He spent countless hours in mythology, fairy tales, and classic literature. That imagination was what inspired the Chronicles of Narnia, Mere Christianity, and The Screwtape Letters.
He said — reason is the natural organ of truth, but imagination is the organ of meaning. He believed this is where children grasp meaning. Through stories, children encounter courage, sacrifice, honesty, loyalty, and faith before they are even able to explain those things. Read alouds feed both the mind and the heart. They do more than teach reading skills. They shape your kids' imagination, character, and faith.
Too often when we start school, we squash that imagination — sit down, do a bunch of workbooks, read this short story and answer these questions. That is not education. We need to protect curiosity and imagination. How did we get to where we are with technology and creativity? Because someone had imagination. And a lot of times that starts with really good books.
Summer Reading Activities for Elementary Ages
For elementary-aged kids, focus on wonder, curiosity, and family connection. Picture books, chapter books, family read alouds are all great places to start. Read under a tree. Go up in a backyard fort. Spread out a blanket at the park. Read during popsicle time. Build a blanket fort and read underneath it. Listen to audiobooks in the car.
Make it fun. Draw your favorite characters. Create a craft related to the story. Act out scenes. Create a treasure hunt based on a book.
Laura Ingalls Wilder's mother Caroline was a certified school teacher who believed in education and literacy as essential, not optional. Even during the difficult frontier years, no matter where they lived, she prioritized teaching her children to read. And those family experiences became the inspiration for the entire Little House series.
What if you read Little House in the Big Woods this summer? Make homemade butter. Learn a pioneer chore. Cook over a fire. Compare pioneer life to modern life. Easy, fun, and meaningful — not just reading and writing.
Summer Reading Activities for Middle School
Middle schoolers often become passionate about specific topics. Right now my 11-year-old is into history and has been reading historical fiction. Maybe your kids are into horses, planes, ancient history, missions, nature, or sports.
Let your child pick the topic — not you. They will be so much more interested. Then let them read three kinds of books on that topic — a fiction book, a biography, and a nonfiction. For Hunter, that looked like a fictional baseball story, a biography of Derek Jeter, and a book on the science and math of baseball.
Ask one question after reading each day — what surprised you? What would you like to learn more about? What would you have done differently in that story? Then maybe do one extra activity. Watch a documentary, go to a museum, cook a related meal, build a model.
These things develop critical thinking skills, ownership, and independent learning. I didn't want my kids to always have to do everything a teacher told them. I wanted them to think for themselves, plan for themselves, and make choices for themselves.
Summer Reading Activities for High School
Many moms stop reading aloud when their kids can read on their own. Big mistake. Many stop in high school. Even bigger mistake. Teens still need discussion. They still need to develop their listening skills. They need exposure to great ideas. And they still need family connection.
We still read aloud in the morning, and Steve would read to them several evenings a week. For older kids, try a Christian biography, a mission story, historical fiction, great literature, the classics, or an apologetics book. Don't be afraid of a classic just because the vocabulary feels heavy — the ideas are worth it.
Ask questions like — what character stood out today? What would you have done in that person's place? How does this compare to Scripture? What leadership lesson do you see? Choose one biography or one classic and read it together, then discuss it once a week. Over ice cream. At a coffee shop. On an evening walk. Keep it simple.
Bringing It All Together
Pair your read alouds with simple summer experiences. If you're reading about Harriet Tubman, go outside at night and look at the North Star — she followed it to guide enslaved people to freedom. If you're reading about a historical time period, bake something from that era.
Just last week we were reading Why Don't You Get a Horse, Sam Adams? and we made Johnny Cakes for breakfast — which we found out are actually called journey cakes because you could take them on a long journey and they wouldn't go bad. She was telling her dad all about it when he got home that evening. That is learning that sticks.
Summer becomes intentional, relational, and memorable — not just educational.
You don't have to recreate school. You don't need elaborate plans or expensive curriculum. One book. One conversation. One family read aloud can inspire a love of learning. And inspiring a love of learning? That's the easiest thing read alouds do.
To help you get started, grab my free Read Aloud Magic resource in the show notes. It has 20 to 30 of our family's favorite read aloud books, tips for how to run read alouds, and simple ideas for turning books into meaningful family learning experiences — no workbook required.
Will you take the read aloud challenge this summer? Start this week — just 10 minutes a day. That's all it takes.

Your kids are already making videos on their phones — but what if that creativity became something much bigger? Youth filmmaking is one of the most powerful ways to build storytelling, teamwork, and real-world skills all at the same time.
David Alford, of Cross Purposes Products, pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to make a film from scratch, sharing 5 practical insights every aspiring young filmmaker needs to know before they ever pick up a camera:
✅Why the story always comes before the equipment in youth filmmaking
✅The biggest mistake young filmmakers make that loses the audience every time
✅How to find free locations, borrow gear, and a willing crew in your community
✅What 4 months of pre-production looks like and why it makes everything work
✅How a $6,000 short film made it to film festivals and international distribution
✅Why telling stories from a Christian worldview matters more now than ever
Visit Crosspurposes Productions to watch the films mentioned in this episode and reach out if you want guidance on getting started.
Resources for You
Cross Purposes short film and all films
Contact email for filmmaking questions
Cross Purposes available on Pureflix, Tubi, Apple TV, TBN, Amazon, and international platforms
Life Skills Leadership Summit
Show Notes:
Making Movies With Your Kids — A Conversation With Filmmaker David Alford
Today I have filmmaker David Alford here, and we're talking about a topic I personally think you'll find exciting — making movies. When I think about my grandkids, they're always making movies with my phone. Kids today are walking around with little movie studios in their hands. So let's talk about what's actually possible.
How David Got Started — And How Homeschool Kids Changed Everything
David is a graduate of UT Austin with a degree in radio, television, and film. He worked in Christian radio for about 12 years as a drive-time radio host, then did some television work at a local ABC affiliate. But he'd never done the film part of his degree. So in his 50s, he decided to round off the trifecta — and he started making movies.
He also became a homeschool dad. His kids grew up in a community of homeschool families, and over time that community became his surrogate family. He was a drama teacher at a local theater and had this pool of artistic, creative kids around him who were interested in storytelling.
When it came time to make his first film, he pulled those homeschool kids in — some as actors, some as crew. All you have to do is put a task in front of homeschool kids and they'll figure it out. Tell them to learn about makeup or lighting, and they'd go study on YouTube and come to set ready to go.
With a makeshift crew of college film graduates and homeschool kids, they made a short film called Cross Purposes over four days. It had heart. A lot of heart. And that little film — made on a shoestring budget with mostly volunteers — got picked up by a distribution company and is now being distributed worldwide in several languages.
Where to Start: Tell the Story Only You Can Tell
If you want to make a movie, start with what's around you. Start with your environment. You're not going to wow anyone with special effects on a $3,000 film. What you can do is tell a story that only you can tell. A story that comes from your heart, that God has put on your heart to tell, told to the best of your ability with what's around you.
Take people somewhere they don't normally get to go. If you work at a grocery store, you see a side of it that most people never see. Take people on that journey. Your world doesn't have to be giant or spectacular. It just needs to be different — because people who watch movies want to go somewhere they've never been before with people who are interesting to spend time with.
Writing Characters That Connect
When writing a screenplay, look for a character who is conflicted. Nobody likes to see stories about perfect people — there's only one perfect person who ever walked this planet. The rest of us fall pretty short. We don't relate to perfect characters and we're not interested in them.
Find a character who fascinates you. Someone you want to spend time with. Someone when they walk in the room, you perk up a little. Warts and all. They need to have problems, because we all do. If you look at Bible characters, so many of them had serious issues — and we learned from those issues. Christian films are the same way.
The biggest mistake new filmmakers make is that they telegraph everything too quickly. Two minutes into a scene, the audience already knows exactly what's happening and they're just waiting for it to end. You have to constantly feed your audience new information — about the character, about the conflict, about the scene. Every scene needs to be triggered by the scene before it. If you can remove a scene and not feel any difference, that scene doesn't belong in the script.
And your main character must change from beginning to end. They need to have gone through a metamorphosis. Something real has to happen to them.
From Script to Screen — The Production Process
Once your screenplay is locked — meaning you and your team are genuinely happy with it and it's been through feedback — that script becomes the foundation for everything else. Then you find your team. A director of photography, lighting people, sound, set design, costume. David's oldest daughter is their production designer. His youngest daughter is the assistant director. His son worked on sound.
You storyboard the entire film — drawing what the camera will see in each shot, almost like a comic book. By the time you get on set, the movie is already made in your heads. It's just a matter of making it happen.
Pre-production takes about four to five months. And when you do get on set, you have a short amount of time. Even with volunteers, treat them like paid professionals — start on time, end on time, don't waste their time. People will work hard for you even if they're learning their jobs for the first time, as long as you respect them.
One more thing — please do not cheat on your actors. If you have two actors doing a beautiful job and then you cut to someone who can't act, the whole story falls apart. Find actors who can genuinely convince you.
Funding a Film on a Small Budget
Cross Purposes was made for about $6,000. David went to local locations and asked if they could shoot there for free. Most people said yes. The hospital where much of it was shot had an entire wing closed due to staffing shortages and let them use it for free. All you have to do is ask.
Equipment can be rented from production houses for a couple hundred dollars. Some local universities will let students check out cameras. Free editing software is available online. Work lights aren't fancy, but they work — just make sure the shadows are off the faces.
Cross Purposes has now been making money for about five years. The money it earns funds the next film. The budget has gotten bigger every time and the quality has improved. It's a snowball effect.
Where Films Can Go After You Make Them
After post-production and editing, short films can go to film festivals — Christian and secular ones all over the country. Cross Purposes was accepted at 13 out of 15 festivals it was submitted to. Those acceptances led to a distribution company reaching out, which now distributes the film worldwide — on Tubi, Apple TV, TBN, and platforms in Russia, Australia, Europe, and South America.
David's First Step Advice
Have a story that when you tell it to people, they react. It makes them smile, it makes them cry, it makes them something. Don't start until you have a story you feel like you have to get in front of other people.
And don't make it about you being in front of a camera. It's a service. You're there to serve the people who work with you and the audience watching. If it becomes an ego trip, it shows up on screen. Start with the story, and the pieces will start falling into place.
People need to hear your voice. As many voices as there are out there, people need to hear yours. Do it because it's something God wants you to do. Make it joyful. And make it joyful with the people you do it with — because this is a team sport.
You can find all of David's films and links to where you can watch them at crosspurposes.productions. If you want to get in touch with David directly or ask questions about getting started, you can reach him at crosspurposes@yahoo.com. Links to both are below this video.to both are below this video.