Planning Your Catholic Homeschool Around the Liturgical Year: A Joyful Rhythm for Faith and Learning

As Catholic homeschooling moms, we want more than just academic success for our children—we want to nurture their faith deeply and joyfully. One of the most beautiful ways to do this is by planning your homeschool year around the Liturgical Year rather than a secular school calendar.

By aligning your homeschool with the Church’s seasons—from Advent to Easter and everything in between—you give your children a natural rhythm of feasting and fasting, celebration and reflection. This approach invites them to live the mysteries of Christ’s life and the communion of saints in their daily learning.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed trying to squeeze faith “in addition to” your homeschool day, or struggled to find curriculum that truly fits a Catholic family’s life, this post is for you.

Why Plan Around the Liturgical Year?

Most conventional homeschool calendars follow secular school schedules, typically starting in August or September and ending in May or June. While practical for many families, these calendars often clash with the Catholic liturgical seasons—leaving feast days rushed, overlooked, or treated as an afterthought.

Planning your year to flow from Advent through Christmastide, Ordinary Time, Lent, Eastertide, and back again offers:

• Intentionality: Your learning themes naturally follow the Church’s story of salvation.

• Sacramental living: Feasts and fasts become central learning and celebration moments.

• Family rhythm: Your home gains peaceful structure based on grace, not pressure.

• Faith formation: Kids see faith as the heartbeat of daily learning.

*A Practical Note About Scheduling

It can feel tempting to “start” your school year in Advent to match the Church’s calendar. But in reality, that season is full of busy family and cultural holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas prep, New Year’s.

Instead of trying to begin your homeschool year in late November and immediately pausing for holidays, consider following the calendar year (January–December) while living the liturgical seasons throughout. This way, you can plan for rest and celebration during Christmas and Easter seasons, integrating faith without the stress of “catching up” on lessons.

Concrete Ways to Integrate the Liturgical Year in Your Homeschool

Here are some simple, flexible ideas to help you plan your homeschool with the liturgical year as your guide:

(1) Monthly Themes Rooted in the Liturgical Season

For example, in January (Christmastide and Ordinary Time), you might focus on themes like the Incarnation and Epiphany:

• Read stories about the Nativity and the journey of the Magi.

• Learn about saints known for hospitality and light.

• Explore themes in your whole homeschool unit, or just weave them into your morning basket.

  
  

In Lent, slow the pace with quiet reflection, service projects, and nature walks. Subjects can highlight virtues like patience and sacrifice, while your family deepens prayer life with daily Rosary or Stations of the Cross.

(2) Celebrate Feast Days and Saints

Choose one or two saints or major feast days each month to highlight. Integrate them into your morning basket or daily rhythm with:

• Copywork passages about the saint’s life or virtue.

• Picture study featuring religious art connected to the saint.

• Age-appropriate biographies or read-aloud stories.

• Simple crafts or recipes (think St. Patrick’s Day shamrocks or St. Joseph’s Day pastries!).

(3) Adjust Academics to Fit the Season

Your academic subjects can flex with the Church calendar:

• During Advent and Lent, simplify busywork to make space for prayer, service, and reflection.

• During Eastertide, celebrate with music, poetry, art, and nature study that highlights the joy of the Resurrection.

(4) Bonus Idea: Make the Liturgical Year Personal

Beyond the Church’s seasons, weave your family’s spiritual milestones into your plans:

• Celebrate baptismal anniversaries and name days.

• Live out “mini Good Fridays” every Friday with simple abstinence or extra prayer.

• Embrace “mini Resurrection Days” every Sunday as a family feast day—no work, special meals, and joy.

Recommended Resources to Help You Plan and Celebrate

There’s no need to reinvent the wheel! Here are some beautiful resources that make planning around the liturgical year easier:

* Catholic All Year (catholicallyear.com)Kendra’s site is packed with liturgical-year printables, crafts, meal plans, and celebration ideas. Her Liturgical Year Compendium book is a fantastic planning tool for busy Catholic moms.

* Catholic Icing (catholicicing.com)Perfect for younger kids, with free printable saint crafts, coloring pages, and easy feast-day activities to bring the Church calendar alive.

* Catholic Sprouts Books (catholicsprouts.com)A wonderful source of Catholic children’s literature and family devotionals that match liturgical themes, helping you build a faith-filled home library.

* The Little Way Academy Curriculum (thelittlewayacademy.com)If you want a complete curriculum designed from the ground up to follow the liturgical year—covering history, science, art, music, and faith formation—this is a great option for family-style learning. (Currently in development!)

*More Resources: Books, Websites, Calendars, Activities...

• The Year and Our Children (Mary Reed Newland) – A vintage classic with timeless ideas for celebrating the liturgical year at home.

• Around the Year with the Von Trapp Family (Maria Augusta von Trapp) – Beautiful European Catholic traditions, recipes, songs, and customs.

• A Continual Feast (Evelyn Birge Vitz) – A Catholic cookbook aligned to feast days and seasons.

• Living the Seasons: Simple Ways to Celebrate the Beauty of Faith Throughout the Year (Erica Tighe Campbell) – Beautiful, modern reflections and ideas. Shower of Roses (showerofrosesblog.com) – Real-life feast day celebrations, recipes, activities, and unit studies.

• Catholic Culture (catholicculture.org) – Rich explanations of seasons, feast days, and traditions.

• Telos Art Catholic Liturgical Calendar – Gorgeous wall calendar with feast days marked.

• Catholic All Year Liturgical Calendar Poster – Big visual aid for the home or schoolroom.

• Be A Heart Liturgical Planner – Designed for Catholic moms tracking both school and faith.

• Every Sacred Sunday Liturgical Planner – Beautiful Mass journal and planner combo.

• Saints Around the World (Meg Hunter-Kilmer) – Engaging saint stories from many cultures.

• The Catholic Children's Bible (St. Mary’s Press) – Colorful, age-appropriate, with prayer prompts.

• Stories of the Saints: Bold and Inspiring Tales (Mills & Roper) – Modern illustrations with classic storytelling.

• Tiny Saints (tinysaints.com) – Saint charms, keychains, and cards for fun visual reminders.

• Magnifikid! – Weekly Mass companion for children ages 6–12.

• Sacred Art Study Cards (St. Joseph’s Workshop / TAN Books) – Beautiful visual aids for picture study.

• The Catholic Hymn Book – Traditional hymns for family singing.

• Holy Heroes (holyheroes.com) – Advent and Lent Adventure email series with daily activities, videos, and prayers.

📅 Sample Monthly Planning Overview (January Example)

Week	Theme/Season	Activities & Resources
1	Christmastide	Read The Nativity Story; reflect with Christmas candles
2	Epiphany	Study the Magi; craft a star ornament (Catholic All Year)
3	Saint Focus: St. Basil	Copywork on generosity; bake "Feast of St. Basil" bread
4	Ordinary Time	Nature walk reflecting on God’s creation; poetry on light

Final Thoughts

Planning your homeschool around the liturgical year doesn’t mean creating a perfect schedule or adding extra work. It means living with the Church’s heartbeat—letting grace, not stress, shape your days.

If you’re curious to learn more, explore the resources above. Take one liturgical season at a time. Watch your homeschool transform into a joyful, grace-filled journey that truly forms little saints.

Take action—and let’s keep raising little saints, one little way at a time!