In 2024, our homeschool journey took on a more flexible approach, focused on meeting the needs of our neurodivergent family. With my newly diagnosed ADHD brain, earlier this year, and my two daughters: one with AuDHD (10 years old with the executive functioning age of a 6-year-old) and the other a bright 6-year-old, I quickly realized that a fixed schedule or strict timeline wouldn’t work for us. While we didn’t finish everything I had planned for the year, we made meaningful progress, learned a lot, and embraced the beauty of the journey, all praises are only for Allah.
There’s no rigid schedule in our days, but one thing has remained constant: we prioritize our daily routines, especially our prayers and spiritual practices, as a Muslim family. For me, homeschooling is about creating a space that works for both of my daughters, considering their individual needs. Despite the challenges, I’m finally beginning to find direction, and I’m truly loving this homeschooling journey.
The Morning Routine:
Our mornings begin with Fajr prayer, Quran recitation, daily adzkar, and reflection. We take our time focusing on tajweed, memorization, and discussing the meanings of the verses. This practice serves as the foundation of our day, grounding us in faith and reminding us of the larger purpose behind our homeschooling. I also teach my children Salah during this time, ensuring they understand the importance of prayer and develop a routine that supports their spiritual growth. I’ve woven in Islamic stories to help shape their moral values and encourage deeper reflection on life’s lessons.
To keep things balanced, we also rotate our Islamic studies to ensure variety. For instance, one morning might focus on tajweed and memorization, while another day may center around prayer or Islamic stories This rotation allows us to explore different aspects of our faith in a way that feels fresh and meaningful. In this way, I’ve kept our mornings more structured, ensuring a solid and spiritual start to the day.
We’ve also learned that life doesn’t always go according to plan, and that’s okay. If someone is sick or things don’t go as expected, we simply postpone to the next day. We’ve learned to stay flexible, adjusting to our needs, and we always return to our rhythm when possible.
Math and Reading Challenges:
In 2024, we began using Math with Confidence by Kate Snow but didn’t quite finish Level K. The unique needs of my daughters, including their neurodivergent brains, meant we couldn’t move through the lessons as quickly as I initially hoped. Instead of rushing through, I adapted the curriculum by creating my own worksheets and lessons that met their pace. While we didn’t get far with The Good and the Beautiful curriculum, we took it slow and made sure to pause and reflect when needed. The beauty of homeschooling has been the flexibility to move at their pace, and as we head into the new year, we feel confident that the foundational concepts are in place, ready for us to build upon.
For writing, we often start with projects from Brave Writer’s Jot It Down, but sometimes, creativity strikes, and we end up creating our own projects spontaneously. The important thing is that the children stay engaged and enjoy the process, without the pressure of a fixed schedule.
In phonics and reading, we completed Alpha Phonics and made steady progress with Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons with my younger daughter. While we didn’t follow a rigid structure, the progress has been consistent. The girls are each progressing at their own pace, enjoying reading, and building their literacy skills in a way that works for them.
Discovering Her Strength: A Love for Animals
This year, I’ve discovered that my AuDHD daughter has a profound connection with animals. It’s not enough for her to read about them in books; she needs to experience them in real life. Whether it’s observing animals in nature, visiting the zoo, or caring for a neighbor’s pet, her learning thrives when she can interact with animals directly. This hands-on engagement become central to her educational journey, filling her with purpose and joy.
Her curiosity about the animal kingdom is insatiable. She loves watching nature documentaries, asking questions like, “Why do animals do that?” and “How do they live in the wild?” These moments often lead to deeper discussions, fostering critical thinking. In this way, her passion for animals has become a gateway for her to explore biology, nature, and even philosophy in a very natural, organic way.
A Realistic Learner: Understanding Her Approach to Learning
My AuDHD daughter is a deeply realistic learner. She has a strong preference for tangible, practical learning experiences over abstract or imaginative concepts. Fiction often leaves her feeling confused, and she can struggle to engage with stories that don’t connect to the real world. For example, when reading fiction, she’ll often ask, “Is this even real? Why do people even make a story out of it?”
These questions aren’t out of frustration; they reflect her genuine curiosity about how people imagine such things. At the same time, she’s fully capable of imagining—her ADHD fuels her creativity and vivid ideas—but her autism drives a strong need for logic and reality. Her question isn’t skepticism; it’s her natural way of making sense of the purpose and meaning behind things, even those that exist only in imagination.
Her love for animals is a perfect example of her learning style. It’s much easier for her to understand animal behavior, their environments, and their real-world existence than to engage with fictional creatures or concepts. We’ve found that stories about animals or books that blend real-world facts with a touch of imagination work best for her. These kinds of stories satisfy her curiosity without straying too far from her need for practical, reality-based learning.
I’m currently writing more about this discovery and will share it in my next post, “Why My AuDHD Daughter Questions ‘What’s Real?’ About Many Things,” In shaa Allah. Once it’s posted, I’ll include the link for you to read further.
Arts, Creativity, and Flexibility:
In addition to academics, we’ve embraced arts and crafts, verbal storytelling, and hands-on learning. These activities have become the heart of our homeschooling experience. The girls have spent a lot of time exploring their creativity, especially through art and crafting, which allows them to express themselves freely without the pressure of completing a set lesson. Although I haven’t had time to share this on our website, I plan to update the section in the near future. They’ve also enjoyed watching National Geographic documentaries, which blend their love for animals and real-world knowledge with engaging visuals.
While we didn’t complete every lesson in our curriculum, I’ve learned that the flexibility has allowed us to focus on what matters most: nurturing curiosity, creativity, and a love of learning. Storytelling has been an integral part of our day, helping my daughters develop verbal skills, imagination, and emotional intelligence. Even though some subjects like math and language arts weren’t fully completed, we’ve made significant progress in ways that align with each child’s unique learning style.
By integrating creativity into our days, we continue to nurture my daughters’ emotional and intellectual growth, striking a balance between structure and freedom.
Reflections on 2024:
As I reflect on our 2024 homeschooling year, I see a lot of growth—not just in my daughters but in myself as well. I’ve learned that flexibility is key. There’s no need to rush through lessons just to finish a curriculum. I’ve embraced the idea that homeschooling is about connection, not just completion. It’s about fostering a love for learning, nurturing their individual strengths, and adapting to their unique needs.
I’m proud of how far we’ve come this year, and I’m excited to continue this journey into 2025. I know now that the way forward is through a combination of routine, creativity, and flexibility. Homeschooling has allowed me to rediscover my own love for teaching, and more importantly, my daughters are beginning to develop a genuine love for learning.
Specific Milestones: My 10-year-old daughter, for example, grasped addition and subtraction of two-digit numbers, a huge leap in her math skills, and my 6-year-old began reading simple books independently, such as Pete the Cat series. These milestones weren’t just academic: they were moments that boosted their confidence and motivated them to continue learning. Seeing them reach these achievements, each in their own time, has been a huge boost to their confidence and serves as a reminder of how rewarding homeschooling is. The joy in their eyes when they grasp a new concept is irreplaceable.
Self-Care and Parenting: As a homeschooling mother with ADHD, I’ve had to be very intentional about balancing my needs with my children’s. There were days when I felt overwhelmed, but I’ve learned to prioritize small moments of self-care, such as taking short breaks during the day to recharge. I’ve also made time for prayer and reflection, which helps me stay grounded. Managing my own emotional well-being has been essential to maintaining a healthy homeschooling environment. It’s a continuous process, but I’ve learned that taking care of myself ultimately benefits my children and our homeschool journey.
Academic Goals or Plans for the Future: Looking ahead, in shaa Allah, to 2025, my goal is to continue building on the strong foundation we’ve laid, especially in, Islamic studies reading and math. I plan to focus on more independent math work for both of my daughters, particularly building fluency with basic operations. I also aim to introduce more formal writing exercises, while continuing to embrace the flexibility and creativity that homeschooling allows. Next year will be about expanding their skills at a comfortable pace and making sure their learning is as engaging and meaningful as possible.
