Week 1 of Our Homeschooling Journey: My Name,My Identity.

When I decided to take a different path with my daughter’s education, I promised to take my community along with me not just in theory, but in practice. This marks week 1 of that journey. Our theme is Identity, and what better way to begin than with her name?

Her name is Mofaramadeoluwa, which means “holding on to the crown of God.” Names are powerful. They carry stories, prayers, and expectations. In African culture especially, names are not random; they are anchors of heritage, values, and purpose. So I wanted her very first lesson to show her that she is more than letters strung together she is a story, a blessing, and royalty in God’s eyes.

Why Identity First?

Identity is not just another lesson; it’s the heartbeat of everything I want her to know about herself and the world.

For me, this is personal. Growing up, identity was something I struggled with. There was always an inner battle who I felt I was versus the life I actually lived. I would replay conversations in my head, thinking, “I should have said this,” or “I should have been true to myself.” That inner struggle often left me disconnected, unable to enjoy life fully.

It’s because of that long wrestle that I’ve made identity my very first lesson with my child. I don’t want her to wait until adulthood to discover who she is. I want her to embrace her name, her meaning, her essence, and live it out confidently from the very beginning. learning who she is shapes confidence, belonging, and resilience.

How We Explored Identity

We touched every area of learning through the theme of her name:

Communication & Language

We began with her name breaking it down syllable by syllable, exploring its meaning, and linking it to royalty. We sang a simple call-and-response greeting song, where she proudly said:
“My name is Mofaramadeoluwa. It means I hold on to the crown of God.”

We then created a little “word web,” linking her name to words like royalty, strength, crown, God, heritage, faith. She began to see how one name could carry so much meaning.

Physical Development

We turned royalty into a game.We played a “Royalty Jump” game. When I said “Crown,” “King,” “Queen,” or “Princess,” she jumped. If I said unrelated words like “table,” she stayed still. This wasn’t just movement it taught classification, helping her group concepts, differentiating what belongs and what doesn’t while giggling and staying active.

Personal, Social & Emotional Development

We sat down to talk about what royalty really means. It’s not just about crowns and castles. Royalty shows up in how you speak, how you treat people, how you lead, and how you live with fairness and kindness.

I reminded her: “You are a queen because you embody royalty in speech, in personality, in kindness, in leadership.”The goal was for her to see herself not just wearing a crown, but being the crown.

Literacy

We explored the sounds in her name — M, O, F, A, R, A, M,A,D,E clapping them out and practicing short spellings like “Fara.” We also began tracing the first letters of her name.

This wasn’t just reading and writing — it was connecting literacy to who she is.

Mathematics

Math came alive in her name. We counted the 13 letters, compared them to “Mummy” (5) and “Daddy” (5), and even grouped her name into pairs: MO | FA | RA |MA|DE.

This simple exercise introduced her to pairs and showed her that even numbers and letters can tell a story.

Understanding the World

We talked about kings and queens across cultures. In We also learned that kings are not just rulers, but caretakers of people responsible for ensuring society was safe for everyone that lives in it .

She learned that being royal comes with responsibility.

Expressive Arts & Design

We crafted a cardboard crown together. But this wasn’t just decoration we wrote her special attributes on colorful shapes and stuck them onto the crown: curious, special, kind-hearted, book lover.

When she wore it, she wasn’t just wearing a crown; she was wearing her identity, her essence, and her uniqueness.

The Big Lesson

By the end of the day, she looked into the mirror and declared:
“I am Mofaramadeoluwa. I am royalty.”

That’s the beauty of homeschooling for me. It’s not just about ABCs and 123s. It’s about raising a child who is rooted in who she is, confident in her story, and ready to live out her identity to the fullest.

And that’s why Day 1 —My Name, My Identity — was the only place to start.