How to Support Foster and Adoptive Families

Audio By Carbonatix

When our family welcomed new children through foster care and adoption, it was one of the most beautiful—and utterly overwhelming—seasons of my life. Our home was suddenly filled with new routines, new fears, and a delicate mix of big emotions.

I felt weary, but my load was lightened immeasurably when neighbors, friends, and our church family stepped in to help. They brought meals, gave gift cards, offered childcare for our large crew, and sent constant notes of encouragement. They didn’t just tell us they were praying; they rolled up their sleeves and became our village.

As homeschool parents, we have a unique opportunity to turn these moments into living classroom lessons. When we open our Bibles, God’s command to care for the vulnerable is crystal clear:

“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” — James 1:27 (NLT)

“Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.” — Isaiah 1:17 (NLT)

Teaching our children the value of service doesn’t have to come from a textbook unit study. Serving foster and adoptive families allows our kids to practice hands-on, Christlike compassion right in our own communities.

Turning Service into a Family Practice

When you involve your children in blessing foster and adoptive families, you teach them that loving others requires action. Here are a few ways to turn these acts of service into meaningful family projects:

• Meal Prep as a Home Economics Lesson: Gather your kids in the kitchen to double a batch of dinner rolls, bake a casserole, or assemble freezer meals for a family navigating a new placement.
• Chore Blessings: Teach your older kids to serve by offering to mow a foster family’s lawn, rake leaves, or walk their dog during those hectic first few weeks.
• Organize a Supply Drive: Have your kids inventory baby gear, diapers, wipes, and gently used clothes, or let them help pick out brand-new pajamas to build a “placement kit” for a local agency.
• Blessing the Biological and Existing Kids: Remind your children to include the resident siblings in a foster or adoptive home. Giving existing kids a special card, a small treat, or an invitation for a play date shows them that their changing world is recognized and cared for, too.

Real Ways You Can Bless Foster and Adoptive Families

I asked several foster and adoptive moms what meant the most to them during their placement seasons. Here is what they shared:

1. Show Up Without Being Asked

When a child arrives, parents are often operating on pure adrenaline and low sleep. It is hard for a weary parent to even know what to ask for.

• “Friends brought over food, diapers, formula, and other necessities while we got settled. Kids are often dropped off with nothing. They didn’t ask … they just DID.” — Krystie
• “Friends just show up. We had a couple who came out to California where we were adopting and celebrated with us, serving as a hand to hold after the emotional roller coaster.” — LeighAnn

2. Provide Meals and Paper Goods

Dinner is often the hardest hour of the day during a major transition.

• “Our mom’s group at church made meals for us for the first two weeks and donated toys and baby supplies. They have been such a huge blessing!” — Charity
• “Meals for the family are so helpful, along with paper products so we don’t have to do dishes.” — Shannan

3. Throw a Shower or Organize Supplies

Many foster placements happen with less than 24 hours’ notice, leaving parents scrambling for age-appropriate gear.

• “Friends threw us an adoption shower. We took the money and bought our three adopted kids a new wooden swing set. They enjoyed it for many years!” — Sherrie
• “My church threw me a baby shower. I had nothing, and we were surprised to have only 24 hours to get ready for her.” — Laura

4. Offer Childcare and Respite Support

Providing trusted eyes and hands gives parents much-needed breathing room to recharge or spend one-on-one time with individual children.

• “Respite care, meals, activities with individual kids, clothes, and Christmas gifts meant so much. Something that really touched me was when my biological kids were included, too.” — Kimberly
• “Friends washed laundry while watching my little guy, gave seven weeks of free childcare until he could go to daycare, and watched him while I had a nap after being sick all night.” — Andrea

5. Wrap Them in Acceptance and Prayer

Above all, foster and adoptive families need a community that surrounds them with fierce love and consistency.

• “The most important thing is having a village of friends, family, and fellow foster/adopt families to surround you and your kiddos for support. Prayer is the key for daily strength and wisdom.” — Christy
• “We were thankful that each of our children was always accepted as OURS—not as outsiders, not as someone else’s child. Everyone accepted our adoption in the same way they would a biological child.” — Karen

Action Step for Homeschool Families

This week, sit down with your kids during your morning gathering time and pray over the foster and adoptive families in your community or church. Pick one simple action step your family can execute together—whether that is dropping off a freezer meal, mailing a card of encouragement, or purchasing a box of diapers to donate.

A Prayer for Foster Families and Those Who Support Them

Heavenly Father, You are the Father to the fatherless and the protector of the vulnerable. We lift up the foster and adoptive parents who have opened their hearts and homes to children in need. Give them Your supernatural strength, wisdom, and patience for each new day. Lord, open our eyes to the families around us who need support. Teach our children how to serve with generous, loving hearts, and use our homeschools as places where Your compassion is put into action. Wrap these precious children in Your love, grace, and protection. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

YOUR TURN! Have you ever received or offered support during a foster or adoption journey? What are some creative ways your homeschool family likes to serve others? Share your ideas in the comments below!

Additional Resources

The Grumble-Free Year: Twelve Months, Eleven Family Members, and One Impossible Goal

USA Today bestselling author Tricia Goyer and her family of eleven embark on a yearlong quest to eliminate grumbling from their home and discover a healthier, more thankful approach to life together.

The Goyer home–with two parents, eight kids, and one eighty-eight-year-old grandmother with dementia–is never without noise, mess, activity, and, often, complaining. And it’s not just the kids grumbling. After adding seven children in less than six years through adoption, the Goyer family decided to move out of survival-mode and into unity- and growth-mode. They decided to tackle the impossible: a grumble-free year.

With grade-schoolers, teenagers, and a grandmother who believes children should be seen and not heard, plenty of room exists for flunking the challenge. Add to that seven children being homeschooled together in close quarters, and what could possibly go awry?