6 Different Homeschooling Methods
There are endless methods of homeschooling as well as countless reasons to do it. What’s that you ask? There’s different ways to homeschool? Yes, my mommy friend, there is - but don’t be alarmed. You’ll quickly figure out where you fit in.
Whether you’re just starting to homeschool, or have been around the block a few times, learning about the different ways to homeschool will help you ensure your practices line up with your goals. I’m all about making things easy on myself and for other homeschooling parents, so let’s sum the styles of homeschooling up like this:
On-line/virtual/distance learning - These words are all interchangeable for public school on line. This is not what homeschoolers consider “real homeschooling” as most, if not all, lessons, grading and interactions are provided by an outside public school associated program. No doubt, it’s still better than showing up to school wearing a mask, but it’s just a band-aid. Not a solution.
Unit Studies - Designing your homeschool studies around a specific topic or theme is called the Unit Study approach. This can involve weaving many academic subjects into the study of one thing or a group of things. You would choose a topic that fascinated your child such as “space’ and then weave in the history of the universe and of space exploration, and the mathematical components of physics and chemistry that go along with it (age appropriate, of course). You also might the read the works of famous astronomers or books with a space theme or come up with creative writing prompts that are “universe” driven. Space inspired art using different mediums can also be added into the program. You get what I’m saying here. Be creative. With the internet at your finger tips it’s almost hard to run out of things.
Classical Homeschooling - Many Christian and other families prefer a liberal arts education for their children, including lessons in Greek and Latin, as well as formal instruction in logic. This method has been used in schools for centuries but in the last few decades many families have renewed this instructional style which is based on a three-part process to training the mind, called the trivium. The original intent of this form of education was to create a uniform way of teaching all human knowledge. It seemed to have worked for the greatest philosophers and thinkers of the world.
Eclectic Homeschooling - Probably the most popular method of homeschooling involving a combination of various methods and programs. This is my homeschooling style of choice due to it’s variety and flexibility; I have a hard time committing to just one thing when there are so many options out there. The eclectic style has been wildly successful for my family.
Trademarked methods - You might have heard of the Charlotte Mason method, The Montessori Method, the Waldorf Method, or other branded homeschooling methods. These programs all have their own sensibilities and specific way of doing things based on very unique methodologies. There’s way too much to go into for this blog post, but check out their links if you want to find out more.
Unschooling - Your child leads the way here with natural learning being the driving force. It’s really not considered a method, but rather a way of life. A large component of unschooling is grounded in doing real things, not because they are important for your child to learn, but because they are intrinsically fascinating to them.
Whatever path you choose, you will know very quickly if it is working for your family. No matter which direction you head in, the one thing that I can promise you is that it will be a learning experience for all of you!
My new book, Homeschool Happily: Yes, You Can! is available on the SHOP page.
