So you have decided to start homeschooling…
But have run into a major problem…
How to start homeschooling!
When you are not sure where to start, understanding each style of homeschool is a great place.
Knowing the style of homeschool that fits your family will give you guidance for the rest of your planning.
So keep reading to find out more about each!
1. Traditional Homeschool
Comparatively, this style of homeschool is the most structured.
Families that use traditional style homeschool are trying to copy public school.
Traditional homeschoolers will:
- have a desk for each child,
- use workbooks and textbooks for everything,
- Strict schedules for the day and week,
- Have homeschool days that you never stray away from,
- Have a scheduled recess,
- Pack lunches for your kids,
- Want your kids to be in the same place as their public school friends,
- Use a curriculum that aligns with what the public school in your area teaches,
- Uses tests and evaluations to track progress,
- Hold on to previous didn’t work and use an attendance tracker,
- Use curriculum with well laid out lesson plans and a teacher planner,
- And you teach TO your children.
This may seem like a very intense style of homeschool, but it is often used by new homeschoolers.
This is because it is easier to transition from public school to homeschool when little else is changed.
Some kids thrive in this environment so this may be the best for kids that enjoy textbooks, worksheets, paper, and writing.
But many families find that homeschooling is messy…
And traditional homeschooling leads to burnout and frustration.
If homeschooling this way is stressful and frustrating for your family, then it may not be the best fit.
If it works great for your kids,
Then you have a start for making your homeschool plan!
2. Charlotte Mason
Very different than traditional, Charlotte Mason is not a public school at home.
Charlotte Mason uses:
- Living books to learn from instead of textbooks.
- Retelling or narrating instead of worksheets.
- And short, interesting lessons instead of long structured schedules.
This style of homeschool is based on making learning a lifestyle and a habit.
It is excellent for families that want peaceful learning and love to read.
Charlotte was an educator in the late 1800s and early 1900s that wanted every child to have a broad and individualized education.
She worked with the way that children naturally learn.
Charlotte Mason homeschool uses living books instead of textbooks.
Living books are often written in story form by one author with a passion for his topic.
A living book makes the topic “come alive.”
When children tell back what they learned from the book, they solidify it in their minds.
People naturally remember stories narratives better than just straight facts.
Children:
- practice using the rice language that they read
- Point out ideas they got from the reading
- And make mental connections with those ideas and the ideas their minds are already creating.
Writing and spelling are taught by using passages in their books, instead of using lists of words.
Charlotte Mason homeschool encourages time outdoors in nature and interacting with science firsthand.
In this homeschool style, children are given a huge range of information and materials that may include:
- Shakespeare
- Knitting
- Bible
- Algebra
- Singing
- Guitar
- Cooking
- And more
And allow children to consume what they wanted and could at a time.
The main emphasis is creating a habit of giving full attention, best effort, and learning just because they want to learn.
3. Classical
The third style of homeschool is a very rigorous one and is called classical homeschooling.
This style is based on the developmental stages: Grammar, logic, and rhetoric.
And turns school into a three-step process.
- Grammar teaches children knowledge.
The focus is concrete facts and creating a foundation for the other two steps.
Classical homeschool families spend time memorizing and repeating information.
- Logic teaches understanding.
Instead of just KNOWING things
Kids learn to truly understand them.
Classical homeschoolers will take time to ask a lot of questions.
Find out why things are the way they are.
And how everything fits together and relates.
- Rhetoric teaches wisdom.
Have you ever heard the phrase “they have book smarts but not street smarts.”?
This step avoids that by focusing on using the information that they learned and understand in their life.
Classical homeschoolers take everything they have learned and practice experimenting with original thought.
They explore abstract thought and hypothetical (made up) situations.
Children will use:
- In-depth writing
- Papers
- Reports
- And verbal communication
All while using the skills they learned in steps 1 and 2.
The main goal is to no longer just learn what to think…
But HOW to think
4. Unit Studies
The fourth style of homeschool is called Unit studies.
Preschools often use this style because they can make schooling new and fresh when you want to.
But it works great for all grade levels.
With unit studies, one core topic is chosen for a period of time, and then all subjects are taught based on that topic.
Unit studies homeschooling is great for:
- Families of different ages
- Homeschoolers on the autism spectrum
- Parents who want to create their own curriculum
- Families who need low-cost options
- Creating a variety of learning
This style of homeschool is very dependent on planning.
By having everything for the unit planned out and ready, learning will go much smoother.
This includes all the materials, resources, and online links ready before starting the unit.
List out the goals of the unit.
What do you want your kids to learn during this time, and what smaller steps can be taken to get there?
Create a daily goal and get creative with the activities you add.
There is so much freedom in unit studies homeschool.
So add the fun science experiment from Pinterest
Or write a cute presentation for a family member.
Remember that you don’t have to create all the materials.
There are many online resources and printables available to you.
Have fun!
In addition to planning ahead of time, creating a homeschool portfolio to keep track is also important.
If you want to know more about homeschool portfolios, go here.
Unit studies homeschool is interest-based learning
And great for students that struggle with enjoying their learning.
With unit studies, students have a say in what they learn and are likely to get more excited about the school day.
5. Unschooled
This style of homeschool is getting more and more famous.
Unschooling is not a lack of education.
It’s education without prescribed lessons, workbooks, or other common school methods.
This homeschooling approach is based on:
- Learning through life instead of the conventions of school
- Parents partnering with their kids
- Children follow their interests with the support of their parents
Unschooling was created with the belief that children are naturally curious, and all we need to do is guide them a little.
This style doesn’t use a curriculum, unless the child wants to, and rarely uses exams.
The goal is to encourage students to use all resources available to them to learn about the things they want to learn about.
Children are learning to “think outside the textbook.”
For your family to unschool, you all have to be ok with just doing it without having all the answers.
Since there is no real planning, you just see where the day takes you
And what your child decides to learn.
There are no:
- Subjects
- Parent set goals
- Knowledge handed from teacher to student
- Specific books
- Structure
- Focuses on following instruction
- Learning pace requirements
- Set school hours
Unschoolers do not “do school.”
They are learning all the time.
6. Eclectic
“There isn’t any known way to bulk-educate. It’s all custom work.” ~John Taylor Gatto
The last style of homeschool is my personal favorite, which is Eclectic.
What is eclectic homeschooling?
Eclectic homeschooling chooses parts of the other styles that work best for the child.
So maybe your child learned math using traditional methods, but science using unschooled.
This is what many homeschoolers choose to do because then they can do the perfect fit for their child.
This style does need more work from the parent since there is not a set curriculum.
It worked great for kids that need special attention or families with many learning styles.
Families that choose eclectic homeschool want to have individualized learning for their kids.
This may even mean changing styles that worked well in one semester but are not working in the next.
Eclectic homeschooling uses:
- Interests
- Learning styles
- Goals
- The child’s needs
- And blending a variety of recourses
Eclectic homeschool allows you to relax and follow your gut.
You are not held back by the expectations of the curriculum.
You do what is best for your child.
All the rules that apply to the other styles are not important.
Just do what works best for your family.
What is the best homeschooling method?
Whatever style of homeschool you choose,
Remember that there is no right or wrong answer.
Every child and every family is special and unique, so find the fit for yours.
The stakes are not high.
If you choose one of the styles of homeschool and it doesn’t work…
Change it!
It is no big deal!
If you are still not sure how to start, this is a fun quiz that you can check out!
If you take is, let me know what you got!
What style of homeschool stands out for you?
Let me know in the comments!
