Homeschooling Styles
Okay, so you have decided you want to homeschool your kiddos. Congratulations! That is the first big step and you’ve done it ! – Now you must be thinking something like “Where do I start?” or “What subjects am I going to teach?”
Well, good news! You don’t need to figure it all out right now. You have time!
A lot of the homeschooling parents I talk to who have taken their kids out of public school take advantage of the freedom by taking a well needed break! It’s a big life changing decision for children to leave public school and become a homeschooled kid! And it’s a lot for ANY parent as well!
Once you feel you have taken the needed time to unwind you may want to sit down and look up some different Homeschooling Styles that best fit your family.
There are different regulations for homeschool depending on which province or state you are located in that may include how many school hours are needed per semester or which goals need to be met per school year. However, how you choose to teach your children certain subjects, reach new goals and aim for new heights is ultimately up to you!
That is the freedom! And It’s sweet!
Remember, the style you choose may depend on your family’s goals, values, beliefs, schedule and family size. What works for one family may not for the next, and that’s okay! Today I’m going to give you an introduction to the different Homeschooling Styles available.
Homeschooling Styles
1 Traditional
2 Classical
3 Charlotte Mason Method
4 Unschooling
5 Montessori
6 Wild Schooling
7 Eclectic
1. Traditional style
The traditional style of homeschooling is the closest style to actual school at home. Parents and children who do well with this homeschooling style generally stick to school grades and curriculum. This style involves a lot of structure, schedules and even tests. Student desks and a classroom setting is often replicated within the home setting.
2. Classical
Classical Education is more of a cultural approach to homeschool. Students are encouraged in critical thinking and reasoning skills in subjects such as music appreciation, language arts and cultural history. Students are introduced to broad topics to study such as philosophy.
3. Charlotte Mason Method
Charlotte Mason was a British educator that lived in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Her outlooks and beliefs on teaching children focuses on living books, nature study and hands-on learning. The approach involves teaching rich literature with learning and education as a way of life. Teaching children good life long habits along the way.
4. Unschooling
Unschooling is the exact opposite of the traditional style of homeschooling. Parents teach children lessons through living everyday life instead of traditional education. Parents follow and foster their child’s self lead curiosity and respect the developmental readiness of the child.
5. Montessori
The Montessori Homeschooling Style is named after Maria Montessori who was born in 1870 in Italy. Her method focuses on play as an essential learning component and her teachings support the belief that hands on play is the ultimate learning method for children and that their natural desire for knowledge should be watered as a key part of their education.
Her methods also focus on other aspects such as giving children the space they need to run, jump and play within their learning environment, teaching respect and watering a child’s natural independence. The “golden” rule of a Montessori education is “to never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed” -Maria Montessori
6. Wild Schooling
The Wilding Schooling Homeschooling Style focuses on the connection between children and nature first and foremost. Parents who choose this method value nature as their children’s classroom they believe nature itself is the very best teacher a child can have.
This method is not traditional in the way of a formal classroom. Instead the walls are taken away and children are given freedom and flexibility to learn within the natural environment. However unlike the ‘unschooling’ method where parents prefer to encourage child-led interests to emerge, Wild Schooling follows a structured nature based curriculum most of the time, while giving children ample hours for outside play and exploration along the way !
7. Eclectic Homeschooling Style
This method of homeschooling continues to grow to be one of the more popular among homeschoolers, it’s also referred to as ” Relaxed Homeschooling” and my method of choice for homeschooling our own girls!
This style takes bits and pieces from different homeschooling resources instead of sticking to one. Tailoring to each child’s learning style. This is one of the more laid back homeschooling methods but can involve as much book work, nature studies or child-led learning as desired. Most Eclectic Homeschoolers lay out their own homeschooling plan and resources, picking and choosing different curricula, programs, online studies and tools to fit their family.
Following a child’s interests and taking every opportunity to incorporate everyday life into their learning and being relaxed with each child’s learning strengths and challenges is the core to Eclectic Homeschooling.
If You’re looking for inexpensive curriculum to check out then take a look at our FREE HOMESCHOOLING PROGRAMS blog post for some options!
Don’t forget There is No right or wrong way! Just what works for you and your family!
If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment and let me know which style your looking into !
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After reading this i definitely feel we are more unschooling style but I am going to look into the Charlotte Mason style.
I love homeschooling, but don’t think I can do that 🙂 but these are helpful tips for anyone homeschooling!