Homeschool Approaches 101

Picking a homeschool style or approach is an important first step when you start homeschooling. But it’s also super overwhelming.

There are so many options (9 actually) and each is so different. But, don’t worry! We’re going to help you understand the different homeschooling styles out there.

School-at-home Approach

One of the first approaches many homeschoolers try but also one that most homeschoolers abandon. School-at-home tries to recreate the school environment in your house. A strict schedule, blocked time periods for each subject and lots of workbooks. It’s great if you are planning on homeschooling for a short amount of time before returning to the public school system but long-term homeschoolers often find it too rigid and that they don’t need to spend that much time on each subject every day.

Classical Approach

This is the oldest homeschooling approach (literally, it’s ancient). It places a big emphasis on logic, learning facts and rules, and reasoning. Many also include Latin or Greek studies as part of the foundations of language arts. It can be seat work heavy but it’s a time tested approach.

Charlotte Mason Approach

A very popular approach that blends well with other approaches, the Charlotte Mason approach focuses on nature, poetry, and literature. It uses living books, copy work and journalling. It’s a very gentle approach and very child-centred. Most curriculum is Christian-based (because Charlotte Mason was quite religious) but the elements and foundations can be used in a secular setting.

Unit Studies

Unit Studies are growing in popularity and for good reason! Unit studies can follow a child’s interest, be highly engaging, and are even a great option for studying as a family with multiple ages. You can buy unit study programs or you can make your own. But you do need to be cautious of “holes” to ensure a well-rounded education.

Waldorf Approach

A mind-body-and-soul approach, this style focuses a lot on art, creativity, and nature. It’s pretty much the “liberal arts” approach of homeschooling. While it focuses on art and nature, it doesn’t use a lot of textbooks or technology. It can be expensive because of it’s use of natural materials and some people are concerned about the lack of focus on reading in the early years.

Montessori

While not an official homeschooling approach (since you need to get a teaching certification from their school in order to be qualified as a real Montessori teacher) many parents are taking the principals and incorporating them into their homeschooling. It’s a play-based approach that uses a child’s interests, large blocks of free time and child-sized tools to help children learn. It’s a popular choice for parents with children with exceptionalities. But for neurotypical kids, it’s only really appropriate for younger preschool or elementary years. And it can be expensive because of needing everything to be child-sized.

Unschooling

A child-lead approach, unschoolers believe that children are capable of learning and that parents are there to facilitate that learning. It’s actually more of a lifestyle than an approach with the belief that learning is a life-long endeavour. Children lead the learning while parents “strew” (which is when they introduce different ideas and topics and see what their child gravitates towards). There is very little curriculum used and the child has a lot of say about what and when it will be used. Unschooling can be time-consuming (because parents are constantly strewing and facilitating) and there are concerns about children “falling behind or missing things”. But there is also the belief that not all children need to learn everything they teach in schools.

Radical Unschooling

Radical Unschooling is like unschooling only a little more intense. There is absolutely no curriculum and some take it as far as no organized classes. They also believe in a child’s ability to learn and that a child’s interests and strengths are the best way of encourage learning. Like unschooling it can be a lot of work to strew properly and you have to be aware of holes in the learning but radical unschoolers believe that every child will learn what they need in life and through life.

Eclectic Homeschooling

Eclectic homeschooling, also known as relaxed homeschooling, is when you blend 2 or more approaches together to create a unique style. For example, we are eclectic homeschoolers and we blend together unschooling, unit studies, and Charlotte Mason approach, picking elements from each to make a style that we like. It makes for a very unique and highly customized homeschooling approach. It can be a little overwhelming since you don’t have as many criteria for narrowing your research and curriculum options but it’s easy to adapt to any family.

Now that you know a little about the different approaches, you can consider picking one for your homeschool. But how do you choose? Check out the next post on choosing the perfect homeschool approach for your family.