How to Pick the Right Homeschool Approach

Picking a homeschooling approach can be overwhelming. And since it’s one of the first things you do when you start homeschooling, it’s a lot to start with. And with 9 different styles to choose from, how to you even choose?

Before you choose you need to know 3 things.

1. There is no “perfect” homeschool style that will work for everyone
2. Very few people fit perfectly into any single homeschool approach.
3. A style might work for a while and then you’ll want or need to change.

So now that we know those things, it’s time to pick a homeschool style. Here’s how to do it.

How to pick a homeschool approach

Read over the different homeschool approaches. There are 9, so read them carefully and make a note of the ones that you connect with. Some approaches won’t connect with you.

If you are still stuck, take a quiz. Rebecca from HomeschoolOn has a great quiz. But I urge you to look at the full results. When I took her quiz, I got unschooler, but when I looked at my full results which said I was 26% unschooler. I was also 25% unit studies and 25% Charlotte Mason style. Which since we are eclectic homeschoolers, that’s actually exactly what we are. But look at the full results and see that you get. But know she only covers 6 styles so take that into consideration.

Use your list and results as a jumping off point to do some research. Read some books, read some blogs and see what style you really like.

The next thing you can do, it try it out. Try homeschooling and the style you like. There will be a some trial and error, especially when you start homeschooling. But you’ll never really know what’s your style until you get your hands dirty.

And don’t be afraid to customize and personalize your homeschool. We homeschoolers beg, borrow and steal from other styles, all the time. Because each family is unique, your homeschool will be unique and you can change and adjust things, even a homeschooling approach, until it’s right for your family.