There is no singular style of homeschooling, there is no best way in which to homeschool, and there is nothing wrong with trying out multiple styles or switching styles as needed.
What is important is taking your time to research all of the amazing styles out there, asking others about their experiences, and thinking about which ones might work for your specific family situation. Some good “think about” questions include:
- How do my kids learn best? Are they auditory, visual, tactile, reading/writing learners, or a mix or learning styles?
- Do my children have any learning challenges? What is their level of attention, their processing speed, and ability to communicate? Do they have dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dyslexia, dyspraxia, etc.? Do they have mobility concerns?
- When do my children learn best- morning, night, during lunch? Do we have time commitments, like therapies or playdates? Do I have a workload that could impact time commitment and availability? Do I want a traditional school year cycle, or something more flexible, like year round learning?
- Do my kids have passions that they really want to learn, like the periodic table or dinosaurs? How can I incorporate those topics into their learning experience?
- Where do we want to homeschool? In our kitchen, in a separate space, on the front lawn?
- What values and life skills are important to me that I want to make sure are part of the homeschooling experience?
These types of questions will help guide you in what type of style(s) you might want to start first… and there are so many styles to choose from!!
Common Forms of Homeschooling
Charlotte Mason Model
Classical Homeschooling
Eclectic Homeschooling
Game Schooling
Montessori
Road Schooling
Traditional Homeschooling
Unit Studies
University Model
Unschooling
Waldorf
Wild Schooling
World Schooling