7 Homeschooling Styles Explained

When you first begin homeschooling, you’re tasked with uncovering your homeschooling style, method, schedule, rhythm, and curriculum.

At first, it’s fun to think of the endless options for your homeschoolers and the freedom you have to teach in whatever way works best for your family. But then, reality sets in.

“What if I don’t teach them enough?”

“How will they learn everything they need to?”

“What are they supposed to learn?”

“What if they’re missing out on something?”

At some point you desperately just want someone to tell you what to do and how to do it. I get it. I was there too, friend.

Before you go forward with buying and downloading every curriculum option out there (like I definitely did), let’s take a little step back. There is a step before you purchase curriculum that is often skipped or not talked about. It’s your homeschooling style.

Defining what homeschooling style you want to use will help you better choose how and what you teach your children. In fact, this will help govern many of your homeschooling decisions such as what extracirriculars you’ll do, how you’ll teach history, what kind of literature you will choose to read, and so forth.

Don’t be alarmed, though. This isn’t a “final choice”. After some time, you’ll discover that you may like a bit of each, or that you are a full-fledged Classical homeschooler, or you may find that none of these fit your family. Regardless of where the path takes you, it’s vital to have a firm place to start. Hence, I have provided an overview for each homeschooling style below.

1. Charlotte Mason

You’ll hear her name a lot around here, and in the homeschooling world. Charlotte Mason homeschooling is a style that emphasizes living books, nature studies, and the arts. This homeschooling style is based on the educational philosophy of Charlotte Mason, a British educator who believed that children should be exposed to a wide range of ideas and experiences. Charlotte Mason homeschooling typically involves reading literature, going on nature walks, and participating in art and music studies. It is a beautiful form of education that seeks to nurture and educate the whole child.

2. Classical Homeschooling

Classical homeschooling follows a curriculum based on the ancient model of education that was used in Greece and Rome. This homeschooling emphasizes the study of history, literature, and language, with a focus on teaching children to think critically and analytically. Classical homeschooling typically involves studying Latin, reading the classics, and memorizing poetry and speeches. Memorization is a huge component to classical homeschooling. The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise is a great overview of how to homeschool the classical way.

3. Unschooling

Unschooling is a child-led approach to homeschooling. The curriculum is not predetermined, and children are encouraged to follow their interests and passions. Unschooling parents provide resources and support for their children to explore topics they are interested in, but do not typically follow a formal curriculum. This style of homeschooling is often associated with the philosophy of John Holt, who believed that children are natural learners and will seek out knowledge on their own if given the freedom to do so. There are a variety of ways a person can “unschool”. In order for it to be a homeschooling style, however, there is some degree of intentionality to the “unschooling”. Museum trips, aquariums, traveling, real-world math in the form of buying/selling items, baking, etc. may be ways for an unschooler to learn.

4. Montessori Homeschooling

Montessori homeschooling follows the principles developed by Maria Montessori, an Italian educator. Montessori homeschooling emphasizes hands-on learning and self-directed activities. Children are encouraged to learn at their own pace and explore their interests in a structured environment that emphasizes independence and self-motivation. In a Montessori environment, all items are accessible to the child and directed by them. Typically, a Montessori classroom will have shelves with “work” available on them for the child to complete.

5. Unit Studies

A unit studies approach to homeschooling means that instead of following one type of curriculum or using one book, you complete a variety of subjects under one topic. A unit study may cover a particular nature topic, time period, animal, place, holiday, etc. Then, you use that as the primary topic and each subject branches off from that.

6. Eclectic Homeschooling

Eclectic homeschooling is a style that combines elements of different homeschooling styles to create a unique approach that works for the individual child and family. Eclectic homeschoolers may borrow ideas from various curricula, homeschooling philosophies, and teaching methods to create a personalized learning experience. We, for instance, are mostly Charlotte Mason homeschoolers, but we use nature study almost as a “unit study” approach by incorporating poetry, science, nature and copywork based on the nature topic.

7. Traditional Homeschooling

Traditional homeschooling is the most common style of homeschooling. It involves following a structured curriculum that is similar to what would be used in a traditional classroom setting. Parents typically purchase a pre-packaged curriculum or create their own based on state or national standards. The parent acts as the primary teacher, with the child working through textbooks and completing assignments. This style of homeschooling is more relatable to a “classroom” learning environment.

What style is right for me?

Finding your best homeschooling style will take time, trial and error. As you go along your journey and discover how your children learn best, you will be better able to identify how you can best teach them. While one of my children loved to learn math with cute math counters, the other prefers pencil-to-paper. While one enjoys a unit study approach, the other thinks it is too repetitive. By understanding your child’s learning needs and by identifying how you best teach, you can discover your homeschooling style.

Some questions to ask yourself to uncover your homeschooling style:

• What do we value in our family?
• Which style above resonates most with my values and personal beliefs?
• How do we prefer to spend our day?
• Do we enjoy textbook learning or classic literature more?
• Is nature study important?
• What do we value in our family?
• Do we prefer a schedule or unscheduled day?
• At the end of the year, what do I feel proud about learning/teaching?
• Do I enjoy a classroom based learning environment, outdoor learning or on-the-go learning?
• What is my ideal routine/rhythm?
• What subjects are most important to me to teach?
• Do we want to incorporate worksheets?

These questions are a great place to start – but they’re only a beginning. Conduct your own research based on what style appeals to you best. Personally, the more I read her work, the more I fall in love with Charlotte Mason and her methods. The more I see this homeschooling style in action, the more I relate to it.

I wrote an entire post here to give a more in-depth look into Charlotte Mason homeschooling. Tell me below! What’s your favorite style of homeschooling?