Homeschool Methods & Styles

Homeschoolers cover an entire spectrum of different educational methods. On the one end, you have unschoolers, families that believe in self- or child-led learning. Relying on real world experiences, they learn by living. On the other end of the spectrum, you find parents who have “school at home.” They may set up a classroom environment, use structured curriculums, and rely on schedules to keep things moving smoothly. And of course, there is everything in between. There are as many different ways to homeschool as there are homeschoolers. Explore the different methods, ideas, and approaches that make the homeschooling experience so rich.

What's Popular

What About Socialization?

Friends or relatives who’ve heard of your homeschooling plans may have already asked, “But what about socialization?” If you’re thinking about homeschooling, you might have even wondered this yourself. This continues to be one of the most commonly asked questions of homeschooling parents, despite decades of academic research and anecdotal evidence showing that homeschooled children are generally significantly better “socialized” than their institutionally-schooled counterparts. Each family will answer the question differently, but here’s some food for thought as you form your own views on socialization.

What Are Homeschool Umbrella Schools?

An umbrella school is a homeschooling “school” that oversees the high schoolers’ education. Different states have different names for umbrella schools.

Everyday Mathematics

Everyday Mathematics is a comprehensive Pre-K through 6th grade mathematics curriculum developed by the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project and published by McGraw-Hill Education. Everyday Mathematics is a research-based and field-tested curriculum that focuses on developing children’s understandings and skills in ways that produce life-long mathematical power. The Everyday Mathematics curriculum emphasizes:

Use of concrete, real-life examples that are meaningful and memorable as an introduction to key mathematical concepts.
Repeated exposures to mathematical concepts and skills to develop children’s ability to recall knowledge from long-term memory.
Frequent practice of basic computation skills to build mastery of procedures and quick recall of facts, often through games and verbal exercises.
Use of multiple methods and problem-solving strategies to foster true proficiency and accommodate different learning styles.

Waldorf in the Home

Waldorf in the Home is a blog written by Rahima Baldwin Dancy and Cynthia Aldinger (along with guest writers) for Waldorf parents, home schooling families and anyone interested in the LifeWays approach to parenting and childcare.

Determining Your Child's Learning Style

Most students use a combination of learning styles, drawing from the four main types: visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic. Responding with the right approach to your child's learning style can make all the difference when it comes to your child learning, understanding, and remembering educational material. With understanding of your child's learning style, you can more effectively choose materials and methods to emphasize his or her strengths rather than work against them.

Questions & Answers with a Homeschooling Expert

What if you could get into the mind of a mom who has been homeschooling for 10 years and find out what she knows? What if you could get all your biggest questions about homeschooling answered— by her— in just 60 minutes? Now, you can.

Montessori for the Earth

This site offers lots of Montessori curriculum ideas for those who wish to incorporate the educational philosophy of Maria Montessori into their homeschooling. Covers different age levels with strategies for each.

What is Homeschooling?

Steve Moitozo explains how homeschooling is parents deciding and directing the education of their children—deciding and directing the education, not doing all the educating.

What Is It With Homeschoolers & Money?

There seems to be a collective thought about money - that homeschoolers don't have any. Not only that, but because there is a belief that homeschoolers don't have any money, there seems to be an underlying assumption that resources, information, and services should be provided dirt cheap, if not for free. Why? What is it with homeschoolers and money?