Many years ago, homeschooling consisted of three of four children sitting around a table writing feverishly in their workbooks, while a parent stood over them and lectured. This is no longer the picture of homeschooling we have today. Today there are many different homeschooling practices, each with specific advantages and disadvantages. When you decide to homeschool, it’s a good idea to learn about these different practices of homeschooling to gain a sense of which practice best suits your family. Below are some of the most popular homeschooling methods.

The Charlotte Mason Method
Charlotte Mason, a passionate homeschooling mother, founded the homeschooling movement. Her enthusiasm and commitment to homeschooling led her to lay the foundations for an effective and complete homeschooling program that provided children with a comprehensive education and kept it fun as well. The Charlotte Mason method focuses on core subjects and places an emphasis on classical literature, poetry, classical music, crafts and fine arts.

Mason incorporates what she called ‘Living Books’ into the program. ‘Living Books’ or classical literature held high value for Mason. Mason’s program includes children reading literature and narrating what they have learned. This learning process begins at the age of six and by ten years old, the child is expected to write the narration in their workbook.

Mason advocates the use of ‘Nature Diaries.’ After a short and interesting lesson, the child is asked to observe Nature and draw what they perceive. This helps students develop a sense of respect for the environment. Mason held strongly to her belief that the development of good character and behaviour was essential to the complete development of a child’s personality.

The Practice of Eclectic Homeschooling
Eclectic homeschooling is a mix of various homeschooling techniques. This method allows creative parents to trust their own judgements and develop a unique program, one they feel is best suited to their child’s needs and interests. Parents who choose this method are constantly on the look out for new products that meet the needs of their individually tailored curricula.

Most eclectic homeschooling curricula are improvised. Parents may start with a sort of curriculum skeleton outlining the basics and then add and change and tweak the curriculum to accommodate their child’s unique needs and interests. The child’s talents, temperament, learning style and interests dictate which direction parents take the curriculum. Of the many different homeschooling practices this one works particularly well for gifted children or children with special needs.

The Practice of Unschooling
John Holt, a Boston public educator laid the foundations for the practice of unschooling. He believed that children learned best when guided by their own interests and when learning at their own pace. Holt’s message was to ‘unschool’ the child. This homeschooling practice is one of the most hands-on approaches to homeschooling. This practice calls for parents to become close observers and take cues from their children to help guide the learning process. What distinguishes this homeschooling practice is that parents follow no definite curriculum or schedule. This creates a largely unstructured environment that some families may find difficult to deal with.

The Montessori Method of Homeschooling
The Montessori Method began in Italy. Children were observed to have acute sensitive periods during which they become capable of intense concentration. During these periods, children will repeat an activity until they gain a measure of self satisfaction. This practice depends on a prepared environment that facilitates learning. All materials used in this homeschooling practice satisfy the inner desire for the spiritual development of the child. The materials used progress from simple to complex and are often expensive.

Above are a few of the different practices of homeschooling. Whichever method you choose for your child, one of the greatest advantages of homeschooling is the flexibility it allows. Parents should utilize this flexibility and tailor their homeschooling program to their child’s needs and talents.