Share on social media!

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.    

Are you curious about the different homeschooling styles and which category you fall into? There are so many factors that can contribute, you might be a little confused! But don't worry, we're here to help you wade through the perplexities and put you on a clear path to pointing your homeschool in the right direction.

Taking account of what drives your educational choices and how your values shape your approach to learning, are key factors, but there are also other ideas to consider!

Why does your homeschool style matter?

Knowing your homeschool style can help save you a lot of heartache, time, and money! Being confident in your homeschool will help you decide what type of curriculum will be the best fit for your family and help you to customize their curriculum to meet their children's needs and interests.

The individualized approach that your specific homeschool method provides can lead to better knowledge retention and understanding.

What factors help determine your homeschool style?

When you're trying to determine what your homeschool style is, there are some personal and family factors to consider! Here are a few things to note when you begin your homeschool journey.

Knowing your personality type is imperative to choosing a homeschool style.

First, you should know your personality type. Are you creative? Do you enjoy some subjects more than others? Do you want to go the parent-led route or do you prefer to go virtual- or a mix? How do you prefer to learn? Are you a type A parent? Do you enjoy reading or learning? Knowing yourself will be the first step in deciding how you want to run your homeschool.

Don't choose a homeschool style without knowing your child's learning style.

The next most important factor becomes your children's learning styles. When you consider the homeschool style your family will be “labeled” under, you need to ensure that your style matches your child's method of learning. If not, you'll face a lot of heartache in your beginner years. If you're unsure, you can have your child take a learning test to understand better.

Be sure to take your schedule into account before you choose a homeschool style.

Finally, let's consider your schedule. Do you want to have set school days with rigorous learning? Do you travel a lot? Do you want to account for field trips, co-ops, or community groups? Do you participate in a lot of extracurriculars or church functions that you'll need to account for? Certain homeschool styles and methods are better for some styles and completely blow others out of the water.

Will just one homeschool style be the best fit for your family?

It's very likely that you'll begin your homeschool journey fully confident in your choices. Your curriculum is perfect, your schedule is set, your homeschool philosophies, your approach to learning, and your mission are all in order.

And then you actually start the school year and everything falls to pieces. That's okay! It's totally normal in the first few formative years.

In those years, you learn so much about yourself, your children, and homeschooling as a whole. You'll make mistakes, you'll overspend, your curriculum may not work, and you may feel like a complete failure.
That is normal.

Learn from it, regroup, and reconsider.

As your journey progresses, you may learn that you don't fit into one homeschool style or category. That's normal too!

You may like Charlotte Mason's philosophies, but also enjoy busywork.
You may prefer a traditional and classical combination, with some added flair!
You may be completely eclectic with a Montessori foundation and Waldorf tendencies.
Do what works for your family!

Understanding Different Homeschool Styles

There are 5 major homeschool styles; Traditional, Classical, Unschooling, Charlotte Mason, and Unit Studies. However, in recent years there has been a rise in the popularity of some other homeschool styles such as Montessori, Waldorf, Roadschooling, and Virtual Schooling.

If you want to figure out what type of homeschooler you are, we got you covered! Below you'll find all the different homeschool styles explained.

Traditional Homeschooling

Traditional homeschooling is one of the most well-known homeschool styles. Traditional homeschooling is much like public school but in the comfort of your home. Typically, you'll hear many people say that this isn't “true homeschooling.”

Sometimes referred to as the “school-at-home” approach, traditional homeschooling mimics conventional schooling with stereotypical textbooks where you read a portion and then answer a series of questions with fill-in-the-blanks or multiple-choice options.

There are textbooks for each subject, assignments, and testing. As you probably already expect, traditional homeschooling includes a lot of structure and lesson plans.

Most parents who choose the traditional homeschool style may use the same textbooks offered by their local public school system, a box-style curriculum where everything is created for and supplied to them, or a virtual program.

Many first-generation homeschoolers start here because it's what they know. They come from the public school system so it seems natural to gravitate toward a homeschool style that follows that.

But it's important to know that there are so many other options. Homeschool is a beautiful, diverse, organism that grows with your family's unique needs. If you've started here (or you've found yourself here and it isn't working), keep reading because there are so many options for you!

Classical Education

The Classical Education homeschool style is often associated with the traditional style, however there are some differences. Proponents of classical education say that traditional school teaches kids WHAT to learn, while the classical approach teaches them HOW to learn.

Classical education is based on a teaching method called the Trivium. The Trivium works by teaching kids in stages; Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric.

With this language and literature-focused approach, classical homeschoolers focus on creating a strong foundation in core subjects like history, language arts, and logic in efforts to develop essential skills like critical thinking and communication.

Classical homeschooling begins with the Grammar stage where children, typically aged 6-10 are taught concretely with memorization and repetition.

The next stage of the Trivium is the Logic phas, also known as the Dialect phase, where analytical thinking comes into play. There's more exploration because students are encouraged to use what they've learned to ask more “why” questions.

Finally, in the high school years, classical homeschoolers will use what they were taught in the Grammar and Logic stages in the Rhetoric stage. Here, there is a heavy focus on the medium of communication; essay writing, public speaking, accounting, engineering, politics, and economics.

Most homeschoolers who employ the classical style of education also participate in a full program called Classical Conversations.

Charlotte Mason Method

The Charlotte Mason method is completely derived from the techniques and philosophies British educator, Charlotte Mason, employed in the late 1800's and early 1900's. This style revolutionized the way children were taught during this period.

Her idea that “Children are born whole persons” who naturally learn, emphasizes exploration, good habits, and wholesome learning experiences.

The Charlotte Mason style of homeschooling uses living books to learn instead of textbooks and has an emphasis on narration to improve communication and express comprehension, while Arts, nature study, and outdoors play a huge role in the education

According to Mason, education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a part of life that happens naturally as children learn and grow. They aren't tied to grade levels or age specifics, but they can learn by employing the world around them.

Montessori Approach

The Montessori homeschool style is attributed to Dr. Maria Montessori, an Italian physician. In her early medical career, she studied psychiatry, where she witnessed the the failing teaching methods of those with intellectual or physical disabilities- this led to her study of educational theories and methods.

By working with younger children of different ages and backgrounds, she formed an educational theory and tested her methods through observation and experimentation. The children, taught by and with her methods, grew by leaps and bounds and the Montessori method was born.

The main goal of the Montessori Method is to promote the joy of learning through everyday life, adventure, stimulation, puzzles, and critical thinking activities that allow them to succeed and learn without restriction or criticism.

With this method it is imperative to provide children safe, but stimulating, environment where they can explore and learn without fear of harm.

Unschooling

The homeschool method of unschooling is probably one of the most controversial methods. Even though every homeschooler ends up here at one point or another. While many say that this method can be good for a period of time, or a stage of life, most believe that the unschooling homeschool style is not a realistic or lifelong homeschool method.

Unschooling is an informal homeschool style that allows life to guide education. The primary means of the unschooling approach to learning does not include lessons, plans, or even a curriculum. But unschoolers allow play, responsibilities, personal interests, curiosity, internships, experiences, travel, great books, family, mentors, and regular social interaction to lead the way for learning.

This homeschool style is very self-guided, trusting that children's natural curiosity and interests will be enough and useful to their futures.

While you will find many homeschoolers identify with the unschooling method, you'll also see in your own life that unschooling happens naturally during off-times, life, Summers, and even familial experiences.

Eclectic Homeschooling

Have you ever heard of a “box curriculum”? This is a full and complete curriculum from one company that follows lesson plans and schedules where all the subjects are offered from and by the same company.

Eclectic homeschooling is the exact opposite of that. Eclectic homeschoolers employ multiple curricula, classes, options, and sometimes homeschool methods! They may enjoy creating their own curriculum or piecing options together from different companies and supplemental resources.

This homeschooling style is popular because it works well with family-style homeschooling, where the whole family of different ages learns together but works independently on their own grade levels in narration, comprehension, worksheets, and discussions.

Eclectic homeschooling is also a great option for families who have hectic schedules because they can work on their own pace while looping subjects or discovering new interests.

The eclectic homeschool style creates a personalized educational experience for the whole family or each individual style! Many large families typically gravitate toward being eclectic.

Waldorf Education

The Waldorf method was created by Rudolf Steiner who thought that the learning process is essentially threefold, engaging head, heart, and hands—or thinking, feeling, and doing. Like Montessori, the Waldorf approach also has private schooling options.

Those who enjoy Waldorf homeschooling employ Steiner's idea that childhood occurs in 3 stages, each 7 years, from birth to age 21. So each stage of education should be tailored to these developmental stages.

In the first stage (age 0-7) play-based activities and imitation are common. In the second, middle school age 8-14, creativity, storytelling, drama, and movement are important. In the last stage, adolescence, independent intellect is cultivated through discernment, judgment, and critical thinking.

The Waldorf homeschool style believes that children should be active in their own education through exploration and “magical” experiences that include imaginative play that cultivate a lifelong passion for learning.

Unit Studies Approach

While many homeschoolers will use Unit Studies to approach different topics and themes, there is a whole homeschool style that revolves around unit studies!

Unit studies are thematic overviews of a topic or theme that crosses or combines multiple core and/or elective subjects. Unit studies are used so that specific topics engage the students in a way that makes them want to learn more about the assigned theme.

The theme may be about bugs, but the subject areas span social studies, math, science, and all core subjects!

Homeschool families who use the unit study style, focus on mastery learning. They master a topic by exploring it through multiple senses, activities, ideals, and analysis. The key is to make each lesson relevant, interesting, and meaningful.

Online/Virtual Schooling

The virtual homeschool style is less parent-led and more student-focused, allowing for the student to learn using mainly online tools, resources, classes, and programs.

Online and virtual homeschooling can be done through the public school system, all-in-one virtual homeschool programs, or independent classes that are live or on-demand. With the recent popularization of homeschooling, there's also been an uptick in virtual learning options for homeschoolers.

While there are virtual homeschooling options, many homeschoolers will say that virtual schooling is not homeschooling. Rather, it's public schooling online.

While we have our own opinions, we believe homeschooling is unique for every family. If your schedule, family structure, and means prove that virtual schooling is the best option for you. We say it's a good choice!

What makes you a virtual homeschooler is not the fact that you utilize digital resources. It would be that you mainly employ digital tools and resources.

How to find your homeschool style.

Now that you've made a note of your mission, your family's goals and priorities, your schedule, learning styles, and teaching methods, and you've read about the homeschool styles, you can pursue the method(s) that work well for your family!

Remember, you can mix methods to suit your family's needs. There isn't always a one-size-fits-all. It can also be helpful to reevaluate your homeschool every year to adapt as your children grow and change.

Don't forget! There are no hard and fast rules. Explore the different homeschool styles and curricula that match. If you're eyeing a specific homeschool style, you can often get samples to try before you buy!

All in all, nothing beats great literature that spans different subjects and topics, cultivating a learning environment that fosters interest-led learning, a position that allows for real-life learning.

Reflect on what resonates most with your family’s values and learning preferences, then share your experiences with our supportive homeschooling community in the comments below or on our social media pages!

Share on social media!