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What Are the Top 5 Homeschool Styles

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Knowing what are the top 5 homeschool styles is key to narrowing the overwhelm in choosing curriculum. Then matching homeschool styles with learning styles is a seasoned veteran tip. You’ll love the tips on the Homeschool Learning Styles page.

Learning a few features of each homeschool style and how to pair it with curriculum saves you money.

I will not only explain styles of homeschooling, but help you to identify which is best for your family.

What Are the Top 5 Homeschool Styles

In addition, what is most important for your children to learn and how they learn it will affect your choice of homeschool style.

And terms like homeschool approach and teaching style are used to talk about homeschooling style. This may or may not be clear.

What is the Definition of Homeschool Styles

So, what is a homeschool style?

Simply put, a homeschool style is an educational approach. An approach is a method to how you teach which is also called your teaching style. It includes your goals and your values. An approach is how you will implement what you want your children to learn. Using curriculum as a tool helps you meet your homeschool style. There are 5 top or major homeschool styles or approaches.

There are no right or wrong, better or worse, or smarter or dumber approaches. I’ve seen success stories and failures with each approach. Part of deciding a homeschool approach is to determine what are your family’s priorities and what is your teaching style.

10 Questions to Ask About Your Teaching Style

Look at these questions to help you identify your homeschool style.

  1. Do you want a consistent schedule or a framework of what to teach?
  2. Is testing a necessary part of your curriculum or do you want your child to demonstrate learning through hands-on and conversations with you?
  3. Will memorization and notetaking be essential parts of your teaching? And will learning be done according to the age of the child or his maturity?
  4. How important is studying nature, being outdoors, and studying art?
  5. Should subjects be learned in isolation or tied together as a unifying theme?
  6. Are you going to follow your child’s lead in everything they want to learn, give them day to day guidance, or use both features?
  7. Does your choices for reading including, textbooks, novels, biographies, classics, or all of them? And how much emphasis will be put on learning about the past?
  8. Which subjects are most important to you to cover?
  9. Where should learning take place?
  10. What emphasis will you place on family learning projects versus one-to-one time with each of your children?

From your general answers above, pair your answers or goals with homeschooling styles or homeschool approaches.

Although these are not all the homeschool styles, these are the popular ones you want to know about right away.

Homeschool Styles

Here are the top five homeschool styles in no particular order of popularity.

  1. Unit Study
  2. Classical
  3. Textbook/workbook
  4. Charlotte Mason
  5. Unschooling

Next, look at some of the features of each homeschool approach and a few examples of curriculum which follow that approach.

As you mull over the differences, look for one or two which fit your idea of how to teach your children.

Features of Homeschool Teaching Styles

First, look at the Unit Study Approach. I didn’t start with a unit study approach, but this is the one I switched to after a few years into my journey.

Unit Study Approach

The Unit Study approach is a method where you teach all your children together on one topic covering as many of the basic subjects as possible. Hands-on application and projects are a huge part of learning with this homeschool style.

For example, take the topic the Amazon Rain Forest and since it’s a science heavy topic, tie in a history slant like I did about Theodore Roosevelt on my Amazon rain forest unit study.

Too, art by Henri Rousseau was my slant on art. There are endless ways to tie in bodies of knowledge and you learn how to tie them in naturally.

Considerations

  • Some subjects don’t fit naturally into some of the topics which interests your children.
  • It can take a while to know how to lesson plan for multiple ages.
  • There aren’t as many curriculum providers for this approach as there are for others.

Curriculum Options

Classical Approach

Another popular approach is the Classical approach.

I loved it because of its emphasis on history and classical books. The Classical approach follows the trivium method. Learning is divided into stages according to the ages of the child.

Besides emphasis on history like Ancient Greece, books are chosen based on the great minds of the past.

Considerations

  • Because the emphasis is on heavy language arts, some educators feel the subjects are not balanced.
  • Not all families want heavy emphasis on learning about the past.
  • Learning Latin is emphasized.

Curriculum

Textbook/Workbook (School At Home) Approach

Next, the Workbook/Textbook approach is one most familiar to us because it’s the same one used in public schools.

And a term all-in-one homeschool curriculum means curriculum which has lesson plans laid out with scripted teacher’s manuals and tests. Look at my posts 21 Fun All-In-One Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum and Big Ol’ List of All-In-One Homeschool Curriculum (a.k.a Boxed).

Considerations

  • Laid out lesson plans may feel comfortable to new homeschoolers.
  • If your child struggles in public school this may not be a good fit for you.
  • If you need accountability in a state which keeps records, this may make it easier.

Curriculum

  • Major companies like Abeka, Bob Jones, and Calvert follow this approach.
  • Easy Peasy All in One is a free online laid out curriculum.

Charlotte Mason Approach

Further, Charlotte Mason approach is another one that is popular. With emphasis on nature and art, the approach to language arts is gentle. Gentle does not mean rigorous, but it’s more relaxed in the early years unlike the Classical approach.

Charlotte Mason was a popular British educator who influenced the homeschool world through her lifetime of teaching.

Consideration

  • Known for the use of living books which are opposite textbooks, her approach is popular because of the beautiful literature it uses.
  • Some curriculum providers do not provide as much structure as others.
  • Too, the gentle approach to language arts does not appeal to all.
  • And emphasis on fine arts may not be your goal.

Curriculum

Unschooling Approach

Moreover, the Unschooling approach is another popular approach although it has not always been that way. The Unschooling approach seemed to get a bad rap in the early days of homeschooling and still does because some feel it lacks structure.

However, unschooling proponents vary from little structure to none in their day. In the basic definition, it means to follow the leads of the child. Trusting the natural learning process, proponents tout that a child will learn all he or she needs to if we create a learning rich environment.

Considerations

  • Because this learning process is child-led there is concern that some kids won’t be introduced to subjects that may seem unappealing to the child.
  • Additionally, since it’s child-led learning there is no laid out curriculum. Curriculum is chosen based on the child’s likes.

Curriculum

How to Identify the BEST Homeschool Style for Your Family

Lastly, the most important part of learning about an educational approach or teaching style is maintaining the focus on YOUR goals. Through the years I’ve learned it’s easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing and not think about my family’s needs.

For example, when I started homeschooling I felt the Classical approach embodied how I wanted my children to learn.

Quickly, I learned that the Classical approach didn’t meet the needs of my children.

Above all, when you’re looking at these tips below remember you can change anytime as different needs come up in journey.

6 Ways to Identify the BEST Homeschool Style For You

  • Do not think you have to limit yourself to ONE homeschool style. The most successful homeschoolers mix and match homeschool approaches. For that reason, you’ll notice curriculum which hails to two or even three approaches.
  • Know that you do not have to stick with one or a combination of two teaching styles for your whole journey. In other words, do not buy curriculum too far ahead. You may change your mind, or the needs of your children will change.
  • Ask curriculum provider questions about the approach they take in their curriculum if you don’t know it. Most curriculum provider welcome questions, but be aware that a lot are homeschooling families. They need time to return the call or answer your question.
  • In addition, do not think you have to implement every facet of that teaching method.
  • Then, one of the best tips is to also recognize your child’s learning personality. As parents, we tend to teach only to our homeschool style. And although we homeschool to fit our children’s unique needs we tend to forget.

Why Your Child’s Learning Personality is Important Too

Because teaching styles are only part of choosing curriculum easily, I’ve included a link to my online course Identifying Your Homeschooled Child’s Learning Personality.

What Are the Top 5 Homeschool Styles

YOU WILL LEARN:

  • How to understand the way your child prefers to learn so that you can teach him in a way that he enjoys learning;
  • How to pinpoint your child’s learning personality;
  • A starting point in understanding (barring any special learning challenges or disabilities) and accepting your child’s preferred way of taking in information;
  • Understanding when the learning personality emerges; and
  • Teaching tips for each learning personality to stop the head-butting.
What Are the Top 5 Homeschool Styles

In summary, these other tips and posts I have will help you to learn more about homeschool styles.

MORE HOMESCHOOL LEARNING STYLES TIPS

8 Best Classical Style History Curriculum for a Classical Learning Style

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

It’s important to know your choices for the best classical style history curriculum if you’re following a classical approach. You’ll love the other tips I have on my page Homeschool Learning Styles.

When I first started homeschooling, I followed a classical approach to all the subjects.

As my understanding of homeschool learning style differences grew, I adjusted my homeschool approach.

8 Best Classical Style History Curriculum for a Classical Learning Style

The one thing I did keep from the classical learning style when I switched to the unit study approach was a classical style history approach.

Out of all the learning styles, the classical style approach to history made the most sense to me.

What is the Classical Style History Approach?

First, it’s important to understand what is the classical style approach. I’ve heard many definitions through my numerous years of homeschooling.

To help you understand it, look at these 5 features of a classical approach.

  1. Classical education is based on liberal arts curriculum. Among other things it means information is presented in a sequential order.
  2. One of the most significant features is reading and discussing real books. You’ll hear the term great books at times when you’re looking for history curriculum.
  3. For years advocates of a classical approach focused on learning Latin and Greek roots.
  4. And one more feature of this approach is the believe by Dorothy Sayers that children have the ability to memorize at an early age. This skill should be used as early as possible to prepare children for higher learning later.
  5. Finally, for history you can see it would be important to cover history in a chronological order.
8 Best Classical Style History Curriculum for a Classical Learning Style

Because history was and still is important to me, I wanted my kids to not only understand history, but be able to recall events in order.

The only way for them to learn that was for me to teach them in chronological order.

I used Story of the World as my first curriculum and it gave my kids a strong foundation in history.

From there I created history unit studies on topics which interested us.

Why Your Child’s Learning Personality is Important

Because teaching styles are only part of choosing curriculum easily, I’ve included a link to my online course Identifying Your Homeschooled Childs Learning Personality.

How to Determine the Best Learning Style Approach for Your Child? Determining the best learning style approach is much easier when you know about homeschool learning styles. A learning style is not something I thought about when I started homeschooling or even when my kids were struggling. However, had I taken time to learn what is the best learning style for each of my children, I would have saved myself unnecessary stress.

YOU WILL LEARN:

  • How to understand the way your child prefers to learn so that you can teach him in a way that he enjoys learning;
  • How to pinpoint your child’s learning personality;
  • A starting point in understanding (barring any special learning challenges or disabilities) and accepting your child’s preferred way of taking in information;
  • Understanding when the learning personality emerges; and
  • Teaching tips for each learning personality to stop the head-butting.
8 Best Classical Style History Curriculum for a Classical Learning Style

Also, look at these other resources I have for understanding homeschool learning styles.

Other Homeschool Learning Style Resources

More Homeschool History Curriculum

Next, look at these different providers for best classical style history curriculum.

Best Classical Style History Curriculum

The advantage to using classical style history is that not only are you encouraged to use real books, but the history makes sense when it's covered in chronological order.

What Are The 5 Learning Styles to Know to Form a Powerful Homeschool Foundation

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

What are the 5 learning styles to know to form a powerful homeschool foundation? After 20+ years of homeschooling, I want you to be in the know. You’ll love the other tips I have on my page homeschool learning styles.

Too, although there are more learning styles than 5, it’s important to know what are the ones most popular.

They are popular because the learning styles align with the goals each homeschool family has set.

What Are The 5 Learning Styles to Know to Form a Powerful Homeschool Foundation

You’ll want to know the different learning styles so you can match them to the personality of your different children.

In addition, there is no need to have to learn educationalese or jargon to understand what are the 5 learning styles.

But, first, here are some books you’ll want to add to your library to understand how to form a strong homeschool foundation.

Homeschool Learning Personality Books and How Tos of Homeschooling

Homeschool Learning Style and Personality Book Helps and How to of Homeschooling

Arming yourself with more information as to how children learn and how to teach them best should be part of every homeschool library.

Our goal in homeschooling is to be the best teacher and learn how OUR kids learn best and not every child or grade level.

Next, look at these questions which it make easier to sort out learning styles.

3 Questions about Homeschool Learning Styles

Determine what your children like and don’t like and then you can see ways to teach that fits their learning style.

1. Does my child learn best by hands-on, auditory, or workbook?

For example, if you have a child that learns best by hands-on, should you waste your time looking JUST at workbooks?

Next, what is your idea of success in homeschool is another one to think about.

2. How Will I Define Success for my homeschooled child?

For instance, do you think completing workbooks equates to master?

Or, do you feel open-ended learning without a clear cut answer is better?

Then again, do you want to combine the two types of approaches.

Finally, what subjects do you consider more important to the success of your child?

3. Which subjects are more important to your family?

To illustrate, some families are more sports minded, some natured minded and yet others academic minded.

Different learning styles puts emphasis on some subjects above others.

You’ll want to know what is important to you so you can make an informed choice.

Why Your Child’s Learning Personality is Important

Because teaching styles are only part of choosing curriculum easily, I’ve included a link to my online course Identifying Your Homeschooled Childs Learning Personality.

How to Determine the Best Learning Style Approach for Your Child? Determining the best learning style approach is much easier when you know about homeschool learning styles. A learning style is not something I thought about when I started homeschooling or even when my kids were struggling. However, had I taken time to learn what is the best learning style for each of my children, I would have saved myself unnecessary stress.

YOU WILL LEARN:

  • How to understand the way your child prefers to learn so that you can teach him in a way that he enjoys learning;
  • How to pinpoint your child’s learning personality;
  • A starting point in understanding (barring any special learning challenges or disabilities) and accepting your child’s preferred way of taking in information;
  • Understanding when the learning personality emerges; and
  • Teaching tips for each learning personality to stop the head-butting.

Too, don’t forget to grab my book above chock full of teaching tips.

What Are The 5 Learning Styles to Know to Form a Powerful Homeschool Foundation

Then look at some of these other helpful tips on homeschool learning style resources.

Other Homeschool Learning Style Resources

Finally, look the different homeschool learning styles.

What Are The 5 Learning Styles

Look below at the 5 learning styles or homeschool approaches.

1. Unit Study Approach for Families Who Want Free Exploration

2. Workbook Approach for Families Who Want Memory Work and Workbooks

3. Classical Approach for Families Who Put Emphasis on Learning from Ancient Minds of the Past

4. Charlotte Mason Approach for Families Who Nurture a Love of Nature and Living Books

5. Unschooling Approach for Families Who Want Child-Led Learning Without Bounds

Tapping into the way a child prefers to learn is essential to success.

How to Easily Match the Homeschool Classical Approach With Learning Style

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, I’m showing you how to easily match the homeschool classical approach with Homeschool Learning Styles.

And knowing  that a classical approach is where families put emphasis on learning from ancient minds of the past allows you make the right choice for your family.

How to Easily Match the Homeschool Classical Approach With Learning Style

Further, here are some characteristics of the classical approach.

Look at four characteristic of the classical approach are

  1. There is a heavy emphasis on learning ancient languages like Greek and Latin.
  2. Language arts is a main subject.
  3. History is learned chronologically.
  4. Too, education focused on history of the Western Civilization.

What is a Classical Approach

I’ve read and used many definitions of what is a classical education through the years.

However, simple definitions are best.

And one simple definition of classical education is that it’s not image focused but language focused.

Much time is spent on communication of words, both oral and written.

How to Easily Match the Homeschool Classical Approach With Learning Style

In addition learning is patterned after the way a child’s mind matures and is divided into 3 stages.

The first stage is the elementary stage which is called the grammar stage. Kids this age love learning rules and lists.

And the second stage which is middle school is called the logic stage. At this age, children start to think more analytically.

Last, the third stage which is high school is called the rhetoric stage where children learn to write with originality.

Additionally, one of the best books I’ve read about classical education is The Well-Trained Mind.

How to Match Learning Style with the Classical Approach

As you can see, if you want your kids to have intensive language arts focus then you want to follow the classical approach.

However, matching learning styles to classical approach is not as easy.

As the parents we may have goals, but the way our child learns may be different.

For example, if you child learn better by images, then you may only be able to incorporate certain parts of the classical approach.

In addition, children who have a learning style of learning through hands-on may not do well with classical education.

The classical education approach does not tout a hands-on learning style approach.

For example, a child who is very book-ish will flourish with classical education.

Children who love words and language arts focus on writing and reading as subjects without being prompted.

However, it’s important to know what is your child’s learning style.

Why Your Child’s Learning Personality is Important

Because teaching styles are only part of choosing curriculum easily, I’ve included a link to my online course Identifying Your Homeschooled Child’s Learning Personality.

How to Determine the Best Learning Style Approach for Your Child? Determining the best learning style approach is much easier when you know about homeschool learning styles. A learning style is not something I thought about when I started homeschooling or even when my kids were struggling. However, had I taken time to learn what is the best learning style for each of my children, I would have saved myself unnecessary stress.

YOU WILL LEARN:

  • How to understand the way your child prefers to learn so that you can teach him in a way that he enjoys learning;
  • How to pinpoint your child’s learning personality;
  • A starting point in understanding (barring any special learning challenges or disabilities) and accepting your child’s preferred way of taking in information;
  • Understanding when the learning personality emerges; and
  • Teaching tips for each learning personality to stop the head-butting.
How to Easily Match the Homeschool Classical Approach With Learning Style

Other Homeschool Learning Style Resources

How to Determine the Best Learning Style Approach for Your Child?

| Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Determining the best learning style approach is much easier when you know about homeschool learning styles.

A learning style is not something I thought about when I started homeschooling or even when my kids were struggling.

However, had I taken time to learn what is the best learning style for each of my children, I would have saved myself unnecessary stress.

How to Determine the Best Learning Style Approach for Your Child?

And although a lot of resources exist about learning styles, I like simple explanations.

Instead of using the technical terms in the educational world, I find using the term learning personality is more beneficial.

It’s easy to understand that each child has a different personality and it affects how and what they learn.

Some children are more language arts focus, others more craft focus, and still others relationship focus.

Styles of Homeschooling

For example, when I started homeschooling, I used only a workbook approach. It’s the only learning style I knew from my experience in public school.

However, as I homeschooled longer, I researched the other learning style approaches besides just workbook approach.

The other four approaches besides workbook approach are

  • the Unit Study approach,
  • Classical approach,
  • Unschooling approach and
  • Charlotte Mason approach.
How to Determine the Best Learning Style Approach for Your Child?

Determining which learning style works for your family helps you to choose curriculum that works for your family.

Look at these questions which will help you to determine the best homeschool approach for your family.

  1. Do your child learn best by doing? Charlotte Mason, the Unschooling and Unit Study approach all focus on hands-on activities. Of course the topics you study about will be applicable, but each of these approaches advocates hands-on learning.
  2. Are you wanting your children to model great minds of the past? Then you’ll want to learn about the Classical approach.
  3. If your child prefers to stay on topic and you want to cover all school subjects through the one topic then research a Unit Study approach.
  4. Some families prefer that learning is child-led and the parent is only the facilitator. Then research the Unschooling approach.
  5. Maybe you live in a state where strict record keeping is necessary. Then, can you combine a workbook approach which makes test taking and record keeping easier with another approach loved by your family.

Why Your Child’s Learning Personality is Important Too

Because teaching styles are only part of choosing curriculum easily, I’ve included a link to my online course Identifying Your Homeschooled Child’s Learning Personality.

How to Determine the Best Learning Style Approach for Your Child? Determining the best learning style approach is much easier when you know about homeschool learning styles. A learning style is not something I thought about when I started homeschooling or even when my kids were struggling. However, had I taken time to learn what is the best learning style for each of my children, I would have saved myself unnecessary stress.

YOU WILL LEARN:

  • How to understand the way your child prefers to learn so that you can teach him in a way that he enjoys learning;
  • How to pinpoint your child’s learning personality;
  • A starting point in understanding (barring any special learning challenges or disabilities) and accepting your child’s preferred way of taking in information;
  • Understanding when the learning personality emerges; and
  • Teaching tips for each learning personality to stop the head-butting.
How to Determine the Best Learning Style Approach for Your Child?

Other Homeschool Learning Style Resources: