There are different types of homeschooling methods to take into account if you are considering this pathway for your child. The current school system does not suit many home education student’s needs – For example, children do not develop at the same rate as each other and therefore are not capable of fitting nice and neatly into a one size fits all box, where there are expectations that the same aged child has the same level of ability. Children come from all walks of life, circumstances, socio-economic backgrounds and can be neurotypical or neurodiverse each with differing capabilities. Homeschooling provides an alternative solution to this problem that many families face. Thank goodness for this because for some children and families, it has proven to be the only solution.

There are many reasons why people would choose the homeschooling life above having their child go to school. All children deserve to have access to an education, but when the only method people really know about and understand, is the mainstream education system, it’s something that many people either don’t even think about, or are hesitant to move away from the norm. Others believe they are not capable of providing the education their child needs. Because they are not trained in the standard curriculum, they don’t feel qualified to take on the role of teacher. I’m here to tell you that this is not how things are in the homeschool world. I wish I had known this when my daughter had Leukaemia and missed so much of her young schooling years. Mind you, we didn’t really have the internet back then so it would have been harder to find information and resources, but now we do and I’m glad we homeschool my grandkids. What I also didn’t know, and perhaps you haven’t heard much about in terms of homeschooling either, that there are choices, YOU have a choice and a say in your own child’s education. You can fit it to suit your own child’s needs and it’s still an education, heck, daily life is an education too. It’s just not the exact same one that all the other children are doing. This in many ways can give your child an advantage in knowing a broader scope of subject matter. It also breeds a love of learning into them instead of learning because they have to and are measured for it in a school situation.

Brief Examples of Methods of Homeschooling

In Homeschooling, it becomes a choice if a parent wants to use the curriculum, or explore one or a combination of the many other avenues of providing a quality education. Here are a few ways to educate your kids outside of an actual school environment. You may end up trialing several or even many methods as you learn about your child and their interests and needs. But none of them are ever a mistake. Your child is still learning and getting an education regardless of how many different methods you try. Or, you may already have an understanding of what your child needs and wants from you and their education and the very first one you use, works for them. You may also find that your child may want to try different methods too, as they discover what they find interesting and what suits their capabilities. Some methods are more structured than others, some are very relaxed. For example, child-led learning is much more laid back and casual, yet working with a DE unit, is more structured. There is no right or wrong way, the right way is what’s best for your child and what works for your child.

Get Ready to be Amazed at the Possibilities!

Let’s do this! Here is a list of some of the different ways to homeschool that I can think of right now. Be aware there will be more out there.

Following the national curriculum at home is an option if you feel you can deliver it to your child.
Distance education (DE) which is a form of online lessons that usually follow the national curriculum and are delivered by teachers that children have access to.
Private companies that provide their own curriculum where many still follow the subjects of the Australian Curriculum but have different topics, assessments etc. or have written their own curriculum. Euka, Simply Homeschool, My Homeschool and Homeschool in a Box are some examples. These usually have lessons and assessments and projects etc. laid out, but you are the facilitator and is followed at your own pace and often in the year level that your child might be if they were at school.
Themed units that you create yourself or purchase from other people who have written their own. Some are written by school teachers, such as with Teachers Pay Teachers, Twinkl. You are the facilitator and educator here.
Themed units that are written by other homeschooling parents, an example of this is Jessica who founded the Waldock Way, where we bought a Harry Potter themed unit which we then expanded on when my granddaughter was a bit older. Themed units like this generally have many or all of the subject material that you might find in the curriculum but taught in a way that is interesting to the child and at their level.
Create your own lessons or units, which I have done on occasion.
Child-led learning, something that we are particularly partial to, especially in the case of children who have been damaged or traumatised at school and have an aversion to being told what to learn and when to learn it, such as in the case of one of my grandkids. Allowing your child to naturally gravitate to what interests them results in one of the best learning techniques there is.
Unschooling, which includes other sub-headings as people choose various versions of this, often uses life as it’s educational tool and is not structured in any way. There are not usually any set lessons or classes.
Using life skills as a focus to build upon.
Entrepreneurship
Short or long term Online courses
Game-schooling
Lived experience
World Schooling
Subscription services such as Reading Eggs, IXL, Nessy Learning and others
Free learning platforms such as Khan Academy
Online classes such as art, science, mathematics
YouTube tutorials
Documentaries
Living Books
Board Games such as Ticket to Ride: Europe
Religion oriented
Charlotte Mason, Montessori, Waldorf schools of thought
Eclectic style
Classical style
Plus many more

I would recommend looking further into any forms of education above that spark your interest. There are many articles on the net about each one. Remember, none of this process will be exactly the same for each child because there is no one size fits all style. Everyone creates their own versions of them.

When embarking on this journey, there is one other form of schooling that many people don’t realise is necessary. This is what is known as deschooling. If you ever went to a learning establishment in the government school system, then you need to unlearn everything you currently think about what a homeschool education should look like, otherwise you are just replicating the school environment and that is most likely one of the issues that a child who has attended school at any time will balk against. The whole idea of homeschooling is to do it your way, not theirs. A way that benefits your child instead of keeping them stuck. If you believe that homeschooling is about setting up a classroom at home and sitting down for 6 hours a day, at a desk and doing a whole range of subjects and workbooks, then you need to go through a deschooling process. We learnt the hard way that this just wasn’t working.

You Now Are Aware of the Different Types of Homeschooling Methods – What Will You Choose?

By now you can see that there are quite a few different types of homeschooling methods you can choose from which means the possibilities are endless. You need not worry about not being able to provide your child with a quality education when you have all of these at your fingertips. Many people have free resources where you can download worksheets and lesson plans or ideas for free, or for a minimal cost, so it doesn’t have to be an expensive venture if your finances are a bit low at times. Check out Facebook for Homeschooling groups as many have resources of their own they share or provide lists of free websites that they recommend. There is also endless support for each other and no one ever has to feel isolated in their decision to homeschool when you can talk to other people in the same boat and all are at different phases of theirs.

Please drop me a comment below and tell me which method you have decided upon. Or you can connect with me on my dedicated Facebook page and get in touch that way if you have any questions.

Warm Wishes and best of luck going forwards

Ange