Homeschooling Styles | Preschool Education & Everything Preschool

Homeschooling Styles June 28

You’ve decided that homeschooling is the way to go with your child, at least during the early preschool years when you want to retain more influence over your child’s learning than you would have if he went to a public school. But making that decision is just the beginning. Now you’ve got to decide what type of homeschooling style you’re going to use to make sure that you’re providing your child with the kind of education that suits your parenting style but also prepares him for the academic and social worlds he’ll encounter in the future.

Let’s take a look at some of the different types of homeschooling styles that parents out there are using to educate their preschoolers so you can get a better idea of what your options are and how you’re going to exercise them.

Classical Homeschooling Style :

The classical homeschooling method relies on teaching your child “the classics” meaning the common works of literature and other basics of a standard “old-school” education. The classical homeschooling style is based on the idea that logic skills and communication abilities are crucial to teaching children how to think.

Delayed Homeschooling Style:

This method of homeschooling is geared towards parents who believe that homeschooling is the preferred option for children under a certain age. These programs teach parents how to homeschool their kids through the early elementary school years, allowing the parent to retain control over the child’s education until well after preschool.

Traditional Homeschooling Style:

Parents who are planning on sending their child to public school after preschool often use the traditional homeschool style which makes the home into something that resembles a traditional classroom. Using centers, workbooks and other methods of public school, this teaches the child the social abilities necessary to succeed in public school once he or she transitions from homeschooling.

Principled Homeschooling Style:

Some families opt to homeschool their children because they want their children to have an education which is centered around religious beliefs. This type of homeschooling, generally specific to the Christian faith, uses faith-based teachings as the foundation of the education.

Mason Homeschooling Style:

This homeschooling style is one which is widely used and is often incorporated into the curriculums created by many homeschooling worksheet designers. It is a method which is based on reading and writing.

Montessori Homeschooling Style:

Parents who believe in allowing their children to direct their own learning and to exercise a lot of freedom in designing their own education, even from an early age, are most likely to make use of the Montessori homeschooling style. In this method, materials for learning are provided and children are allowed to choose

what they do with them. Many homeschooling parents use this style in the early preschool years and engage in more structured activity as time goes on.

Unschooling:

This is an extension of the Montessori Homeschooling Style and is probably not something that preschool parents are going to need to concern themselves with. It is general for older children who are not doing well in a school environment.

Of course, many parents who homeschool don’t want to follow any particular style but rather want to put together a system which works for them. In this case, the eclectic approach, in which parents learn a number of different homeschooling methods and then choose the ones that work best for them, is probably the way to go. What works for your family is going to depend on the structure that you’re comfortable with as a parent and teacher, the curriculum that you want your child to learn during the years of homeschooling and your family’s plans for eventual public school for your children. There is no one right way to homeschool your kids but you can learn about the different options to be better prepared in selecting the way that works for you.