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Many methods are available to you for homeschooling. You can use one, none, or a combination of any that fit your lifestyle and your child's learning style. Below I have listed some of the top homeschooling methods and a brief description of each. The HomeSchool Project (in a box) does not endorse any specific method, however wanted to provide this as a starting point or reference for our customers to start their research on homeschooling methods. As a fellow homeschooler I understand the overwhelming amount of information, opinions, and thought that goes into this very personal decision and hope this provides you a place to start.

Happy homeschooling! -Cristina

This method is often what is thought of when a family first decides to homeschool. This method follows a typical school room type setting. The child would sit and is taught from a pre-determined curriculum during a set time throughout the day. Some families will designate a room in the house as the "school" room and the child and parent/teacher will keep a rigorous schedule and common curriculum that would be found in the public or private school setting. For some families, this is a terrific stepping stone if transitioning from public or private school into the homeschool setting. This is often not the choice of homeschooling families that have never been in the public or private school setting.

This popular method is the opposite of a structured or traditional method. The unschooling method is focused on the child and their learning style and interests. The curriculum is not preplanned or predetermined. The child is allowed to learn naturally through play and their own interests. Families that adopt unschooling look at the world as their classroom and find learning opportunities in everything they do together with their child or as a family. Workbooks, textbooks, and lectures are not the norm for an unschooling family, but great novels, art, field trips, and life exploration are staples in the daily life of this homeschooling method.

This method is a nice mix of structure and freedom many families love. Some structure with textbooks and familiar curriculum is used while leaving space for fun field trips, exploration, and life experiences.

The classical method is focused on great works of literature as the ground work for the child to learn. The belief is that the child will be allowed to develop an independent way of thinking, communicating, and interacting with others.

These are just a few of the methods homeschoolers may employ when teaching their children. No one way is better than another. It is a personal decision that should be made with careful thought, and could change as you progress with your child(ren) as they grow. Some additional methods you may want to research include: delayed schooling, Charlotte Mason, Montessori, accelerated learning, principle approach, Waldorf, the Moore formula, holistic/alternative, and virtual.