There are many widely varying approaches to homeschooling, which can make choosing an appropriate homeschooling style a daunting task, especially for newer homeshoolers. It is important for parents to choose a homeschooling style that fits their parenting and teaching preferences, as well as their children’s learning style. To get an idea of what techniques will ultimately fit their real world needs, parents may find it helpful to research and even try “test runs” with various homeschooling resources or methods.

In homeschooling, it’s important for parents to be flexible, realizing that one style may be appropriate for one child but not for another. Then too, as children grow, learn, and mature, homeschool styles and strategies may need to change as well. To get you started in your search for effective homeschooling techniques, we’ve listed some helpful links below

Articles:

Different Teaching Styles
Descriptions of various homeschooling methods, along with questions to contemplate when deciding whether to try a particular approach in your family.
http://www.bche.org/different_teaching_styles.html

Which homeschooling method is right for you?
This extensive article contains information about a huge variety of strategies and approaches to homeschooling.
http://www.home-school-curriculum-advisor.com/home-schooling-method.html

Styles of Homeschooling
This link gives a listing of various styles of homeschooling along with some brief descriptions and potential pros and cons.
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/4119/styles.htm

Homeschooling Methods
Various methods of homeschooling are given in detail within this article.
http://people.howstuffworks.com/homeschool4.htm

Free Tools:

Homeschool Views Quiz
These are FREE quizzes designed to help identify both learning and teaching styles, which make choosing a homeschooling style or method easier.
http://www.homeschoolviews.com/quiz/quiz.html

“Click-O-Matic” Guide to Choosing a Homeschool Approach
Parents and students can benefit by taking this FREE quiz to help figure out which method of homeschooling may be right for their family.
http://www.homeschooldiner.com/quiz/click_o_matic_guide_to_homeschool.html

Books:

Homeschooling Methods: Seasoned Advice on Learning Styles
Gena Suarez and Paul Suarez
A very informational book that covers various homeschooling learning styles and explains how those methods are applied in the homeschool setting.

Additional Links:

Homeschooling Styles
This website gives links to various resources on homeschooling styles including books, online resources, products and more.
http://www.bayshoreeducational.com/hsstyles.html

Guide to Homeschooling Approaches and Curriculum
Here’s a listing and description of various homeschooling approaches, popular methods and philosophies, and the different types of instructional materials available.
http://www.homeschooldiner.com/guide/intro/main.html

Homeschooling Methods
This informative site lists and explains the different styles of teaching and how to go about using them.
http://www.home-school-inc.com/content.aspx?articlegroupname=Homeschooling+methods

Homeschooling Approaches
With links to what each entails, here is a listing of some popular homeschooling methods.
http://www.homeschool.com/Approaches/default.asp

 Notes and Advice:

Begin your search for a homeschooling approach by reading about various homeschooling styles and approaches. Communicating with other homeschooling families, either in local support groups or through online forums, will also help you get an idea of what has worked for other homeschoolers.  Do remember, though that every approach will have pros and cons that make them more suitable for some families than others. You will need to evaluate whether the advice you receive is relevant for your own family’s educational needs!

Once again, flexibility is the key. Especially when you are first beginning to homeschool, you should remain open to experimenting with a variety of techniques to discover the approaches that are most helpful for you and your children. If your children are old enough, don’t forget to ask them about their preferred approaches as well. They don’t necessarily have to approve of every assignment, of course, but by giving the children input into some of the decisions about their education, you can help them take more ownership of their learning experiences.

Over time, you will probably find that you gradually achieve a better understanding of what makes your child tick, and of what activities and resources you will complete with enthusiasm, versus what resources will sit on the shelf, unused. You will probably find that the best style for your family is one in which a) you personally find the techniques fascinating and b) your children find inspiration and motivation as well.