Homeschool can be humdrum at times. There are days it can drag, seasons it’s a battle, and times when we just don’t want to deal with the structure we may be accustomed to.

Have no fear! There are some seriously fun ways to keep homeschooling moving along. Some people even use these methods All. The. Time. And they have amazing kids with fabulous educations, too!

So if your homeschool is needing a boost because you’ve fallen into the same old boring day after day trap, these are a few ways you can breathe life back into your days.

See all our 31 Days of Homeschool is the Best Because series here.

Three Alternative Methods of Homeschooling

Homeschooling does not live in a box. There are many methods of homeschooling that provide a solid academic foundation that do not resemble the typical school day or even a typical homeschool day.

Let’s briefly discuss three of these methods. Perhaps you will find a method that will suit your family. Many are hesitant to embrace alternative homeschool methods because of an ingrained idea of what education should look like. However, some children learn best through methods that are as far from traditional methods as possible.

What is Unschooling?

Unschooling is often referred to as “natural learning” or “experience led learning”. Unschoolers are often thought of as allowing children to completely learn on their own without a single book or guidance. It is true that unschooling is rooted in the child’s interests, choices, and learning style.

The goal is to nurture the child’s natural curiosity. The days are not broken up into class periods or subjects. However, unschoolers are diligent about giving their children every opportunity to learn through real life experiences. There is no formula to follow or guidebook to read. The guide is our child.

A child may spend her day gardening and volunteering at an animal shelter. Another child may spend the day coding a video game and learning to cook a gourmet meal. This creates an environment where the child is chasing knowledge and not the opposite.

What is Gameschooling?

Games can provide many learning opportunities in a low stress environment. Often children will retain knowledge better when presented in a fun way. Many games that are not considered educational provide plenty of highly educational lessons. Games vary in form such as board games, video games, apps, and active games. Children can also create their own games which provides many educational opportunities on its own.

Gameschooling does not mean all lessons are taught through games or that it is only tool used in your homeschool. It simply means that games are an integral part of the homeschool process. So if you enjoy playing games, begin to build your game closet with a variety of games your family will enjoy.

What is Delight Directed Homeschooling?

This method is often confused with unschooling but there are distinct differences. Delight Directed Homeschooling does share the idea that a child’s education should be interest led. However, this idea is applied a bit differently. The parent focuses on the child’s interests and learning style to develop a plan to teach and build upon the basics.

While a parent creates a plan there is no boxed curriculum or formula. If your child is interested in horses then you can create all your lessons around that theme. However, do not be fearful of rabbit trails. With this method all should be followed because you never know what discoveries you and your child will make. This method is quite flexible as you can employ the method for one semester or one topic while still using curriculum for other subjects or even as a jumping off point.

Have you discovered a new method you want to explore? Never be afraid to take the steps to try something new that may encourage a love of learning in your child. If it doesn’t quite work out, you have the freedom to adjust it according to your child’s needs and learning style.

Now go have some amazing learning fun!