There are so many benefits to homeschooling. When I get asked why we decided to homeschool, I like to say for all the reasons. It is so hard for me to pick just one because I find them all equally important.

Homeschooling can seem daunting. And it is. We are in charge of making sure that our kids know everything they will need to know to succeed in life.

When I first started homeschooling, it was definitely a separate thing we did. We had our homeschooling time and then the rest of our day. It wasn’t something that weaved in and out all day long like it does now.

It has been a journey since we started homeschooling 10 years ago and I’ve learned a lot.

See all 31 Days of Homeschooling is the Best Because series here:

I started to realize as time went on that didn’t want my kids to learn just so they could forget everything (like I had) later. And I didn’t want them to not like learning. (That’s not saying they particularly appreciate it now.)

But I wanted the atmosphere of our home to be that learning is fun and something that is always happening, not just during “school hours.”

I recently started digging into Charlotte Mason’s educational philosophy. Charlotte Mason says, “Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life.

Hearing this was really confirmed what I was searching for in our homeschool journey. I didn’t want it to necessarily be about how much information I could pack into my kids during those 12 years of school, and have them never try to learn anything again.

What I envisioned for our homeschool is one where the kids enjoyed learning new things and that they would enjoy it even if we weren’t in “school hours” In fact, I’m pretty sure they are learning more when we aren’t doing school.

Here is how we make homeschooling a part of our life.

1.We can do it whenever we need to. If we have an appointment in the morning one day and then an activity in the afternoon, we can do school when we need it to fit our schedule.

It doesn’t mean we will go days on end without doing work, but we have the whole day to do it. We can do it morning, afternoon, or evening depending on the commitments we have that day.

2. We get to study new places/people before we go on a trip. If we are planning a vacation, or if my husband as a work trip, we can study the things we will see beforehand.

We visited the Lincoln Museum because we were going to be passing through Springfield, Il. I knew we would so we learned about Lincoln before we went.

Since we homeschool we have the flexibility to put on hold what we are currently doing to learn about the places we are going.

3. Learning is for life. One of the great tragedies of life is when we stop learning. We think it ends with formal education.

Homeschooling allows us to set up our kids to be lifelong learners.

Instead of just learning because we have to, we learn because we want to. Homeschooling allows us to teach our kids that if you are curious about something you can go look it up.

4. Take breaks when we want to. Instead of following a traditional school year and school breaks, we can make our own schedule.

Usually the first warm days of spring and the last warm days of fall we can be found outside. Since it feels like a large majority of our year is cold, soaking in those warm days is something we don’t want to miss…..and don’t have to.

5. We get to learn as a family. Instead of everyone off doing their own thing all day, we get to spend a lot more time together.

While the kids do have individual studies, there are things we can all learn together. Older kids help teach younger kids sometimes, which allows them to learn better as well.

It allows us all to bounce ideas off each other because we are doing the same thing.

6. Learning doesn’t feel like work. This is not true all the time, but it is sometimes. We spend a lot of time outside. When the kids find a cool plant, bug or rock, we will look it up to find out more information, and that doesn’t feel like work to them. It’s just life.

Homeschooling is a part of our life

There are so many ways you can make homeschooling a part of your life. There are lots of opportunities to learn no matter what season of life you are in. Whether you are going on cross-country trips or to the local park, you can find opportunities to learn.

Finding ways for the whole family to participate allows your family to connect instead of operating apart.

Homeschooling allows you connect learning to life and set your kids up for a lifetime filled with learning new things. I’m always learning new things with my kids and love it.

Homeschooling is the best because we get to make it a part of our life.

How does homeschooling fit into your life?

Theresa is a homeschooling mom to 7 kids. She writes about running a large family on her blog. If she isn’t homeschooling, cleaning, running a business, or spending time with her family, she is reading a book from her ever-growing collection.