Why We Have a Relaxed Homeschool

Our Relaxed Homeschool

If you told me 15 years ago when we first started our homeschooling journey that I would be running a relaxed homeschool I would not have believed you. As a matter of fact, I probably would have laughed (very, very hard). But here I am, homeschooling the two we have left to graduate (our oldest is in college). And using a very relaxed eclectic approach in our homeschool.

I am doing it with my type-A personality to boot!

If you are uncertain what I mean by a relaxed homeschool, (for our family) this means that we do not stick to a rigid schedule where the same thing occurs at the same time every day. Rather we allow for flexibility and changes within our day to best suit that days learning.

There are only a few certains in our daily schedule. Those are our family character building, reading, and math (which is done daily August – May). Our curriculum is hand-picked each year by my husband and I to ensure a perfect match for each child at every stage of learning that coincides directly with their particular learning style(s).

I do a tentative and flexible lesson plan at the beginning of each school year to fit our core subjects within August – May but am not afraid to change it. It is written in pencil because we believe that life cannot be scripted, nor can learning be! But we do plan for success and have an outline of what we are going to accomplish each school year.

Reasons For Our Relaxed Homeschool

1. Because we believe learning occurs best in a relaxed and organic environment.

Both my husband and I agree that we have always learned best within a laid-back and flexible environment. This does NOT mean there is no structure, rather it means that our lives are not ruled by a strict schedule. We have seen the difference between our children’s attitudes toward learning when there is room for exploration and time for questions. We love taking the time to learn as a family where everyone is comfortable learning and teaching one another.

2. As a military family we must be ready for change.

We learned very quickly in our homeschooling journey that flexibility and portability were keys to successfully schooling as an active duty Army family. We have literally lived around the world and our relaxed homeschool has worked well no matter where we’ve been stationed over the years. It’s not to say that we don’t have bumps along the road, but because our normal days are so low-key, the stress level isn’t ever high. And as with everything, we always allow time for the new changes to settle in before doing anything drastic with schooling.

3. We believe that learning cannot be scheduled.

We strongly believe that learning takes place in an organic setting rather than trying to schedule when someone needs to understand something. This has given our children a love for learning that never tires. We can still teach our children how to stay within certain time constraints without giving them the impression that if they don’t “get it” by a certain date, they are “failing.”

4. Our curriculum is very eclectic.

Because we choose many different types of curriculum for our three children specific to their particular stages and learning styles, being relaxed gives us the time to explore and live out what we are learning. I have never been an “in the box” thinker and that has fostered great creativity within each of our three children.

5. Teaching children of varying ages.

We have found that in our family teaching children at varying ages works best when we are flexible and patient. Currently, we are homeschooling our 11-year old son, and 13-year-old son. Because of their varying academic levels and demands, not having a rigid schedule is a blessing. Being relaxed and flexible gives me the ability to focus on the priority each day for each child.

More Reasons We run a Relaxed Homeschool

6. Our family operates best in a peaceful environment.

We don’t know about you, but if we have a choice, we prefer a peaceful environment over a chaotic one. It is no secret that more positive things get accomplished when we are functioning in a peaceful setting. For us, this is a very large factor in our homeschooling approach. When we are at peace we accomplish a lot of wonderful learning. Through our laid-back approach, we are able to achieve this on most days. But on the days when peace is not ruling our home, we see a stark contrast of bad attitudes and stifled learning.

7. Able to spend more time on a concept or subject if we choose to.

Because we hand pick each subject for each child on our own – not relying on an all-in-one set – it gives us the ability to focus on something a little longer than originally planned. Although we have a time frame that we typically complete our core subjects within {August – May} we can spend a little longer on something if we choose to do so without compromising the “schedule”.

8. We homeschool year-round.

Piggy backing off of #7, running a relaxed homeschool is nice as we can explore rabbit trails anytime we want to without feeling any pressure to “finish” by a certain date. We use the summertime to explore things that we did not finish during the year or ideas that were sparked by the previous studies. It is a fun time where we do a lot of science experiments, art, creative writing, skits, and much more. This way the children always feel excited to learn as it never stops. 

9. Maximum flexibility for extracurricular activities.

This has been a major advantage for our homeschooling method of choice. There is never a time that won’t work for an activity to enhance our homeschooling experience. This has proved to be a huge blessing for a family that moves as much as we do. Our children have been able to travel for competitions without the stress of missing out on school or schoolwork.

10. Learning is always fun and enjoyable.

I have found that with our chosen method that learning in our house is fun and enjoyable most of the time. The small portion of the time where it is not fun is because we all have bad days from time to time. I have watched our oldest thrive in this method of choice for a little over 15 years now and we are certain it is the best way for our family to learn!

While the relaxed homeschool method isn’t for everyone, it is certainly the best fit for our family. I hope that by sharing the points above you can gain some insight into our family’s reason for choosing to run a relaxed homeschool. It has many advantages that suit many different flexible lifestyle needs and gives the learner a lot of room to explore and grow gracefully. We love it and are thankful for the freedom to choose the homeschooling lifestyle that best suits our family!