Find Your Child's Learning Style

Before you dive into choosing a curriculum, it’s worth taking some time to understand how your child learns best. This will save you money, frustration, and time down the road.

Every child is different, and one of the greatest benefits of homeschooling is the ability to customize their education to match their unique learning style.

Common Learning Styles

Visual Learners — Learn best by seeing. They respond well to charts, diagrams, videos, color-coding, and written instructions. They might say “show me” when learning something new.

Auditory Learners — Learn best by hearing. They benefit from read-alouds, discussions, audiobooks, songs, and verbal instructions. They might talk through problems out loud.

Kinesthetic Learners — Learn best by doing. They need hands-on activities, movement, building, experiments, and real-world application. They might struggle to sit still for long periods.

Reading/Writing Learners — Learn best through text. They enjoy reading, note-taking, lists, and writing assignments. They might prefer to read instructions rather than hear them.

Most children are a mix of styles, with one or two dominant preferences. Pay attention to how your child naturally engages with the world — that’s your best clue.

Your child’s learning style can help you choose a homeschool method. Here are the most common approaches:

Classical Education

A structured, rigorous approach based on the three stages of learning (Grammar, Logic, Rhetoric). Heavy on reading, writing, Latin, and the Great Books. Works well for reading/writing learners who enjoy structure.

📖 “The Well-Trained Mind” by Susan Wise Bauer is the go-to guide for this method.

Charlotte Mason

Emphasizes “living books” (real literature vs. textbooks), nature study, narration, and short lessons. Works well for visual and auditory learners. Gentle and literature-rich.

Montessori

Child-led, hands-on learning with manipulatives and self-paced progression. Excellent for kinesthetic learners. Emphasizes independence and following the child’s interests.

Unschooling

Child-directed learning based on interests and curiosity. No set curriculum — learning happens through life experiences, projects, and exploration. Works well for highly self-motivated kids.

Eclectic / Relaxed

Mix and match from different methods and curricula. Most homeschool families end up here — taking what works from each approach. This is the beauty of homeschooling: you’re not locked into one method.

How to Decide

  1. Observe your child for a week or two. How do they naturally learn? What excites them?
  2. Try a few things. Many curricula offer sample lessons. Don’t commit to a full year before testing.
  3. Give yourself permission to change. The first curriculum you pick probably won’t be your last, and that’s completely okay.
  4. Read more about methods. The link below has detailed descriptions of each homeschool type.

👉 Explore Homeschool Types in Detail

Remember

There’s no wrong answer here. The best homeschool method is the one that helps your child learn and keeps your family sane. Many families use a completely different approach for different children — and that’s one of the superpowers of homeschooling.

Now that you have a sense of how your child learns, let’s look at specific curriculum options.