Relaxed or minimalist homeschooling is an approach where, like the same movement in life to remove the extras and keep the things that matter, learning is cut down to the important things only with lots of space and free time for additional learning. It’s kind of a cross-breed of unschooling with formal learning – although the approach to the basic subjects may be done from any other form of methodology as the family desires.
In many homeschooling methods, there is the sense that learning needs to include a wide and demanding set of lessons, subjects, and activities. In minimalistic homeschooling, the idea is to cut out all these extras and focus primarily on the things they deem important. When a person embraces any minimalistic mindset, it’s extremely personal the choices of what the feel is important to keep or remove. The same is true when you approach homeschooling this way. Each family may choose different things to learn that are important to them in general or at a specific time.
For example, some families may just focus on math, reading, and writing – while others will choose the core subjects and remove all the extracurricular activities that vie for time and cause chaos. It can be about the daily routine, such as a single subject a day. This can be fluid and changing depending on your personal goals and values as to what you feel like of importance.
It can also be about removing all the “things” we collect as homeschoolers – the mountain of books, the hoard of art supplies, the paper piles, etc. In truth, it’s more about simplification and the removal of all the “things” in all aspects of our lives that we really don’t need. It’s about changing the mindset to not be just like everyone else, but focus on the things that are most valuable to us.
Curriculum is generally a mixed and match collection instead of a specific program. It’s about personalization.
Relaxed / Minimalist Homeschooling Benefits
- It’s very personalized to the needs of the children being taught.
- It’s – well – relaxed and a lot less stress than some other homeschool methods
- It works well with a large family
- It allows for a lot of free time
Relaxed / Minimalist Homeschooling Disadvantages
Since it focuses on only what the family deems important, subject gaps may exist
- It can take a while to settle into a rhythm that works for your family
- It can often involve a lot of group learning, which might not work with your family dynamics
- It involves a mindset change to allow that less is more.
Recommended Resources
Relaxed / Minimalist Homeschooling Blogs
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