Minimalist Homeschool: Tips to Simplify

Minimalist homeschooling is a practical way to outline your homeschool day, leaving much room for creating joyful long-lasting memories. From the classical homeschooler to the unschooler, minimalist homeschooling and its principles can be applied to most teaching styles. Minimalism is best described as living with less, leaving space in our lives to focus on the things that matter.

 

Simplicity plays a fundamental role in the minimalist approach. A great question to ask ourselves before we get started on any new endeavor is, “how can I make this simple yet effective?”

An excellent book called Little Women was most praised for its simplicity. After reading this treasured American classic, Pete Seegar stated, “Any darn fool can make something complex; it takes a genius to make something simple.”

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Homeschooling, in its greatness, is an opportunity to have increased involvement with our children’s learning and development. Charlotte Mason (1842-1923) was a British educator who pioneered improving the quality of children’s education. She loved homeschooling, and the positive results of the home-educated child moved her so much that she later became a Classical educator and taught many pupils.

 

Mason was a keen observer of human nature and understood the unique connection between mother and child. “Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life. Therefore, we are limited to three educational instruments–the atmosphere of the environment, the discipline of habit, and the presentation of living ideas. ”

 

Mason believed children could deal with ideas and knowledge and that they are not blank slates or empty sacks to be filled with information. She thought children should do the work of dealing with ideas and knowledge rather than the teacher acting as a middleman, dispensing filtered wisdom.

Her approach focused on the great use of narrative literature, time spent outdoors exploring, and the development of an appreciation for art, music, and nature. Mason did not complicate the education process. She structured the day around the atmosphere and the Child’s simplistic nature.

 

Modern-day homeschooling can be overcomplicated by purchasing complex curriculums, overscheduling, or coveting other homeschooling techniques and settings. These are just a few stressors that can be avoided using the minimalist approach. We will take a look at the main areas to structure our homeschool setting and how to simplify them, centering our teaching structure around Charlotte Mason’s principles. We focus on what matters most; teaching our children and creating a good personalized learning environment. These are not rules but ideas for making the best education atmosphere in your simple sweet home.

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5 Steps to Simplify Your Homeschool

• Create a Simple Homeschool Room
• Choose a Simple Curriculum and Commit
• Guard Your Family’s Time
• Keep Meals Simple
• Plan Your Week

Let’s take a closer look at how to simplify your homeschooling.

 

 

1. Create a Simple Homeschool Room

We can easily get caught up in creating the perfect homeschool room. Perhaps even dedicating more space than needed, purchasing furniture that will later be discarded, and overspending. Start by using what you have; as you spend time in your dedicated homeschool area, you and your child will recognize what is needed. We use our dining room table; the natural light and the greenery are pretty enjoyable.

 

All our curricula fits inside one basket; I bring it out each morning and put it away once we finish our studies. I am never searching for a particular item because it is all kept in 1 basket. Keeping your space clean and clutter-free is easy on the eyes and mind. Good housekeeping throughout the year will help keep your items minimal. We keep only the things we currently use, can reference later, or are required for our school records; the rest we discard.

 

2. Guard Your Family’s Time

Time is our most valuable commodity and can be easily wasted; it can never be replaced once lost. As primary educators, we can determine how to spend our homeschooling time most effectively. Scheduling and protecting our time allows us to guard against the busyness that may lead to frustration. Watching our time and being selective about what we add to our day leaves a margin to enjoy our family.

 

Limiting extracurricular activities to no more than one or two per child allows for a calm atmosphere and helps avoid the stressors of being over-committed. Slow down, follow your natural inclination, and say yes only to the things that matter most.

 

3. Keep Meals Simple

Simple meals save time, are cost-effective, and are healthier. Use whole, nutrient-dense foods, and plan your meals for the day or week, whichever works best for you. Planning helps with not overthinking meals or last-minute grocery hauls that usually lead to spending more than intended. A large part of our day revolves around food when raising healthy humans; the less complicated meals are, the easier they are to prepare.

 

4. Plan Your Week

We focus more on routines than ridged schedules, giving our child a sense of stability and structure while recognizing the flexibility needed to pivot when necessary. Planning and preparing our annual lesson plans are done before starting the school year, but I also find it helpful to revisit our calendar weekly.

 

Take a look at your scheduled lesson plans, enrichment activities, and appointments, and make any changes at the start of the week; the fewer surprises we have, the better the flow. Plan meals, schedule a day for errands, and focus on what’s most important for the week. If your kiddo is struggling with a particular subject, make that the priority. Keep your schedule as simple as possible, plan as best as you can, and leave margin; not every moment needs to be filled with something; leave room to enjoy perfect silence.

 

Photo by Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash