Hello, Parent! While they have their similarities, homeschooling, unschooling, and online school can look different to many families. Also, take note that unschool is not just wild living; it is an informal name for homeschool with only a few differences. To explain it, we will compare the three. Let’s start by addressing what they would look like:
Parents using curricula or premade guidelines, workbooks, and hands-on activities. They may also use computers so children can access fun learning activities on websites like IXL.
Identifying what your child needs to learn on your own and utilizing hands-on activities, activity pads, and worksheets. They may or may not use electronics to do fun activities.
Utilizing computers and primarily having an online teacher govern your child’s education, also known as virtual learning. If you use an online tool such as Mia Academy or what we hope to offer soon, that is not an online school; it’s a curriculum tool for parents.
It is so important to note that while unschooling is a subcategory of homeschooling, online school (eLearning) is not a form of homeschooling. Programs such as K-12 and Connections Academy are online schools, where your child’s educational journey is being crafted, molded, and governed by public or private school guidelines. While there is nothing wrong with your choice, it is vital to know what your family identifies as: homeschoolers, unschoolers, or online schoolers!
So, let’s summarize everything for you. Homeschooling and Unschooling are one and the same. Unschooling families usually are free birds, where parents focus on hands-on activities and getting out in nature to hit their child’s milestones! Homeschooling families are only a slight bit more structured, where parents use workbooks, hands-on activities, outdoor activities, and guideline curricula such as our Ultimate Homeschool Curriculum Guide to foster their child’s milestones. And online school, or eLearning, families will have almost all of their work and teaching done on a computer by certified teachers, just like public or private schools, but at home, or online colleges.
Anytime you need to compare homeschooling, unschooling, and online school, we will be here for you!
Elliott, K. The Ultimate Homeschool Curriculum Guide. Get your hands on the homeschool curriculum guide now! https://amzn.to/44vkNmw
Free 120+ homeschool activity guide for pre K. (n.d.). https://the-monea-academy.kit.com/1e30fd8763
Frequently asked home-schooling questions. K12. (2024, September 20). https://www.k12.com/frequently-asked-homeschooling-questions/#:~:text=Is%20K12%20different%20than%20homeschool,not%20the%20same%20as%20homeschool.
Gray, P., & Riley, G. (2013). The challenges and benefits of unschooling, according to … Journal of Unschooling and Alternative Learning 2013 Vol. 7 Issue 14. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Gina-Riley-2/publication/305720522_The_Challenges_and_Benefits_of_Unschooling_According_to_232_Families_Who_Have_Chosen_that_Route/links/579b8a8d08ae5d5e1e138042/The-Challenges-and-Benefits-of-Unschooling-According-to-232-Families-Who-Have-Chosen-that-Route.pdf
IXL: Math, Language Arts, science, Social Studies, and Spanish. IXL Learning. (n.d.). https://www.ixl.com/