How to decide? Formal studies or unschooling? I don’t decide. I choose two seasons in our homeschool.
I’ve got two seasons in my homeschool. I mix the eclectic with the unschool, a dab of formal studies, and a smidgeon of Charlotte Mason.
Radical unschoolers don’t insist on anything prescribed. So I cannot call myself a radical unschooler, because there is a season when I pull out workbooks and insist on essay writing, exponents, or French verb conjugations (depending on my child’s age).
I’m sure I might still change my approach, because I’ve done this homeschool thing long enough to know I always grasp for something more true to my children and me.
Reimagine Your Homeschool Before You Choose a Season
Whether you’re leaning toward formal studies or unschooling, the real question isn’t which method is “right.” It’s what your family actually needs right now. That’s why I created the Reimagine Your Homeschool Mini-Course, a gentle, self-paced reset for homeschool moms who are ready to stop pushing through and start building a homeschool life that fits.
In the mini-course, you’ll:
- Get clear on what’s working (and what isn’t) so you stop carrying routines, curriculum, and expectations that no longer serve your family.
- Reconnect with your why and the values you want your homeschool to reflect, so decisions like formal studies or unschooling feel less like guesswork.
- Release the pressure to recreate school at home and give yourself permission to build a rhythm that honours your kids’ interests and your own capacity.
- Make small, intentional shifts you can start this week, instead of a massive overhaul you’ll abandon by Tuesday.
- Care for yourself, too, because the homeschool mom is the heart of the homeschool, not an afterthought.
It’s just $17, and you can work through it at your own pace, with a journal and a cup of tea.
Overwhelmed by the Formal Studies or Unschooling Decision?
Sometimes the real struggle isn’t choosing a method; it’s the overwhelm underneath it. Take my free quiz to find out what’s really driving your homeschool overwhelm, so you can make choices from clarity instead of pressure.
Our Two Seasons: Formal Studies or Unschooling, Depending on the Month
There have been two seasons for our family over the last few years: the formal study season and the unschooled season.
We’ve put the books away. We’ve packed them into boxes even: the grammar books, the formal French and Latin, spelling lessons, and history lessons. We’ll see you all sometime in September. (Though the math books will stay in our care, spending a tiny portion of each morning continuing to be used until the end of June. Gotta stay fresh.)
This Unschool Season Is Not for Increased Screen Time
In fact, I’m tighter on screen time. (If the kids become computer programmers, it will be a remarkable feat, as I’m not giving them enough time to pursue that.)
Whether we’re in a season of formal studies or unschooling, the screen rules stay pretty firm around here.
They have fought for the computer.
Yes, ironic, a screen. Even before I sat down to write this, I was asked how long I would be because two of the kids want to write their own fictional stories. Despite my daily writing practice, they’re lapping me at one thousand words a day. Each evening they read their continuing sagas to us. (I know I’m their mom, but they have written authentically listenable stories.)
They entertained me with their music.
Piano. Guitar. Vocal offerings. I think I hear something from iTunes coming from upstairs, but then I go upstairs and discover it’s one of my kiddos singing. I’ve even asked one of the girls for guitar lessons. (My girl isn’t nearly as patient as her mother, ha ha ha, as she insists I can play A minor, C, and G in thirty seconds or less, but I’m sure I’ll soon be strumming along with her present favourite, Vance Joy.)
Real-Life Learning: Formal Studies or Unschooling Can Both Teach
They have found employment.
One of the kids gets paid to iron clothes, which is a payable job, as I have a love-hate (no, just hate) relationship with ironing. Another kiddo waters the greenhouse plants every morning, while also tracking and drawing the growth of the pumpkin seedlings. Yet another has written her resume and cover letter, circulating it in hopes that she’ll land a library shelving position. One of the kids is catering for the monthly emerg staff meeting, making a couple of dozen breakfast treats, and learning about capital costs and interest on her new investment: a twenty-cup coffee urn.
Is that business math formal studies or unschooling? Honestly, it’s both.
They have indirect lessons on flotation and physics.
These lessons are found on playground equipment and in outdoor activities. The boat must first be inflated before they take it to the pond. Science!
Despite a leaky boat, they’ll row anyway…
Do the kids want to know if they can charge for rides in this contraption? No, no they can’t, because that contraption won’t stay together.
They learn home economics.
Bread baking, dessert preparation, muffin making: everyone gets a turn each day to create. And with all the ingredients required for baking, my oldest gal is taking on a full grocery shop independently too (with my credit card and all).
Routines Still Matter, Even in an Unschool Season
Unschooling doesn’t mean no rhythm. Our days still have anchors, and whether you lean toward formal studies or unschooling, a gentle routine keeps everyone grounded.
They have afternoon quiet time.
With a screen. They can watch an episode of SciGirls or Animal Planet or Planet Earth every afternoon. All are found on Netflix.
It’s downtime, but also discovery time.
And there are also extracurricular activities, and games, games, games.
Soccer, dance, gymnastics, music lessons, playdates, and youth groups. (With this extra time, I am even surprised to hear that my eldest daughter says she’ll play chess with her little brother every day. Wow.)
If you’d like help building a rhythm that works in either season, these posts are a good place to start:
- How to Create a Homeschool Routine That Works for You
- How to Create an Energizing Homeschool Morning Routine
- How to Include a Gratitude Practice in Your Homeschool Morning Routine
- 5 Game-Changing Ways to Streamline Your Homeschool Routines
- The Truth About Finding Your Homeschool Rhythm
Formal Studies or Unschooling: You Don’t Have to Choose Forever
Of course, when September arrives, I’ll reconsider this unschool season and be eager to create a formal routine for our days. But I know these quiet, unprescribed days allow a bounty of discovery.
Either season, formal studies or unschooling, can breed a heap load of learning.
“What is essential is to realize that children learn independently, not in bunches; that they learn out of interest and curiosity, not to please or appease the adults in power; and that they ought to be in control of their own learning, deciding for themselves what they want to learn and how they want to learn it.” — John Holt
Book a Free Aligned Homeschool Reset Session
If you’re still wrestling with formal studies or unschooling, or simply wondering how to make either season feel lighter, you don’t have to figure it out alone.
Prefer to work through it on your own? The Reimagine Your Homeschool Mini-Course ($17) is a gentle place to start.
People also ask…
- How do you deschool your homeschool (a podcast interview)
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- Reimagine your Homeschool Coaching Services
- Do you do one-on-one homeschooling coaching? Why, yes I do!
- How do I deschool 101: 7 lessons I’ve learned that propelled my homeschool into freedom?
- Embracing the Project-Based Learning Season
- How Do I Unschool My Child? 5 Simple Steps to Set Them Free
- Why you Might Want to Incorporate a Project-Based Homeschool
- How to Unschool High School and Prepare for College
- How to Unschool High School
Subscribe to the Confident Homeschool Mom podcast
Originally published March 24, 2022. Revised October 9, 2026.
Thanks for sharing about your seasons. It’s inspired me to embrace our seasons- own it! Love it.