The traditional home school program closely resembles the standard classroom atmosphere. Children work with textbooks and workbooks, spending time at a desk or table reading and writing their assignments. Parents can easily follow curriculum schedules, assign quizzes and tests and track their children's learning as they progress through the lessons.
Parents with several students at different grade levels might opt for the unit study method. This approach involves incorporating the material from history, literature, English and possibly science and math lessons into one unit. For example, if you chose a time period in history, such as the Roman Empire, you would teach about how each of the subjects relates to that main topic. Students of various ages can learn together with this method.
Instead of using textbooks, some parents use literature instead. For example, use the "Little House" books by Laura Ingalls Wilder to teach children about the history of the United States in the latter half of the 1800s, including settling the West, Indians, pioneer life and even science and home economics lessons. Parents should choose literature that appeals to the interests of their children to make lessons engaging.
Parents who like a more structured and rigorous teaching technique might pick the classical method. This requires significant involvement from parents to teach children the three stages of a classical education: grammar, logic and rhetoric. Memorization plays a key role in the way children learn, with students then advancing to writing and critical thinking skills.
If you prefer an informal approach that lets your child's interests dictate study subjects, the "unschooling" method may fit your family. This home school option often works well for unconventional families and with students who have a strong motivation to learn about interests and hobbies. Unschooling involves setting aside traditional curriculum scopes to allow students to pursue innate interests, with the idea that they will learn traditional concepts at the same time.
Some parents find that one method doesn't fit their goals and family philosophy. When this happens, use some concepts from several methods. For example, you might teach history and literature with a unit study, math and English using textbooks and you might encourage your child to spend learning time exploring individual science interests.