The Ultimate Guide to Delight-Directed Homeschooling
Have you heard the phrase delight-directed homeschooling and wondered exactly what it meant? Are you curious about the pros and cons of this particular homeschool philosophy? Delight-directed homeschooling works for us and it could be the key you need to unlock the joy of learning in your homeschool, too.
What is Delight-Directed Homeschooling?
Delight-directed homeschooling refers to following a child’s “delight” in learning, which means that you study things that your children have special interest in. Because you start with a subject that piques their interest, they are naturally enthusiastic about learning more. It can be a great basis for building your own unit study to include all the major academic areas (history, math, science, language arts, etc.) using the central topic of interest as your springboard.
Often when people hear the term delight-directed learning or relaxed homeschooling they assume that it means that the parents are laid-back to the point that not much learning takes place. However, that is far from the truth. If you ask any family that practices delight-directed homeschooling about whether they have learned anything, I’m sure that you’ll find that the level of education is comparable to that of many other methods.
Having a relaxed approach to homeschooling does not mean that the parent is any less serious about or committed to their child’s education. It simply means that they have found a way to pursue their child’s education that feels less stressful and more organic for them. Delight-directed homeschooling builds on the foundation of a child’s natural eagerness to learn about the world around them.
Delight-directed homeschooling is a commonly interchangeable term with child-led learning. A relaxed delight-directed homeschool environment is one which is largely child-led and free of the strict rules associated with not only public school, but some of the other methods of homeschooling.
Families who choose to homeschool often follow the lead of the child by studying those things that the child is interested in, rather than forcing them to stick with a specific curriculum. They typically don’t adhere to strict daily schedules, instead learning in a way that is more organic. In our homeschool, we consider learning to be a lifestyle so everything can be a potential chance to learn something new. That’s a big part of why we homeschool year-round as well. We also like to use living books rather than boxed curriculum or the typical textbooks.
Essentially, rather than having a highly structured and tightly scheduled homeschool environment, delight-directed homeschoolers opt to simply allow their children to learn. We still have educational goals that we work toward, but we do so in a way that is less forced and more…well, delightful. Less emphasis is placed on how quickly a child learns and is instead focused on ensuring that the learning process is enjoyable for everyone.
What Are the Benefits of Delight-Directed Homeschooling?
1. It is less stressful. Not only for the kids, but for the parents. Many homeschooling families can become burned out when things are too structured. Which isn’t surprising. I am sure that any adult who has ever had a tight deadline to meet or had to prepare for an important evaluation can attest to the fact that these things can be stressful. The same goes for homeschoolers. And the stress of developing a highly structured curriculum and homeschool schedule can be just as stressful for the parent. It can easily become overwhelming. Delight-directed homeschooling is a remedy for that overwhelm. It allows your child to learn what they love to learn at a pace that works for them. It also allows you to breathe easier and still rest assured that your child is actually learning.
2. It makes learning more enjoyable. As you might imagine, when a child is learning about the things that they want to learn, they enjoy it more. When your child enjoys the process of learning, it will likely make things more enjoyable for you. Everyone wins!
3. Children learn more when they are having fun. Though some people may assume that relaxed homeschooling means that the children are not learning as much as their peers, the reality is often that they are more likely to explore topics at a deeper level because they are truly interested in what they are learning rather than simply following along with a curriculum.
What Are the Possible Disadvantages?
The only real disadvantage of delight-directed homeschooling would be if you prefer to operate in a very structured and scheduled environment. If that is your idea of the perfect homeschool situation, then chances are delight-directed homeschooling will not be for you. If you worry about so-called learning gaps, it also might be a concern for you. {P.S. You don’t need to worry about learning gaps, really.}
If you feel that perhaps your child(ren) might benefit from exploring their interests while taking charge of their own learning, then you might want to consider delight-directed homeschooling. It might surprise you!
Recommended Resources for Delight-Directed Homeschooling
Lapbooking ~ a series about how we use lapbooks in our homeschool
Notebooking ~ how to use notebooking plus free printable notebooking pages to get you started
Unit Studies ~ why we love them!
Living Books ~ what they are and how we use them
Field Trips ~ how field trips can enhance delight-directed homeschooling
Read more about Delight-Directed Learning
Why We Love Delight-Directed Learning
Following Your Own Path through Delight-Directed Homeschooling
Encouraging Your Children to Pursue their Purpose
Refresh Your Homeschool with Delight-Directed Learning
Creating a Delightful Learning Atmosphere workshop
101 Reasons to Homeschool Creatively without Curriculum
How to Create a Delightful Learning Atmosphere in your Home
Literature-Rich, Delight-Directed Homeschooling in the Elementary Years
Delight-Directed Homeschooling for High School
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This is really good information. I’m going to pin it to my Homeschool Methods board.
Thank you! I hope it helps encourage homeschoolers to take a relaxed approach and not be afraid to follow interests.