Do you remember what first motivated you to choose homeschooling for your family? Perhaps a traditional school environment was not serving your child. Maybe you wanted to spend more time together. Perhaps you were a homeschooler yourself and wanted to continue that legacy. Or maybe you wanted to give your child an educational experience that differs from your own. Many families choose homeschooling because they want flexible, personalized, and student-centered learning. In other words, homeschooling is the perfect setting to learn actively.

What is active learning?

Active learning involves hands-on activities and projects that allow students to learn by doing. Lectures, memorization, and book learning do have a place in education. But not all learning should be passive. Anything that requires the students to speak, move, and engage with the real world counts as active learning. Engaging students in experiential and multimodal— activities learning experiences that integrate multiple forms of communication such as text, images, audio, video, and gestures to create richer, more engaging, and effective instruction—encourages them to take ownership of their learning.

What are the benefits of active learning?

Active learning provides many academic benefits.

Improved Retention and Understanding

Active learning brings academic concepts to life by engaging many senses and learning styles. Instead of memorizing a diagram, a student might dissect a real plant and identify its parts. A kinesthetic learner might be learning about multiplication and fractions. He could practice doubling a recipe for cookies and spend the afternoon baking instead of filling out a worksheet. These kinds of activities will reinforce memory through doing, not just reading.

Enhanced Motivation and Interest

Active multimodal learning connects lessons to real-world experiences. Students who complete hands-on projects with real-world connections have freedom to explore special interests. They experience greater control over learning. A student who is passionate about animals could start a blog on endangered species. Regular posting on the blog will require the student to use research and writing skills. The blog draws from a deep well of personal motivation rather than practicing the same skills in a purely academic context.

Cross-Disciplinary Learning

Many active learning strategies provide opportunities to integrate many subjects through real-life projects. Cooking a traditional recipe integrates geography (origin), math (measuring), and science (chemical reactions). Activities like this promote a holistic understanding of each subject and how each relates to the real world. Learning one subject in connection with another provides a deep understanding of both areas. More extended projects also provide opportunities for practicing different categories of skills. For example, an artistic student could create and sell handmade bookmarks online. This student will also track profits and learn small business skills.

Active learning promotes social and emotional well-being.

Greater Confidence

Bringing learning into daily life can provide opportunities to learn vital emotional skills. These include how to handle failure and work through setbacks. Over time, experiencing success in hands-on projects will boost student confidence. Experiencing success on one project will encourage students to set new goals. They’ll take on future projects with the knowledge that they can work through any problems that arise along the way.

Improved Communication Skills

Active learning in a group setting encourages discussion, sharing, and feedback. Interpersonal learners will thrive on group learning activities. But all learners, even those who are more reserved, can grow through activities that encourage learning together. For example, students in a homeschool co-op might take part in a mock debate on historical events. These students will gain not only an understanding of history, but also speaking and listening skills.

You can also practice communication skills within a family. For example, a group of siblings could work together to find a documentary on an interesting topic. Then, the whole family can watch and discuss the content during a family movie night. Planning the evening will allow the siblings to practice research, negotiation, organization, and conversation skills. They will also learn more about whatever topic they choose.

Active learning encourages the development of lifelong skills.

Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving

Students who actively learn can build skills that prepare them to tackle real-world problems. For example, a student could build a water filtration system using basic materials. Then, that student could test its effectiveness. The student will learn to identify problems, think of solutions, and evaluate effectiveness. Skills in critical thinking and problem-solving will serve students well throughout their lives.

Collaboration and Teamwork

Many active learning strategies also encourage cooperative learning with siblings or homeschool peers. For example, a group of homeschoolers could work together to host a market day. Together, they can sell homemade crafts that they have created. Students with different interests and ability levels could take on different responsibilities. One student could create a budget and schedule for the event. Another could write and send out promotional materials. A student who likes math could count out change for a customer or calculate total profits. Practicing these skills in a group setting allows students to build leadership and negotiation skills. They’ll also learn how their individual efforts can contribute to the success of a team.

Time Management and Independence

Working on multistep projects fosters responsibility. Skills such as goal setting, initiative, and self-monitoring are best learned through doing. Consider a student who sets a timeline to research, write, and illustrate a historical comic book. This student will practice not only the planning process, but also the skills necessary to follow through on a plan.

How can I incorporate active learning into homeschooling?

Personalize learning according to your child’s interests and natural strengths.

Try designing active learning activities around a student’s interests or learning style. For example, maybe a student loves Minecraft. This student could use the game to recreate ancient civilizations for a history unit. Visual learners enjoy graphic organizers, diagrams, posters, and other colorful learning materials. They could create their own visual representations of what they are learning. Verbal learners need plenty of opportunities to discuss what they are learning. They would enjoy opportunities to give regular presentations. Students benefit from instructional methods suited to their learning styles. These same students can also benefit from opportunities to develop their natural strengths in these areas.

Look for ways to incorporate learning into daily living.

Not all active learning has to be complex or involve extended projects. Your daily life is full of opportunities to make learning meaningful. Practice math in the grocery store. Allow your child to help you design and write a Christmas letter. Bring science to life in your kitchen. Study types of clouds and plants in your backyard. Teach abbreviations from a recipe card while you make dinner together. Start small. And as you live life, invite your children to see how concepts from textbooks play out in the world around them.

Homeschoolers are uniquely positioned to benefit from active learning strategies. Schedule flexibility and individual attention provide the ideal environment to learn actively. Each hands-on project fosters deeper understanding, develops independence, and improves real-world skills. These projects also provide memorable experiences that the whole family can enjoy. Parents and children alike can explore learning that is fun, active, engaging, meaningful, and lifelong!