Interest Led Homeschooling: Helping Your Child Find Their Interests
How do we help our kids find their interests? What can we do to foster them and what happens if our kids change interests? These are all good questions and worth exploring as we move into a more relaxed, eclectic, interest led, child driven approach in our homeschools.
What Is Child-Led Learning?
Child-led learning is an approach to homeschooling in which kids pursue their own interests in their learning. This is opposed to having the parent or adult actively driving all the different components of their child’s education. It’s a chance to step out of the way a little bit, give your kids some autonomy and agency in the choices that they’re making.
This approach allows you to help them develop their interests, communicate that you see their interests as valuable, and it gives your child the chance to follow their own paths of interest. It’s an outstanding way to facilitate a self-motivated, self-directed learner and thinker.
How Do We Help Our Kids Find Their Interests?
There are five things that I recommend parents do to help their children find and really explore their interests.
- Share new ideas and encourage your child to try new things.
- Give them opportunities and learning resources related to blossoming interests.
- Observe them and see what catches their attention (be a student of your child)
- Leave room in your schedule for casual pursuits.
- Don’t overthink it! Interests naturally ebb and flow.
Let’s recap. Child led learning is a great way to encourage autonomy in our kids. Give them the opportunity to take charge of their own education. We can do this easily and in small increments by giving them new resources and encouraging them to try new things.
Next, observe them to see what sticks, and leave room in your days so they have a chance to try different things. Finally, don’t overthink it or get too tied up in the outcome. Interest-led learning should be relaxed and fun!
I share practical examples of what this looks like in real life throughout today’s episode.
The Raising Lifelong Learners Podcast Episode #173 – Interest Led Homeschooling: Helping Your Child Find Their Interests
How do we help our kids find their interests? What can we do to foster them and then what happens if our kids change interests? These are all good questions and worth exploring as we move into a more relaxed, eclectic, interest led, child driven approach in our homeschools.
Links And Resources From Today’s Show:
- SPONSOR: CTC Math
- The Learner’s Lab, a Raising Lifelong Learners community created just for your quirky family!
- Homeschooling Your Gifted Child With Interest-Led Learning
- What’s The Difference Between Interest-Led and Strength Based Learning?
- Why Unit Studies are Ideal for Interest-led Learning
- 5 Expectations Parents Of Atypical Learners Need To Let Go Of
- 5 Things You Need To Know About Homeschooling Gifted Kids
- Homeschooling Twice Exceptional Kids
- Homeschool Today Magazine
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