A Gradual Approach to Unschooling and More

Perhaps you’ve already tried unschooling and it didn’t work out for your family.  You might have ended up in a situation you didn’t feel comfortable with. Maybe unschooling didn’t look as you’d imagined?

Or maybe you haven’t yet dived in because you’re not sure about certain aspects of unschooling. What if your kids want to spend all their time in front of screens? Yes, other people have told you that kids learn to self-regulate their screen usage. But what if they don’t?

And then there’s the question of balance. What if kids don’t want to go outside and experience nature and breathe some fresh air? They might not want to exercise. Is this really okay? Surely it isn’t good for a child to sit inside looking at a screen hour after hour after hour? Is it wrong for parents to want their kids to live balanced lives?

Too much screen time and not enough balance might convince some parents that unschooling is the wrong choice for their families.

But what if, instead of diving in the deep end, unschooling was approached in a gradual way? What if we took things step-by-step, changing what we’ve been doing one thing at a time? This is how our family arrived at unschooling. And maybe it’s the right approach for many other families too.

Going slowly gives everyone time to adjust to a new way of living. It also gives parents more time to keep reading about unschooling, as well as observing their children. They can ponder and continue to learn and to become more deeply convinced that unschooling is the right way to live.

A step-by-step approach provides time for trust to build up between parent and child and for family bonds to be strengthened. It allows parents time to become comfortable with such things as screen time without rules. And could it also give children the opportunity to learn how to deal with their own free time?

I’m talking about a gradual approach to unschooling and more in this week’s podcast, episode 135.

As well as sharing my story: A Gradual Approach to Unschooling, I’m also discussing the following questions:

• Is a gradual approach the best way for many families to begin unschooling?
• Is mutual trust between parent and child essential?
• Is it really okay if our kids spend all day in front of screens?
• Why do some kids have trouble self-regulating their screen time?
• Is it wrong if parents want their kids to exercise and go outside?
• How can we encourage kids to leave their screens?

If you have tried unschooling and it didn’t work for your family, I hope you’ll feel encouraged to give it another go.

And if you’ve been holding back, afraid to dive in, perhaps you can take one little step towards unschooling. One step might lead to another. You might be amazed where you’ll end up!

Show Notes

Blog Posts

A Gradual Approach to Unschooling

Is It Really Okay to Give Unschooling Kids Unlimited Access to Screens and the Internet

Images: I took these photos of Gemma-Rose and our dog Quinn while we were out on a family picnic. Although my girls love working on their computers, they are always willing to put aside what they’re doing if someone suggests we go on an outing.

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