What is deschooling?

Deschooling refers to a voluntary adjustment period that families go through when transitioning from a traditional school setting to homeschooling classes.

Deschooling allows you and your child to disconnect from a conventional “school” routine and realign your expectations in preparation for homeschool. Many families also use the deschooling period to explore new and innovative ways of learning, and learn what works for them before diving into homeschooling classes.

What are the advantages of deschooling?

• It allows your child’s body and mind to decompress after the school year, and sets them up for a fresh start.
• Where required, it gives families time to process the shift to a homeschool education and let go of seeing private or public school culture as the only acceptable option. It can help soften your child’s resistance towards homeschooling.
• You can use this time to make well-researched and informed decisions on homeschooling methods, curriculums, and resources, and start putting together lesson plans for homeschooling classes.
• It gives you space to help your child set new habits and “unlearn” school habits
• It allows you to observe your child’s learning style  in a pressure free environment.
• It can help your child to discover things they are interested in learning, thereby increasing their excitement for learning and improving their self-confidence and decision making skills
• It can help you to establish a teacher-student rapport with your child.
• Parental deschooling is just as important as a child’s deschooling and should be explored as well!

Tips for deschooling

• Talk to your child about deschooling

Be open with your child about what you have in mind for this period, and why you think it is important. Involve them in the process and encourage them to make suggestions for how homeschooling should go.

• Refrain from formal academics or following a curriculum

Don’t jump straight into homeschooling classes. Ensure your child has a break from formal, school-like activities and lessons. Discovering the curriculum or learning style that works best for your child is a process in itself, and deschooling helps identify what would be most effective.

• Focus on life skills

In a busy school environment, life skills tend to be deprioritized. Include your child in household activities such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, caring for pets, gardening, buying groceries and other such activities. This can be a grounding experience for a child.

• Visit the library often and read together

Take your child to the library and let them explore anything they feel like reading, or if your child is younger, read along with them. This will help them naturally develop a love for reading.

• Get back to nature

Make sure you’re not just staying inside. Try to get outdoors, go on hikes, discover nature journaling together, plan picnics, visit parks or spend time playing old-school games outside together. You can even look into creating cool backyard learning spaces together!

• Volunteer with a Local Charity

Volunteering helps to develop empathy and compassion in children. Volunteer together, to set an example for your child. Use this time to bond, to explore your child’s interest areas and share your interest areas with them. If your child loves animals, volunteer at a local animal shelter! If you are passionate about elderly care, volunteer at an old age home together and help your child to understand why it is important to you. Volunteering serves the dual purpose of giving back to your community while also teaching your child about the importance of contributing positively to society and helping others.

• Explore your local area

Make use of your free time to visit museums, art galleries and historic sites together. Attend plays, sporting events, movies, and concerts. Let your child be involved in the decision making process of where to go and how long to stay there, as a way for them to develop their own interests.

• Watch educational TV

Streaming platforms and TV offer an amazing array of documentaries that cover topics from artificial intelligence to the British monarchy, black holes or how volcanoes are created. You and your child can take turns to pick a documentary that interests you. Afterwards, you can talk about the concepts covered in the show.

• Find other homeschoolers

Use Facebook and other social media platforms to meet other homeschoolers. Get yourself added to homeschooling email lists, approach your state’s homeschool organization, and look for homeschooler events to meet others on the same journey as you! Remember that finding the right community for you can take some time and there’s no guarantee that you and your family will be comfortable with the first homeschooling group you interact with. Be consistent with your interactions and put the effort into networking and meeting new people.

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How every family chooses to approach deschooling is different, but done well, it can lay the foundations for a successful homeschooling experience.

Deschooling is only one of the steps towards homeschooling- check out our article on Homeschooling Guide: 5 Simple Steps to Start Your Homeschooling Journey.