Unschooling my Preschooler: What Does Unschooling Mean?

Unschooling, from the word itself, means not sending your child to the compulsory school as an educational method to learn. Unlike "regular" homeschool, it refuses to use standard curricula. This live and learn together method allows you to teach your child using the conventional way of instructing your child in an on demand basis that you, as a parent, may comfortably bear. Certainly, the interest and questions of the child could lead to reading books or doing projects and activities that may explain more about the interest. Unlike in the traditional compulsory school, the topics of interest in unschooling were not mandated because the curriculum were not dictated.

How does this work? 

My little D.C. asked about how a car runs, his daddy would give him images and pictures of the car as well as explain about the engine. Then we go out to apply what we have learned and check out actual cars and its engine. This hands on approach is a natural way of learning things without any arbitrary authority. As a parent, I won’t pretend to be an expert in anything, but the process unleashes the natural inquisitiveness of my son and allows him to gradually learn what he needs to know when he wants to learn about it and most importantly, at a time he feels ready to absorb new information.

  

A child often gets tired and stressed out doing all the things that were required by traditional schooling. In unschooling, I can set the instruction according to how my son wants to learn. However, this method requires you to make all efforts to actively connect with your kid, knowing what he is ready to learn, and finding the things in the world that might trigger some interest. No one tells your child what to learn or you as a parent what to teach. Unschooling is a kind of homeschooling but a bit different, because homeschooling teaches what was required by the school. The key here is exposure – let the child explore the world and the questions would be raised as he learns about his immediate environment.

Beauty of Unschooling 

It lies in its freedom to let the student pick the topic to learn. No one sets the instruction and crammed up any information to drown in his head. My son figured out things by himself with my help. He learned to think by himself and often times, decide what is important to know at the moment instead of just following a teacher. It is play-based, not structured, and is perfect for preschoolers until age 7. 

In school, sometimes or most of the times, kids are being forced to learn and do homeworks that they do not like. In unschooling, the challenge for both parent and child is the search for the answers. It is a learn as you go way of finding information. The choice and the control reside with the learner in all ways. With unschooling, you do not need to coerce your kid on some imposed educational agenda. I let my son take charge of his interests and choices. My role is like a helpful, supportive mom and a friend.