Books For The Curious About Homeschooling

I have been deep in the homeschool world for the vast majority of my life, to the point where I sometimes forget how not-normal homeschooling must seem to the average mom. My mom started homeschooling me when I entered the 4th grade, and my own kids have only ever known being homeschooled. I’ve been going to homeschool conferences ever since my oldest was in kindergarten, and I’ve read more books about homeschooling than I can remember off the top of my head. 

But sometimes I try to put myself in the shoes of someone who has just started to become curious about homeschooling. Maybe they have seen beautiful portrayals of a homeschool lifestyle on social media and they find it appealing. Maybe they’ve recently listened to a podcast or video with ideas that intrigued them. Maybe they know a homeschool family and would just like to understand them better. 

If a friend told me they were curious about homeschooling, these are the books that I would pull off the shelves and hand to them.

For someone who just wants to know how it all works:

Answers For Homeschooling: Top 25 Questions Critics Ask by Israel Wayne

Whether you are mystified about the whole idea of homeschooling, or you want to be able to explain your interest in homeschooling to friends and family, this book will be a help to you. Wayne covers questions from critics and also addresses many practical homeschooling concerns.

For someone who wants to homeschool but is worried about socialization:

The Well-Adjusted Child by Rachel Gathercole 

Gathercole addresses every concern about socialization you could think of in this book. She defines what good socialization is, then discusses issue such as family relationships, citizenship, peer-to-peer friendships, conversations between kids and adults, bullying, and being “cool”. If you need reassurance that your child won’t be missing out by being homeschooled, this is the book you should read.

If something doesn’t feel quite right about public education, but you can’t quite put your finger on it:

Weapons Of Mass Instruction by John Taylor Gatto

This book has been around for. along time, and though it’s not explicitly about homeschooling, it does paint a picture of what we could do differently (and hopefully better) than the current school system. Gatto was an award-winning public school teacher who quit teaching after thirty years and started speaking about the problems he saw with education in America. He weaves in information about the history of the public school system, and his insights are fascinating. Also see Dumbing Us Down by Gatto (shorter, also very good).

If you want to broaden your ideas about what education really is (hint: it’s not about reading textbooks and taking tests):

For The Children’s Sake: Foundations Of Education For Home And School by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay

This book was my first introduction to the idea of “living books”. As someone who has always loved to read, I was inspired to think of education in terms of connections and ideas, instead of merely remembering things until it is time to take a test. Macaulay gives an accessible introduction to the educational philosophy developed by Charlotte Mason, but whether you choose that style of homeschooling or not, there are so many sound principles in this book that are worth considering.

If you want to work on developing a truly Christian view of education:

Education: Does God Have An Opinion? by Israel Wayne 

I always put a disclaimer when recommending this book to someone that the title sounds more provocative than the book actually is (at least in my opinion). Wayne gives a thorough argument for Christian education, and the chapters in the second half of the book address how to approach every educational area from a Christian worldview. These last chapters are where the book really shines! I’ve had certain children read the math chapter when they repeatedly asked “why do we have to learn math anyway” - and I can report that attitudes improved significantly.

If you want reassurance and help for a rigorous academic outcome from homeschooling:

The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Bauer 

First I want to say, don’t pick this one up if you are overwhelmed or are already dealing with learning struggles. This book is not for everyone - I myself picked it up when my oldest was in kindergarten and was immediately discouraged because I couldn’t picture doing everything this book suggests. I tried it again closer to middle school, and have found it alot more helpful. However, if you are an academic person yourself, and you want a guide for providing rigorous academics for your kids, this book is it.

If you think you are ready, and you just need a push to dive in:

The Call Of The Wild And Free by Ainsley Arment 

The author of this book is alot more “wild and free” than me, but even though our styles are different, I was pleasantly surprised when I picked up this book. The joy of a homeschool lifestyle bubbles off these pages, and I found myself remembering everything I love about homeschooling while reading. Arment paints a vivid picture of just how beautiful homeschooling can be, and I think it’s great for inspiring hesitant moms to jump in.

I hope if you are curious about homeschooling, you’ll find something to encourage you in this booklist - this doesn’t even scratch the surface of the amount of homeschool books out there, but it’s a good place to start!