Hi friends!
This post has been a long time coming. I put it off for so long because I was still very much in the research stage and let me tell you: there is no shortage in literature covering home education philosophies. I devoured these books one after the other. It is all so fascinating to me and these have not only boosted my confidence, but have helped me to identify our homeschool style (more on that another time). I wanted to share 20 of my favorites with you guys… but these are certainly not the only ones.
If you’d like a full book list curated for moms, join my email list for a freebie – 100 Inspiring Books for Mamas. It covers everything from homeschool to self-care to parenting to novels and everything in between. All of my very favorites in one place!
Okay, onto the list. (Amazon affiliate links below)
1. How Children Learn by John C. Holt – Wow, just a fascinating read on the ways a child’s mind works and how they take in information. His other books are just as insightful.
2. The Brave Learner by Julie Bogart – Quite possibly my homeschool hero. I love all the nuggets of wisdom that Julie offers. This book is brilliant and her podcast is equally excellent.
3. Minimalist Homeschooling by Zara Fagen – Zara makes homeschool look easy with her minimalist approach and way of prioritizing. I plan on taking a lot of inspiration from her as we get on through the years to keep our homeschool relaxed yet highly efficient.
4. Consider This: Charlotte Mason and the Classical Tradition by Karen Glass – I appreciated this because though I consider us very much eclectic, I lean mostly on Charlotte Mason and Classical.
5. The Call of the Wild + Free by Ainsley Arment – Tied up there with Julie, this book opened my eyes to what homeschool can be: beautiful and magical.
6. The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise – This is a hefty book with so much insight and wisdom. I have only read the early years chapters to avoid information overload, but wow. I will be turning to this book over and over.
7. Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto – If you want a no-nonsense look at the problems with education in school, this is it. Hard-hitting.
8. Sage Homeschooling by Rachel Rainbolt – While we are not unschoolers, I am fascinated by this way of living and pull a lot of inspiration from books such as these.
9. A Literary Education by Emily Cook – This book is made for those interested in Charlotte Mason as a secular homeschooler. Modern and a quick read with lots of great information.
10. Everything You Need to Know About Homeschooling by Lea Ann Garfias -This is one of the newest books that I’ve read on homeschooling and it really does cover eeeeeverything. I highly recommend if you want a very comprehensive guide to answer all of your questions in one book.
11. Relaxed Homeschooling by Christine Owens – Relaxed homeschooling seems the way we will be going so this was a great reinforcement.
12. Free to Learn by Peter O. Gray – Let the children play… it’s all learning! This book will show you why play is the most important part of childhood education.
13. Unschooled by Kerry McDonald – Another great read that covers unschooling.
14. A Twaddle-Free Education by Deborah Taylor Hough – Some of the Charlotte Mason texts are intimidating to me, but this was a short, easy-to-read and modern take. I appreciated it very much.
15. Homeschooling for Excellence by David and Micki Colfax – This was recommended by another homeschool mom and it was a pretty good.
16. The Three R’s by Ruth Beechick – Reading, writing, and arithmetic. Those are our priorities and this book is a short and sweet guide on how to begin. Loved this one.
17. More Than Enough by Kara Stephenson Anderson – A great confidence boost for new homeschoolers.
18. Unschooling Rules by Clark Aldrich – 55 ways to unlearn what we know about schools and rediscover education… it’s short, sweet, and inspiring.
19. The Confident Homeschooler by Pam Barnhill – I love Pam’s podcasts, and her book did not disappoint, either.
20. The Unhurried Homeschooler by Durenda Wilson – This book felt like as breath of fresh air and brought a lot of comfort to my nervous heart when I first decided we would homeschool.
