Have you considered unschooling your children? It’s normal to feel both excited and anxious about it. The idea of unschooling can sometimes be glamorized on social media, giving the impression that life will be perfect once you let go of traditional schooling. However, it’s important to remember that unschooling is a journey with ups and downs. Here are some tips to help you start unschooling and embrace this lifelong journey.

1. Find your Why?There is so much power in clarity and once you have your reason be it, freedom for your children from the conventional school system, more time together as a family, stronger sibling relationships, more time to spend on passions and hobbies, the ability to travel and not have constraints, to live life on your own terms, you’ll be able to come back to this WHY. This is a process especially for those of us who have lived lives based on what other people’s expectations were. I remind myself of my WHY daily by journaling and visualizing how I want my day to look.
2. What’s holding you back? The fear they will just want to watch TV or play all day? I struggled and still do with the idea that my children can be the learning all the time. What are they learning through unstructured play? My lesson on fractions is way more practical! Once I let go and allowed them to come to me with questions without pressure, I was more open to the learning that was naturally happening when their curiosities were the driving factor.
3. Talk to your inner child. Your inner child is your boundless potential that is blocked by your limiting beliefs. You’re still that same small child in adult form and there may be some things that this inner you want to do, feel, see, experience and most importantly heal! This is where unschooling and facing the hard stuff head on can be one of the most transformative experiences you can have! Not only will you be better off for it but your children will get to witness and experience your inner child and see first-hand your example of living an authentic life.
4. Deschool areas of your life that feel fear based. De-schooling is when we look at where we are having a schoolish mindset about something and unpack the baggage that is preventing us from living our best, most authentic lives. For me it’s so hard to let go of perfection when I was raised to fear mistakes. Mistakes are foundational for learning, and we cannot grow and learn without them. Get good at making mistakes and accepting them for what they are-growth!
5. Lastly, commit to be open to life’s possibilities and surprises. Harness the good feelings such as fun, relaxation and joy! Find out what lights you and your children up. Theirs might be more obvious than yours since we tend to have more years of limiting beliefs to unpack. When you witness your children embracing their creative power and absorbing knowledge all without your worksheets and curriculum, you’ll wonder why you haven’t been doing this all along.

Guess what? Unschooling is really all about you! What would your ideal day look like? To start this process just have fun! You’ll find your rhythm and naturally your days will unfold with passion and purpose. Step out of the mold and find what makes your family thrive!