For some people, the word homeschooling tends to bring about an image of one or two children sitting and furiously scribbling on their notebooks, while a mother tries her best to manage the kids and simultaneously attend the various household chores. However, this could not be more far from the truth.

There are many different methods of following the homeschooling system of educating your child. The curriculum and even your style of teaching should play a major factor in deciding the method you plan to adopt. Some methods are given as follows :

- The Charlotte Mason method : Charlotte Mason is herself known as one of the founders of the homeschooling movement. Her method emphasizes on all the core subject with particular attention to fields, such as classical literature, poetry, fine arts, classical music and craft. This method emphasizes the use of many classical literature books, which she called 'Living Books', so as to encourage within the child an awareness of the field of literature. A child is also asked to narrate what she has learned.

 This process of reading and then narrating, is continued till the time the child is ten years old, after which he/she is to write down her narrations. Another interesting process in this style is the use of 'Nature Diaries'. Following each lesson a child is made to write down similar observations from Nature. This enhances the practicality of what the child is learning.

- The Eclectic Homeschooling : This method follows the classic theory that parents understand and know their child the best. According to this method the parents themselves decide the curriculum of the child. The Eclectic Homeschooling method encourages a high degree of innovation within a ready-made basic curriculum. The parents are free to make changes to the curriculum according to tastes, ability and needs of the child. This program also includes frequent visits to libraries, museums and factories. 

- Unschooling : This method was found by a Boston-based public educator named 'John Holt'. The outlying belief in this method is that children learn best when they are allowed learn according to their own interests and at their own pace. The method follows a hands-on approach to the process of teaching, whereby the parents has to take cues from the child in order to design the curriculum and the style of teaching.

- The Montessori Method : This method is based on the observation that a child goes through acute sensitive periods, during which he/she undergoes periods of intense concentration and during such a period a child should be allowed to repeat an activity till he/she has mastered it to his/her own satisfaction level. The method depends on creating an environment that facilitates learning. This method employs many specially designed instruments which are used for the development of the child.

The above-mentioned are just few of the many methods of homeschooling and irrespective of which method to employ, a parent should remember that flexibility and imparting practical knowledge are the main objectives of all methods