Homeschool Books Every Parent Needs To Read

Homeschool books are plentiful – but you don’t have time to read them all! Start with this list of the very best homeschool books for parents – any one of these homeschool books will shape your family in positive, beautiful ways.

I know there are a lot of books about homeschooling, and there really is SO much you can learn about homeschooling (but that doesn’t mean you need to learn it all), the various methods, and the way kids learn. Don’t get overwhelmed by the choices – just pick one off of this list to get started. You’ll be so inspired!

Why Parents Need to Read At Least One of These Homeschool Books

You could pick up any one of these five books and it would change the way you parent, the way you envision education, and the way you view your child. One thing I love about each of these books is that they are child-centric but not in a way that encourages kids to behave poorly. In fact, the opposite is true – these books encourage healthy expectations and encourage parents not to settle for less than the best for each individual child.

These books represent a few different types of homeschooling, and that’s on purpose. It’s important to become familiar with a variety of different types of home education so you can find what works best in your home! In reality, families are very likely to be influenced by multiple methods, so don’t feel like you can only use the methods from one style. Mix & match; try different strategies on for size! Each of these books has a lot of wisdom to offer.

Honey For A Child’s Heart

Author: Gladys Hunt

Emphasis: Reading together as a family. Yes, there are book lists available for free online. This book is so much more than just a book list! It poses compelling arguments for why reading together will bless your family and why you should include a variety of genres of books in your literary diet. I can’t speak highly enough of this book!
Order a copy: https://amzn.to/3MF4sCs

Feeling inspired yet? One of my favorite things about homeschooling is implementing something new that I liked from a book or another parent and seeing it work! It doesn’t always, and that’s okay.

When Children Love to Learn: A Practical Application of Charlotte Mason’s Philosophy for Today

Author: Elaine Cooper

Emphasis: Charlotte Mason’s principles, but much of it is very applicable for just about every homeschooler, regardless of your desired or main style. Just a really wonderful book that encourage relational development right along with educational.

Get it here: https://amzn.to/3sBqAqD

10 Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child

Author: Anthony Esolen

Emphasis: Written as satire, sometimes this book has cut me to straight to the core! I am so thankful for it’s influence in our family. Kids deserve a childhood.

Too much structure is poisoning childrens’ love of learning! That doesn’t mean just let kids do whatever they want – it means give them the time and space they need to be creators and feed them good literature and beautiful art.

Get it here: https://amzn.to/3N69Z5t

The Well-Trained Mind

Author: Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise

Emphasis: Classical, and quite pragmatic in form. This book is very much a how-to manual, and even if you aren’t a dedicated classical homeschooler, the way she lays out learning plans year-by-year is helpful.
Get it here: https://amzn.to/40Be8nm

The Well-Educated Mind

Author: Susan Wise Bauer

Emphasis: Parent learning. I love the heart behind this book. Learning isn’t just for our kids! The Well-Educated Mind encourages parents to build their own confidence in their ability to be lifelong learners. Better yet, Susan Wise Bauer offers a practical plan of baby steps and spoiler: it doesn’t take hours a day!

Get it here: https://amzn.to/40Ae4UV

How Children Learn

Author: John Holt

Emphasis: Unschooling. Don’t let that stop you from reading it just because you think you might be a classical diehard or a Charlotte Mason fanatic. This book is really encouraging because it focuses on how the “one size fits all” model of traditional public school isn’t the best/only/exclusive model for a great education.
Get it here: https://amzn.to/40ADZvD

One final thought: any of these books can be purchased secondhand. They have all been updated at one point or another so you may benefit from having the newest versions, but the vast majority of the information is the same and you can save quite a chunk of change getting them used! Don’t forget to check with your local library as well. If having your own copy to mark up and reading the most recently updated guidelines is really important to you, buy new.

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