Child-Led Learning in Homeschooling

By Alex Grasseschi

The research is clear: “Interest is essential for academic success.” In other words, students learn better and enjoy learning more when their genuine interests align with their schoolwork.

Interest-based learning, also sometimes referred to as child-led learning, is an educational approach that emphasizes integrating a child’s natural interests into their learning experience. In this article, we’ll discuss how to use interest-based learning in your homeschool journey. 

Creating a Supportive Environment for Student Interests

Many children, especially those transitioning out of a stressful or rigid school environment, may feel uncertain at first about interest-based learning. 

Follow these tips to nurture a supportive homeschooling space that lets your student feel safe and relaxed in engaging with their interests.

1. Create intentional time and space for your child’s interests outside of school.

Many traditional school environments simply don’t have the resources to meaningfully involve student interests. As a result, some kids feel disconnected from their interests or too overwhelmed to deeply engage in them — even after they’ve left school or begun homeschooling.

As an educator, you can support your child in this by showing curiosity in their interests and by helping them identify what they find meaningful and enjoyable. Then, consider setting aside time each day or week for your child to pursue their interests freely, without fear of external interruptions or schoolwork demands. This practice shows kids that their interests are worth protecting and prioritizing. 

2. Avoid integrating interests in a way that creates pressure or expectation.

Much like how adults can burn out by “doing what they love,” kids may grow frustrated or resentful when their passions become linked to grades or performance. Try not to use your child’s interests as rewards, incentives, or bribes for schoolwork. Instead, focus on low-pressure, low-stakes opportunities for interest-based learning. 

3. Model positive connections between interests and learning.

As a parent, educator, and role model for your child, the way YOU demonstrate interest-based learning can greatly impact your child’s mindset! Practice expressing genuine curiosity about your child’s interests, and ask them to share their knowledge. Dedicate time and energy to your own interests, too — then invite your student to learn alongside you. Modeling these connections between learning and interest sets a positive example that passion and curiosity go hand in hand. 

Integrating Student Interests Into Schoolwork 

Once you’ve created a supportive environment where your student feels comfortable engaging with their interests, you help them create meaningful connections between interests and schoolwork! There are many ways to do this, but here are a few tips for getting started.  

Make cross-curricular connections.

For students interested in one subject but not another, linking similar ideas across curriculum can make a big difference in engagement and learning mastery. Sometimes those cross-curricular connections feel natural. Math and science topics often pair well together, as do language arts and social studies. 

However, you can also make more unexpected and creative connections! For instance, if your student enjoys art but struggles to get engaged with math, look for learning opportunities that target skills in both domains, like adding and subtracting colors, studying symmetry, or 3D modeling.

Interested in storytelling but not science? Ask your librarian about science fiction for kids! Interested in the outdoors but not handwriting or spelling? Practice writing a local bird guide or labels for plants outside!

Consider how your student prefers to engage with their interests.

For some children, broad connections between several interests at once are the best way to engage their knowledge and curiosity. These students may enjoy learning how their interests connect to new topics, like a map of related ideas. 

Other kids, including many neurodivergent learners, may prefer to focus on a single, limited interest at a time. They may enjoy exploring every detailed facet of their topic of interest as their knowledge and curiosity build within a flow state.

All types of learners can benefit from interest-based learning! For example, when learning about the science of motion, some students might enjoy discussing how three of their interests, cars, birds, and comets, all move in similar ways. Others might learn better with a focused deep dive into a particularly aerodynamic bird. You know your child best! 

Encourage student autonomy.

Where appropriate, invite your student to help you plan, choose, or even create some of their schoolwork. Having a say in what and how they learn allows kids to feel like their interests are important and meaningful.

For example, if your student enjoys puzzles, maybe they’d like to create a vocabulary word search for their homeschool co-op. Or if you’d like them to practice reading aloud, have them pick something from the library that they’d like to read to their younger sibling at bedtime.

Your Child-Led Learning Approach With Miacademy

At Miacademy, we believe every student deserves a learning environment where their authentic interests are seen and nurtured. That’s why we create lessons with interest-based learning in mind! Here are a few ways you can take advantage of our curriculum to support your child’s interests:

• Explore their interests through extension opportunities, hands-on worksheets, labs, games, and other optional learning activities in our lesson PDFs.
• Assign one or more of our elective courses or any individual lessons that your student is curious about.
• Freely adjust writing topics, project guidelines, and any other assignments to better suit your child’s preferences.
• Encourage your child to share their interests and bond with others in our safe, moderated online community.
• Choose what interests you and your student most, and leave behind what doesn’t — our curriculum is totally flexible!

A positive environment, a variety of learning approaches, and a supportive curriculum can make all the difference in recognizing and nurturing your child’s interests.

If you’d like to learn more about how Miacademy can support you and your child’s interest-led education, please feel free to reach out to our friendly customer service team. We look forward to hearing from you!