How To Build A Hands On Homeschool It S Easy And It Works

Leo Migdal

-Dec 14, 2025, 5:49 AM

how to build a hands on homeschool it s easy and it works

These days, it seems like hands-on homeschool is a buzzword of sorts. What’s all the fuss about? It’s best to define hands-on first because I think its overall meaning might surprise you. You see, hands-on learning can actually mean several things. Most obviously, hands-on means “touching” things during lessons. For instance, rather than reading about simple machines, you actually use simple machines to learn about their characteristics.

Or, when learning about the rock cycle, you make your own rocks by taking them through a rock cycle simulation. Similar to the definition above, hands-on can also mean learning by doing. When you learn about Colonial history and actually do several of the tasks that would have been done during that era, that’s hands-on. As are cooking or baking. Hands-on can also mean connecting somewhat abstract ideas to experiences that build concrete understanding. In other words, real-life experiences become building blocks in the brain, allowing more complex concepts to make sense.

For example, using snap cubes to help a child “see” the formulas for calculating perimeter, area, and volume. Or, using beans to teach how scientists determine a taxonomy. This ultimate guide to hands-on homeschooling activities includes invaluable resources and tons of inspiration. It’s everything you need to get started! It’s been two years since I made the commitment to complete one hands-on activity with my son every week. I used to share them with you here, every Friday, in the hopes that it might take some of the workload and guesswork out of your busy days.

There are two questions that you have asked over and over, these past two years. How do you come up with the ideas for a new hands-on activity every week? That Homeschool Family is a participant in a variety of programs including the Amazon Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Purchases made from links on this website may result in That Homeschool Family receiving a monetary payment at no extra cost to you. For more details, please see our Privacy Policy.

This is a sponsored post. I have been compensated for my time. I have not been influenced in any way and all opinions are my own. We didn’t start homeschooling to continue boring lessons, did we? Having the ability to include hands on learning in our every day homeschooling lessons was definitely one of the reasons my husband and I decided to pull our kids from public school. With homeschooling numbers on the rise, new homeschooling parents all over the United States are on the search for effective (and cost-effective!) homeschool curriculum, homeschooling tips, inspiration and more.

Now that my family and I are a few years into our homeschooling experience, I’m happy to share my homeschool experiences and suggestions with others in hopes that they’ll end up enjoying homeschooling just... Take a quick look around my blog and you’ll notice that my kids truly thrive when they have access to hands on learning experiences. Gone are the days of spending hours sitting behind desks while enduring seemingly repetitive (read: boring) lessons from musty textbooks. You’ll find none of that here! You will, however, find plenty of ways to make learning meaningful, memorable, & fun! Check out what's new at Knowledge Crates!

If you're new to homeschooling, you’ve probably heard the phrase "hands-on learning," but what does that really mean? Think about how kids naturally learn when they play—they touch, build, and explore. Hands-on learning taps into that curiosity by letting kids engage with materials and activities instead of just listening to explanations or filling out worksheets. Let me give you an example. Imagine you're teaching your child how to count money. The traditional way might be having them memorize coin values from a worksheet, which—let's be honest—can feel a little dull (not to mention, result in some less-than-idea enthusiasm and cooperation from your little learner).

Now, imagine setting up a pretend store where they "buy" and "sell" items using real coins. They get to handle the money, count it out, and problem-solve when making change. Suddenly, math feels like a fun game instead of a chore! Hands-on learning makes concepts stick because kids are experiencing them rather than just reading about them. It works well for all learning styles and helps children develop problem-solving skills through exploration. I know what you might be thinking—sure, hands-on learning sounds great, it's the dream ...

but we've got a lot of stuff to get done! Can’t we just stick to the books and get through the lessons? I GET IT. But let's take a second to talk this out, and believe me, I'm writing this as much as a reminder to myself as advice to you on why this matters. There’s nothing quite like starting your homeschool day at 9:00 am with a solid plan… and then completely ignoring it by 9:07am. (Just me?)

For years, I chased someone else’s “perfect” homeschool schedule—the color-coded Pinterest ones that look like a teacher with a laminator and unlimited childcare designed them. But none of it worked for my real life. Especially not for my 9-year-old, who has ADHD and a serious love-hate relationship with pencils. What finally did work? A hands-on homeschool daily rhythm that’s flexible, book-rich, hands-on, and centered around how we actually live and learn. And spoiler: it’s built around STREAM learning (that’s Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art, and Math), with plenty of room for books, curiosity, and building things out of cardboard.

No worksheets in sight. This is what our homeschool day looks like most days—when life doesn’t throw us a curveball like a forgotten dentist appointment or a Lego building crisis. Need help adding hands-on learning to your homeschool routine? Today we’re sharing our favorite ways to make it happen. And best of all, they’re all easy and require little to no preparation from you! ** This post contains affiliate links; see our full disclosure for more information about those links.

** I’ve shared before that I’m not the fun homeschool mom and how I don’t naturally gravitate toward hands-on ideas that require extra planning, extra supplies, or extra anything from me. Can you relate? Despite my personal aversion to all the extras that come with hands-on learning, I know my kids — even with their vastly different learning styles — both benefit from those experiences. Because of that, I’ve had to put in the work and learn how to make hands-on learning a regular part of our homeschool, but in a way that works for me and serves them... Here’s how we strike that balance.

It can be tough to trust approaches that don’t echo our own educational experiences. Games can fall into that hard-to-trust category much of the time, but hear me out. Kids naturally learn through play, so why would we not work that into our homeschool plans as much as possible? Why would we assume they can’t be learning unless it’s through traditional measures like textbooks and worksheets? Crazy, right. Do you have a child who touches everything?

Who is always on the move? Who tends to fidget while sitting down? Enjoys hands-on activities and play-acting? If you answered yes! You may have a hands-on learner, sweet mama! Welcome to the club!

Homeschooling your hands-on learner (also known as a kinesthetic learner) can be difficult at first, but it gets better when we change our mindset on how learning should look in our homeschool. We need to be flexible and patient when teaching a hands-on child. Why? They aren’t like the auditory and visual learners that can sit still and work out of a workbook for a long time. No! These precious children of ours need to be moving around because that’s how they process information and how they learn.

They need to touch things and experience learning with both their mind and body. They learn by doing, by experimenting, by solving real-life problems, and having a hands-on approach when learning a new skill. Being able to homeschool our hands-on child is such a blessing because we can give them a safe place where they can be themselves and thrive. We have the freedom to teach to our child’s gifting and customize each of our children’s education by meeting each of their needs. So let’s give these amazing learners the opportunity to bloom in our home. These days, it seems like hands-on homeschool is a buzzword of sorts.

What’s all the fuss about? It’s best to define hands-on first because I think its overall meaning might surprise you. You see, hands-on learning can actually mean several things. Most obvious, hands-on means “touching” things during lessons. For instance, rather than reading about simple machines, you actually use simple machines to learn about their characteristics. Or, when learning about the rock cycle, you make your own rocks by taking them through a rock cycle simulation.

How To Build A Hands On Homeschool It S Easy And It Works

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