I discovered the Charlotte Mason method when my children were toddlers, when I was eager to provide my children with a rich and meaningful education.

As I learned about the Charlotte Mason method, I devoured books and blogs, immersing myself in the teaching philosophy. I was particularly inspired by the book For the Children’s Sake. This book inspired me because it showed me a new way to think about education – more respectful, joy-filled, and centered on loving the learning process. Charlotte Mason’s ideas about nurturing a child’s natural curiosity and love for stories, music, and art really clicked with me. The book made me realize that children are naturally thinkers and explorers, and that homeschooling can be about more than just getting through a checklist. It’s about building good habits, feeding their souls, and encouraging wonder that will last their lifetime. It gave me a fresh perspective and made me feel more confident that I could create a joyful, meaningful learning experience at home. For the Children’s Sake became somewhat a guiding light for me on this homeschool journey.

My first step in exploring a Charlotte Mason approach was through the idea of living books — books that truly engage a child’s mind and heart. I dipped my toes into Charlotte Mason learning by blending it with my own eclectic homeschool style, but I find myself most naturally connected to its principles of nurturing a love for learning, storytelling, and character formation. I love the way the Charlotte Mason method respects children as active, curious learners and encourages a holistic, gentle approach to education. It has honestly transformed how I view teaching and learning at home.

In this blog I am sharing all about the Charlotte Mason teaching method, plus simple ways to add this style to your homeschool.

In this blog post: 

• What is the Charlotte Mason homeschooling method?
• Fundamental Charlotte Mason teaching philosophies
• Simple ways to add Charlotte Mason methods to your homeschool
• Favorite books about the Charlotte Mason method
• Charlotte Mason-style curriculum from Treehouse Schoolhouse

What is the Charlotte Mason homeschooling method?

Charlotte Mason (1842-1923) by Frederic Yates ca. 1902

Charlotte Mason (1842-1923) was a British educator and reformer who promoted a broad education for all children, regardless of a child’s social status or background. She believed that education should primarily nourish children’s minds with “living ideas” over dry facts from textbooks. 

When people refer to the Charlotte Mason method, they are referring to a way of teaching and living, rather than a specific curriculum. Charlotte Mason method focuses on learning through living books that inspire further learning and educating the whole child through a feast of learning opportunities including literature, art, poetry, and time spent outdoors.

Mason is known for her motto: “Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life.” This quote embodies the emphasis on a holistic approach to education. Mason encouraged parents to consider the atmosphere of a children’s education setting, how to develop a child’s discipline, connect learning to real life and personal growth. This style of learning is also heavily influenced by Mason’s own Christian faith. 

Atmosphere in Charlotte Mason method 

Charlotte Mason method defines atmosphere as the environment and surroundings that influence a child’s learning, including values, culture, and the overall tone of the educational experience. It suggests that a nurturing and inspiring environment is fundamental to effective education.

Disciple in Charlotte Mason teaching

Discipline is the development of good habits and self-control that help a person learn and grow. It highlights the importance of consistency, regular routines, and character-building.

Connecting learning to real life

Education should be lively, engaging, and meaningful, connecting learning to real living and personal growth. It implies that education is more than rote learning or textbook memorization; it involves cultivating a love for knowledge and the ability to think critically.

Rooted in Christian faith

Charlotte Mason’s philosophy is rooted in Christian faith, which sees God as the creator and sustainer of the universe. She believed God is not a distant figure but instead is involved in the world and in every person’s life.

Mason’s educational approach integrates faith and learning. She taught that education should nurture a child’s spiritual sense, helping them see God’s presence in all aspects of life and creation. This method explores God’s truth, beauty, and goodness.

She emphasized that true education goes beyond academics to include moral and spiritual development. Mason guided children to cultivate virtues such as humility, love, and gratitude, believing that faith is part of a complete education.

Overall, Mason believed education should be a natural, enriching, and character-forming part of daily life, woven into the child’s environment, habits, and personal experience.

Fundamental Charlotte Mason teaching philosophies

Below are some core philosophies of a Charlotte Mason education.

Cultivating a love for learning through living books

The Charlotte Mason style is less about memorization and more about cultivating a lifelong curiosity and individual love of learning. In most subjects, children learn primarily through “living books” – rich, engaging stories written by authors with a personal connection to the subject. As children read, they will become engaged with and curious about subjects, whether that is literature, history, or science.

Short, compelling lessons

The Charlotte Mason method uses short periods of learning to capture children’s full and focused attention. Lessons are kept brief to respect children’s attention spans – more of a sprint than a marathon. Through short lessons, a child is left curious and wanting to learn more.

Using copywork to learn through immersion

Language mechanics like spelling, grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary are taught through the practice of copywork. In the Charlotte Mason philosophy, copywork is a method of practicing writing skills. Students practice copying words from a passage of literature or other writing source to learn and practice handwriting and letter formation. It helps students develop vocabulary, improve reading and writing, and learn how punctuation is used.

Dictation for mastering spelling and grammar

Charlotte Mason encouraged children to learn spelling through the practice of dictation. Dictation is a component of language arts that strengthens children’s ability to see correct spelling and punctuation. In the three-part method of dictation, children first study a passage of literature, listen to the passage read aloud and transcribe it, then correct any spelling and punctation errors. This practice is intended to train children to internalize and reproduce rich passages of literature and understand how it is composed, including spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure. Dictation is recommended for children ages 10 and older, when they have acquired a thorough foundation of reading and writing and have the knowledge of many words they have encountered through reading. 

Retelling ideas through narration

Narration is the simple act of “telling back” — is the cornerstone of the Charlotte Mason philosophy. After reading or hearing a passage, the child is asked to recount it in their own words. Narration measures children’s comprehension of a subject, and as they learn this skill they are learning how to engage with the material and articulate their understanding. Narration helps children learn to think critically, to summarize, and to communicate. As children mature, they move from oral to written narration.

Education as a feast of ideas

Charlotte Mason views education as a bountiful feast of ideas. This means including a varied curriculum that includes literature, poetry, art, music appreciation, as well as time in nature. This seeks to nourish the whole child, giving them a deep sense of beauty and connection to the outside world. 

Simple ways to add Charlotte Mason methods to your homeschool

Whether or not you adopt some or all of the Charlotte Mason education principles, here are some resources for adding this method to your home education environment.

Living books 

As you seek to encourage learning through reading books, consider Charlotte Mason’s thoughts on living books. She writes: “Why in the world should we not give children, while they are at school, the sort of books they can live upon; books alive with thought and feeling, and delight in knowledge, instead of the miserable cram-books on which they are starved?”

Instead of providing textbooks or focusing on learning facts, living books encourage curiosity and excitement about a subject. One way to add this to your homeschool environment is to provide a high quality of books for your children to read. Here are some principles to consider when choosing living books:

• The author often has first-hand experience or a passion for the subject.
• The book is written in story-form, containing ideas rather than just presenting dry facts.
• The story lingers; you think about it long after you finish reading.
• It is easy to remember what you have read and make real life connections from the story.
• The story engages the imagination and moves you to emotions.

For more ideas about choosing living books for your homeschool, consider my favorite sources for preschool and elementary living books.

Narration

Narration, the art of telling back, is a skill that children can begin to develop from a young age. You do not need to wait until children have experienced more formal learning to start practicing narration. Instead of relying on worksheets or memorization, Mason encouraged parents to read compelling stories, poems, and informational texts aloud, then simply ask, “Tell me what you heard.” 

At a young age, narration can be encouraged through play. While toddlers and preschoolers may not be able to re-tell a story succinctly or explain thoughts in complete sentences, they can often engage in parts of the story through play, acting out the story or using the story details to spark imaginative play.

Older children can begin to practice narrating more complex ideas, like the plot of a story or a concept in science. As children become more advanced, they can practice writing out narrations in complete sentences and paragraphs.

Notebooking

Notebooking is a homeschool concept that incorporates many Charlotte Mason-inspired principles. It serves as a written record of a child’s studies – their knowing and telling – making meaning of what they have learned. As children learn, ask them to create notebooking pages summarizing what they have learned. They can illustrate a picture, and write sentences or paragraphs based on their learning level.

Notebooking encourages children to record their thoughts, interpretations, diagrams, and descriptions of concepts a child is learning about. Notebooking is a beautiful way for a child to show as they write and illustrate what they are learning.

Art Study

Charlotte Mason stressed the importance of exposing children, even young children, to fine art. Mason encouraged educators and parents to allow children to observe and enjoy art on their own terms and not be told what to think about it. For this reason, when we do picture study in our homeschool, it is treated as an invitation. It is gentle and enjoyable, and it gives the children the opportunity to think and wonder. At first, it was intimidating to me, but after some time and practice, including picture study in our homeschool has become like a rich dessert in the feast of learning.

When we learn about different subjects, like nature study or read Bible stories, we often pull illustrations from classic art to illustrate these concepts. I ask my children to observe what they see in the fine art, and consider what the artist was seeking to communicate.

By including art in a home education environment, children are invited to appreciate beauty, improve their observation skills, and strengthen their habit of attention.

Poetry Study

As Charlotte Mason encourages reading and reading-aloud, she adds that “readings should include a good deal of poetry, to accustom him to the delicate rendering of shades of meaning, and especially to make him aware that words are beautiful in themselves, that they are a source of pleasure, and are worthy of our honour; and that a beautiful word deserves to be beautifully said, with a certain roundness of tone and precision of utterance.”

Including poetry in a homeschool environment adds richness to any subject, whether it is a poem about a historical event or a science subject. Poetry encourages children to see things from a perspective of beauty while exposing them to the richness of poetry and language.

Copywork

Copywork is a Charlotte Mason method that can be applied to any subject. In Charlotte Mason teaching, students practice copying words from a passage of literature or other writing source to learn and practice handwriting and letter formation. It helps students develop vocabulary, improve reading and writing, and learn how punctuation is used. Copywork is a way to gently encourage and integrate formal writing skills. The goal is for children to absorb other learning through the habit and practice of copywork – consuming great literature and advancing their skills as they work through different passages.

Favorite books about the Charlotte Mason method

There are some of my favorite books about the Charlotte Mason method. 

• Charlotte Mason’s original homeschooling series – This six-book series by Charlotte Mason is the original source about a Charlotte Mason education, including Home Education, which focuses on how to educate children under the age of nine.
• For the Children’s Sake by Susan Scaeffer Macaulay – This book was what originally inspired me to adopt the Charlotte Mason style in my homeschool. This book imagines what education can be based on a Christian understanding of the meaning of life and what it means to be human whether a child, a parent, or a teacher.
• Know and Tell: The Art of Narration by Karen Glass – This book discusses the theory behind the use of narration and then walks through the process from beginning to end, to show how simply “telling” is the foundation for higher-level thinking and writing.
• Honey for a Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt – If you are looking to add living books to your homeschool or in your family, this book explores why reading aloud to children is essential and contains book lists for every age.
• Modern Miss Mason by Leah Boden – This is a more recent book that turns to the wisdom of Charlotte Mason methods as an antidote to the troubles of the modern, digital age. This book focuses on how Charlotte Mason methods encourage children to learn by exploring books, being outdoors, and through living experiences.
• A Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola – This book gives insight and practical advice on how the Charlotte Mason method fits into everyday life.
• Pocketful of Pinecones: Nature Study with the Gentle Art of Learning by Karen Andreola – This book offers a look at a Charlotte Mason education, including examples of nature study, nature poetry, and more, told in the story form of a mother practicing the Charlotte Mason method in her homeschool.

See the full Charlotte Mason booklist on my Amazon storefront.

Charlotte Mason-style curriculum from Treehouse Schoolhouse

Treehouse Nature Study

Treehouse Nature Study is a year-long seasonal nature study curriculum designed with family-style learning in mind. It is a gentle guide meant to invite various ages to connect with each other and the world around them through living books, nature notebooking, hands-on projects, and beauty subjects such as poetry, picture study, and folk songs. Available in both Primary and Intermediate Years, Treehouse Nature Study will provide years of rich education for the whole family.

Treehouse Story School: Preschool

Treehouse Story School: Preschool is a gentle, literature-based preschool curriculum that invites children to learn through the themes in stories they love. Each week will focus on a picture book, inviting children into connection and learning through music and movement, play-based narration, alphabet and number play, motor skills, practical life development, crafts, and baking together.

Rooted Family Bible Curriculum

Embark on a journey of the heart guided by Scripture, beauty, art, hands-on connections, and family discussion with Rooted Family Bible Curriculum. Instill courage, confidence, and Biblical character in your children by rooting them in their heavenly identity, their devotion to God, and the wisdom of Scripture. It’s about giving children a solid root system in the Word of God before we launch them into the world. 

Do you use the Charlotte Mason method in your homeschool? Share your thoughts in the comments below.