Charlotte Mason & Homeschool

Charlotte Mason’s Top 6 Beliefs About Education

Books inspire children

Living books inspire children to learn through their own interests and curiosity rather than teacher-led lectures. Learning should be a love rather than a task or a chore—it should be a lifestyle. 

Lessons are best when short and varied

Short, varied lessons keep a child’s interest. Lesson length increases as the child gets older.

Copywork fills a child’s mind with goodness

Copywork of quotes or scripture fills a child’s mind with good thoughts and values.

Dictation teaches writing.

Dictation teaches grammar, sentence structure, and spelling. Dictation is when the parent says a word or sentence aloud and the child writes it. 

Oral narration demonstrates comprehension.

Narration, a retelling of what the child has learned, is how a parent assesses a child’s learning. For younger children narration is done orally. Around age 10, the child begins writing his or her narrations. 

Meaningful learning involves an appreciation of nature, art, and music.

• Nature—Children spend lots of time outdoors, observing and recording the beauty in the world around them.
• Art—Picture studies teach children to describe the fine details of an art piece. Children also learn to replicate techniques of master artists.
• Music—Composer study builds music appreciation.
• Cultural heritage—Family traditions and religious experiences pass from one generation to the next.

The Spread of Charlotte Mason’s Teachings

Mason’s original lectures, later turned into books, had been out of print for eight decades when missionaries Dean and Karen Andreola brought them to the United States in the late 1980s. Through modern technology, her writings and ideas are available to parents all over the world.