The Charlotte Mason Philosophy
The Charlotte Mason Philosophy: A Guide for Homeschool Parents
I came across the term living books before learning about Charlotte Mason, but when I started to learn about her, I immediately loved her philosophy and I have implemented a lot of her thoughts and ideas in our everyday homeschool life.
Charlotte Mason was a British educator from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Mason developed a revolutionary approach to education that continues to inspire homeschool families today. Her philosophy is centered on providing a broad and rich curriculum, emphasizing character development, living books, and nature exploration. For homeschool parents seeking a gentle yet rigorous method, the Charlotte Mason approach offers a holistic and life-enriching education.
A Living Education
Mason believed that children are born as whole persons, capable of forming their own connections with knowledge. Her philosophy rejects rote memorization and dry textbooks, instead fostering a love for learning through engaging, meaningful material. She emphasized three pillars of education:
Atmosphere - The home environment shapes a child’s learning experiences.
Discipline - Good habits form the foundation for lifelong character.
Life - Education should be filled with living ideas rather than static facts.
What Are Living Books?
One of the most defining features of the Charlotte Mason method is the use of living books. To be honest, I had such a hard time defining this for myself and others in the beginning — when I held a book in my hand, I simply just knew if it was living based on how it felt to read. These are books written by authors passionate about their subjects, engaging readers with rich storytelling and beautiful language. Unlike dry textbooks, living books bring subjects to life, inspiring curiosity and deeper understanding.
Mason believed that children should interact with books that stimulate their imagination and provoke thought. These books often:
Have a narrative style rather than a list of facts.
Are written by a single author with deep passion for the subject.
Encourage moral and intellectual development.
Contain rich vocabulary and beautiful language.
They often also have beautiful illustrations that you can’t stop looking at.
Instead of simply absorbing facts, children narrate what they have read, either verbally or in writing. This practice of narration enhances comprehension and retention, making the learning process both natural and joyful.
The Role of Nature in Education
Nature study is another cornerstone of Charlotte Mason’s philosophy. She strongly advocated for children spending ample time outdoors, observing the world firsthand. Mason believed that nature offers children direct encounters with truth, beauty, and wonder. As a very indoor person myself Mason’s philosophy has really inspired me to get outside more to my kids’ great enjoyment.
Mason encouraged daily nature walks, journaling, and hands-on exploration, allowing children to develop a sense of curiosity and connection with the natural world. Benefits of this practice include:
Increased observation skills and appreciation for details.
A deeper love for the natural world, fostering responsibility for its care.
A grounding, calming effect that supports emotional well-being.
Mason’s approach to nature play wasn’t just about scientific observation—it was about being in nature, developing a relationship with it, and experiencing joy in the simple wonders of the outdoors.
Why Charlotte Mason for Homeschoolers?
The Charlotte Mason method provides a rich, literature-based, and experience-driven approach to education that aligns beautifully with homeschooling. Parents who embrace this philosophy find that it nurtures a love of learning, strengthens family connections, and fosters a deep appreciation for knowledge and beauty.
By incorporating living books, fostering good habits, and making time for nature exploration, homeschooling families can create a vibrant and fulfilling educational journey. Whether you’re just starting or looking to refine your homeschooling approach, the Charlotte Mason philosophy offers timeless wisdom for raising thoughtful, curious, and well-rounded children.
Here is how I do incorporate Mason’s philosophy in our home and homeschool:
1. Focus on Atmosphere: Learning Through the Home Environment
Fill your home with beauty, warmth, and a love of learning.
Surround your child with good books, music, nature, and meaningful conversations.
Keep a simple, predictable rhythm to the day, balancing structured learning and free play.
2. Develop Good Habits Early
Charlotte Mason emphasized habit training as one of the most important aspects of early education.
Establish habits like attention, kindness, and cleanliness in small, gentle ways.
Encourage self-discipline through modeled behavior rather than rewards or punishments.
Use playful and kind reminders to reinforce positive habits (e.g., “Let’s take our time putting away our toys beautifully.”).
3. Read Aloud from Living Books
Nourish your child’s mind with living books—stories that engage their imagination and introduce rich language.
Choose books with beautiful language, engaging stories, and classic themes.
Read fairy tales, fables, folk tales, and poetry regularly.
Keep reading time short but meaningful—better to leave your child wanting more than to lose their attention.
4. Nature Study: Learning Through Play and Observation
Charlotte Mason strongly believed in the power of nature for young children.
Spend lots of time outdoors—at least 1-2 hours a day, if possible. (I must admit this is the hardest one for me! I am such an indoor person and loves to sit inside with a cup of tea — my kids love it though!)
Encourage free play in nature: climbing, digging, watching birds, and collecting leaves.
Keep a nature table with seasonal treasures like pinecones, shells, or feathers. I try to do this with all my unit studies and always think in how we can get nature into them one way or another.
Begin a simple nature journal by letting your child draw what they see outside. We are not great at journaling in out house - but I try to get books about everything we see outside so we have books about trees, squirrels, skunks and all the flowers and insects and then we read, talk about, and draw them.
5. Encourage Narration Through Play and Conversation
While formal narration (retelling stories) starts around age 6, you can lay the foundation way before this age.
Ask gentle, open-ended questions after a read-aloud:
“What happened in the story?”
“What was your favorite part?”
Encourage storytelling through play with dolls, puppets, or drawings.
6. Incorporate Gentle Handicrafts and Practical Life Skills
Instead of worksheets, Mason encouraged meaningful, hands-on activities.
Let your child help with baking, sweeping, folding laundry, or gardening.
Introduce simple handicrafts like finger knitting, painting, or cutting and pasting with natural materials.
7. Keep Lessons Short and Gentle
No formal academics—just rich experiences!
Keep structured activities under 10-15 minutes for the elementary year — here I follow the Waldorf approach much more and have hour long main lessons — to me that feels right with my girls but for some kids that is way to long.
Focus on joy, curiosity, and the process, rather than mastery.
8. Cultivate a Love for Music and Art
Listen to beautiful music (folk songs, classical, or hymns).
Display and talk about great works of art in a simple, natural way.
Encourage open-ended art exploration with watercolor painting or nature-inspired crafts.
I am really inspired by Masons philosophy and use all of this in different ways in our homeschool - I hope you could use this to please let me know in the comments below or on my instagram @hyggeandhomeschool how you get nature into your homeschool ?
Thanks so much for reading! Hugs Maja
