When the homeschool day follows a schedule similar to that of a traditional school, it's often called structured learning. This type of homeschooling does provide more structure to the day, which many families feel they need. If you choose this type of format, you'll want to be wary of turning your homeschool into a school at home. Remember that you can have structure in your days without each day mimicking a traditional school day.

With structured learning, the danger lies in the possibility of monotony, too much reliance on textbooks, and too little spontaneous, creative, or engaged learning. This could become disappointing for the child and frustrating for parents, due to the child's lack of interest. Sadly, when this happens, families mistakenly believe that homeschooling didn't work for them. Yet, all they needed to do was try an eclectic style of learning.