What’s inside: What are learning habits? This post summarizes the resources for the Top 10 Habits for Learning.
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Basics of the Top 10 habits for learning
I’ve gathered an amazing list of the top Charlotte Mason resources for habit training 10 specific habits for learning: attention, observation, self-control, imagining, memorization, meditation, mental effort, reading for instruction (vs. just loving to read), remembering, and thinking.
These habits provide a solid foundation for learning and can be started at an early age. You can even work on them yourself as an adult to boost your learning capability!
I’ve gathered these references while I was researching my 3-post series on habits for learning:
What are those 10 habits to be a Better Learner?
By cultivating these 10 habits in your homeschool day, you can help your kids (and yourself) to become better learners!
But DON’T try to do all of them in one day! Read about them, then decide which area to develop first. “Attention” heads the list because Charlotte Mason felt that the habit of attention was critical for learning. And you can work on it while children are very young.
…for whatever the natural gifts of the child, it is only so far as the habit of attention is cultivated in him that he is able to make use of them.
Charlotte Mason
Here’s the list!
- Attention
- Observation
- Self-control
- Imagining
- Memorization
- Meditation
- Mental effort
- Reading for instruction (vs. just loving to read)
- Remembering
- Thinking
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Summary of Resources
And here are the best sources on each of these 10 habits if you want to get more in-depth with any one of them. I highly encourage you to pick one to focus on and grow in that area. You can focus on one habit for an entire semester.
I go into EACH of these areas in depth in the 3-post series: Top 10 Habits for Learning.
Habit of Attention
- Simply Charlotte Mason | Mental Habits gives an overview of the mental habit for children which Charlotte Mason considered the most important: attention.
- Afterthoughts | 31 Days Of Charlotte Mason: Developing The Habit Of Attention reasserts that attention IS a habit and suggests ways to build attention span.
- Living Minca CA | The Habit of Attention responds to the modern world status of ADHD with the Charlotte Mason idea that “every” child has full measure of attention within them. Includes practical tips you can apply today with living books, short lessons, and narration.
- My Little Robins | “Cultivating the Habit of Attention” looks at the need to develop attention as a habit and gives concrete, practical ideas for how to do it in the early years. The bonus is that these ideas can be used by ALL ages, including mamas.
The Habit of Observation
- Artful Homemaking | Charlotte Mason Nature Study gives tips to make nature study an easy and enjoyable tradition to add to your homeschooling day, just by spending time in nature, observing it and talking about it.
- Real Life at Home | How to Do a Charlotte Mason Picture Study illustrates a simple, straightforward way to do picture study, which relies on looking at artwork carefully.
- Self EducatingFamily | Notes on the Nature Walk looks at the process of exploration & observation on a walk out in nature.
- Inspire the Mom | Five Ways to Develop the Habit of Observation shows 5 little practices (they could be called “games”!) to use in your schooling that really work for growing observation skills.
Self-Control is a Habit
- Forbes | The Six Secrets of Self-Control contains more of the conventional advice like “Eat, sleep, and exercise”. But it mentions meditation also as a method of self-control, which I found interesting.
- Train up a Child | Basic Habit Training-Charlotte Mason Mondays details how one goes about habit training with purpose.
- Marshmallow test | What the Marshmallow Test Really Teaches About Self-Control has everything you wanted to know about the marshmallow test.
- Educational Renaissance | Educating for Self-control, Part 2: The Link Between Attention and Willpower is the second part of an in-depth look at self-control.
Habit of Imagining
- Charlotte Mason Help | Thoughts on Television and Its Effects on the Imagination looks at TV after not seeing any for 12 years.
- My Little Robins | Charlotte Mason Geography: Imagination Required combines geography studies and nature study.
- Wendi Wanders | Imagination, from AO Camp 2019 shares notes on a plenary session on imagination — so lots of good tips in it.
- A Humble Place | Charlotte Mason Picture Study the how and why of doing picture study and why she started making art prints available to the community.
Habit of Memorization
- Pam Barnhill | The Ultimate Guide to Memory Work is ultimate — her number one tip is to keep it fun.
- Language Learning at Home | Charlotte Mason and Language Learning: The Habit of Memorizing
- Nourished Children | Charlotte Mason Recitation Lesson
- Charlotte Mason Poetry | Ruminating on Recitation gives big-picture ideas about why you should use recitation.
Nature Study Posts (Observation & Meditation habits)
Other Nature Study
- Afterthoughts | How to get started with nature study gives a very nice intro to the attitude while doing nature study — focuses on how to allow nature study rather than directing it. Also gives good entry points on the what part of nature study.
- Simple Living Mama | Nature study with pre-schoolers is “day 6” of her 10-day nature study journey. Great for the littles!
- Our Journey Westward | How to fit nature study into your homeschool shows simple ways to incorporate nature study.
- Get Outdoors with Nature Study | My One-Week Nature Study Challenge on Itlist helps you develop the routines for nature study.
Narration Resources (as a tool for mental effort)
- Simply Charlotte Mason | The Charlotte Mason Method of Narration
- Heart of Homeschooling | What you need to know about how to use narration
- AfterThoughts | 31 Days of Charlotte Mason: Narration by Karen Glass
- Self Educating Family | Charlotte Mason Narration (free troubleshooting guide)
Living Books (used especially in Reading for Instruction)
Other Living Books resources
- Simply Charlotte Mason | 5 ways to find living books showcases how to get great living books, including a resource on her site called the CM Organizer: the Bookfinder.
- AfterThoughts | 31 Days of Charlotte Mason: What is a Living Book? is Day 12 of 31 — such a good series!
- Pam Barnhill | Pam looks at “Living Books Curriculum” because of its schedules and she gives food for thought if you are overwhelmed by too many book lists.
- Schole Sisters | Living Books Are Books for Life (podcast) is a lively discussion about living books.
- The Homeschool Mom | Charlotte Mason method gves a nice overview of the method including living books.
Foreign Language (mental effort)
- Language Learning at Home | “Language learning and Charlotte Mason: the habit of mental effort”. Great discussion on the misconception that “habits = chores” and goes into the mental effort developed when learning languages.
Thinking Resources
- After Thoughts | Lessons From Charlotte: Habits of the Mind reviews 6 of the mental habits used for learning and here she reviews the Habit of thinking specifically.
- Karen Glass | Karen reviews the concept of “Synthetic thinking”. She goes into this in-depth in her book Consider This, which we had the pleasure of discussing one year in our CM book club.
- Sage Parnassus | Borrowed Views – Charlotte Mason on Critical Thinking. This gives a big-picture look at critical thinking and how it works with CM homeschooling.
- Scott Young | How to Think for Yourself gives some philosophy on critical thinking and its importance for self-learners.
