Unit studies are a great way to get your kids excited about learning. If you’re new to unit studies, you may be wondering what they are and where to start. This post will give you all the information you need to get started building your own unit study.
A unit study is an approach to learning that allows one to integrate multiple subjects into a cohesive whole. It can be tailored to a child’s individual interests and it provides a more in-depth exploration of topics than traditional textbook-based instruction. The parent or teacher chooses a theme and ties every activity, worksheet, book, or field trip to learning about that topic. It is a highly effective way to teach children as it teaches them how all subjects tie together using real-life examples.
We’ll discuss what a unit study is, the benefits of using them, some tips for getting started, topic ideas, how to outline your own unit study, and things to consider.
So whether you’re a first-time homeschooler or just looking for new ideas, read on for everything you need to know about unit studies!
Unit Studies Explained
A unit study is a great way to get your child excited about learning. It allows them to learn about a topic in-depth, and helps them connect what they are learning in school with the real world.
Benefits of Unit Studies
Unit studies have loads of benefits, from boosting creativity and critical thinking skills to igniting excitement for learning. Plus, they’re perfect for kids who hate sitting in a classroom all day long.
By combining multiple subjects into one unit, students are able to see how everything they are learning connects together.
This also helps them develop critical thinking skills and problem-solving abilities.
Researching topics teaches children how to learn on their own over time. It will help create independent and lifelong learners.
Children can pursue their passions instead of learning from a textbook that they find boring. For example, I know one little girl who is homeschooled who was struggling with being interested in math. Her parents started incorporating dolls into the lessons and voila! She loves doing math now. They have since switched to unit studies instead of textbooks.
In addition, unit studies allow for more hands-on learning opportunities, which can be especially beneficial for kinesthetic learners.
Unit studies are great for families with multiple children because you can combine lessons for all ages.
Finally, unit studies are a great way to get your kids excited about learning. They can be tailored to any age or grade level, and they offer a variety of different learning opportunities.
Finding a Topic for Your Unit Study
Once you’ve decided that a unit study is right for your child, the next step is to choose a topic. This can be anything from a particular historical period, geographic region, a favorite video game, or a hobby such as photography! Really, you can choose ANY topic and use it as a teaching opportunity. (I’ll give you tons of ideas below.)
My biggest piece of advice when choosing a topic is to follow your children’s interests. You can ask them what they want to learn about, or you can try finding a topic that sparks their curiosity.
Unit studies can be tailored to any age or grade level. Let’s say you choose a topic such as ants. For the younger children, you can dig in the dig to watch how ants behave, color pictures of ants, and talk about how ants are hardworking. For older siblings, you could have them learn how to create an ant farm, write a report on the behaviors of ants, and do math problems comparing the amount of weight ants can hold compared to humans.
Unit Study Topic Ideas
Unit studies can literally be about any topic. Seriously, any topic. Here is an extensive list to get your wheels turning.
- American History
- Sewing
- Gardening
- Woodworking
- Cooking
- Treehouses
- Baking
- Building and Construction
- Dinosaurs
- Fashion
- Insects
- Oceans
- Native Americans
- Thanksgiving
- Holidays
- Africa
- Rivers
- Dogs
- Boats
- Laptops
- Ancient Egypt
- Charlotte’s Web
- Farms
- Pigs
- Ice Cream
- Golf
- Astronauts
- Stuffed Animals
- Make-up
- Disney movies
- Drawing
- Photography
- Art
- Robots
- Coding
- Minecraft
- Roblox
- Television
- Poetry
- Fruit
- Solar System
- Trees
- Turtles
- Flowers
- Candles
- Oranges
- Volcanos
- Archery
- Tornadoes
- Trees
- Horses
- Nutrition
- Weather
- Web design
- Writing
- Bones
- Jungles
- Penguins
- Geology
- Bats
- Butterflies
- Amelia Earhart
- Yoga
- Soccer
- Football
- Basketball
- Volleyball
- Clouds
- Karate
- Zoology
- Presidents
- Bridges
- Slavery
- Mountains
- Anne Frank
- St. Patrick’s Day
- Inventors
- Hospitals
- Nursing
- Airports
- Health
- Safety
- Bible
- Explorers
- Architecture
- Albert Einstein
- Abraham Lincoln
- Mozart
- Antarctica
- Energy
- Birds
- Japan
- Machines
- Occupations
- Pride and Prejudice
- Drama
- Music
- Friendship
- Emotions
- Harry Potter
- Oregon Trail
- Louisiana Purchase
- Electricity
- Gravity
- Heroes
- Villians
- Kindness
- Glaciers
- The Sun
- Immigration
- Pirates
- Unicorns
- Beaches
- Planes
- Recycling
- Light
- Seaons
- Monkeys
- The Velveteen Rabbit
- Heaven
- England
- Hawaii
- Chocolate
- Alligators
- Civil Rights
- Martin Luther King Jr.
- Halloween
- Olympics
- Treehouses
- Brain
- Wagons
- Illnesses
- Seashells
- Castles
- Vowels
- Ferris Wheels
- Tigers
- Drones
- Remote control cars
- YouTube
- Homeschooling
- Renaissance
- Sir Isaac Newton
- Apples
- Little House on the Prairies
- Books
- Storms
- Monster Trucks
- Thomas Edison
- Human Body
- Daniel Boone
- Leaves
- Bees
- Fossils
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- E. B. White
- Mayan Ruins
- Parrots
- Languages
- Coffee
- The Ten Commandments
- Interior design
- Graphic design
- Independence Day
- Skin
- Big Cats
- Rainbows
- Snow
- The Food Table
- Woodpeckers
- Rhyming
- Chemistry
- Composers
- Trains
- Iguanas
- Plant cells
- Taxes
- Bacteria
- Money management
As you can see, there are endless possibilities when it comes to choosing a unit study topic.
One thing to keep in mind is that the broader the topic, the longer it will take to cover it.
Let’s take the topic “Big Cats” for example. To cover the topic thoroughly, you’ll need to learn about tigers, lions, cheetahs, jaguars, cougars, leopards, and more. If you choose the topic “Tigers” you will finish the unit study sooner.
If you choose to cover a broad topic like “Big Cats” and teach multiple children, you could always have your children learn about different animals under the umbrella “Big Cats” and then teach each other what they’ve learned in an oral report at the end of the unit study.
Either way is fine. But keep that in mind when choosing your topic.
The most important thing is to find something that your child will be interested in and excited about. Once you’ve chosen a topic, the next step is to start planning your unit study!
Discuss Sub-Topics Within Unit Study Topic
Once you’ve chosen a topic, the next step is to discuss sub-topics that will be covered within the unit. This helps ensure that all subjects are covered and all questions about the topic are discussed.
For example, if you’re doing a unit study on American history, some possible sub-topics could be the Louisiana Purchase, the Civil War, and the California Gold Rush.
If you’re doing a unit study on insects, some possible sub-topics could be types of insects, where different insects live, life cycles, and what they eat.
See what your kids want to learn about their topic. What questions do they have? Get them involved in this planning part.
Things to Include in Your Unit Study
Before you start building your unit study, it’s important to know what a typical unit study includes.
While the wonderful thing about unit studies is that they bring all subjects into a cohesive manner, this doesn’t happen organically. While you’re choosing the sub-topics, be thinking about how to incorporate all subjects. This is where a good deal of creativity comes in. (and a LOT of Googling!)
A thorough unit study will include:
- History
- Science
- Math
- Language Arts
- Writing
- Reading
- Geography
- Art
- Music
In order to make sure that all subjects are covered, it’s important to include a variety of activities within your unit study.
Let’s take the topic of the Golden Gate Bridge. Here are some ideas of how to incorporate all subjects in different manners:
- Read books about construction tools and equipment used
- Write a report on the building of the Golden Gate Bridge
- Make a replica using popsicle sticks and toothpicks
- Solve math problems regarding the tower height and cable sizes used
- Watch a documentary about the person who designed the bridge
- Paint a map of California and pinpoint where San Francisco is
- Write a news story about the completion of the bridge
- Listen to music from the time period
- Take a roadtrip to the Golden Gate Bridge or a museum with historical information about it
The possibilities are endless, so be creative and use your imagination. Unit studies can be adapted to any age and grade level, so have fun with it!
It’s important to include hands-on activities, writing opportunities, videos and books, and field trip ideas. The more you are able to incorporate into the topic, the more your children will learn.
Finding Resources for Learning about Topic
One of the great things about unit studies is that they can be done without a curriculum. There are plenty of ways to find amazing resources to supplement your unit study.
I always start with the Internet for ideas, free printables, and worksheets. One of my favorite websites for this is Teachers Pay Teachers. You can pay for bundles or just use their multitude of free resources.
YouTube has tons of information, documentaries, and learning videos for pretty much any topic anyone could possibly be interested in.
Your local library is a great resource. They often have books and DVDs about all sorts of topics that can be checked out for free.
Also, check out DK Books. You will love them!
And don’t forget about museums! Many museums offer free admission days or discounted rates for homeschoolers.
Unit studies are a great way to get your child excited about learning. It allows them to learn about a topic in-depth, and helps them connect what they are learning in school with the real world.
Building a Unit Study Outline
During the planning phase of the unit study, you’ll need to take the sub-topics you’ve decided on, and figure out how to incorporate as many subjects into each topic.
This is great because it will tell you how many weeks you’ll be covering the topic. You can choose to do a mini (1 week), medium (2-3 weeks), or a long unit study (a few months to a year.)
Here’s an example of a curriculum outline for a unit study on the Civil War:
The Causes of the Civil War
- Internet and Research Skills / History – Do an Internet Scavenger Hunt to find the reasons for the Civil War
- Reading / History – Read and discuss The Last Safe House: A Story of the Underground Railroad
- Art / Writing – Design an outfit and write a journal as if you are an actual slave from this time period
Abraham Lincoln
- Writing / History – Write a biography about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln
- Language Arts / Memory – Memorize the Gettysburg Address
- Science – Build a lantern that was used during this time period
- Reading – Read a book about the childhood of Abraham Lincoln
Differences between the North and South
- Geography / Art – Color a map using different colors separating the North and the South
- Writing / Typing / History / Politics – Write a report on their different beliefs
- Spelling / Writing – Write all the states included in each region
- Writing / Language Arts – Write a journal from each perspective pretending to be in the Civil War
Battles
- Art / History – Color or sew uniforms
- History – Watch a documentary on the weapons used
- Science– Build a replica of a weapon using cardboard
- Geography – Pinpoint battle locations on a map
- Math / Geography – Calculate distance between battle sites and how long it would have taken to travel between them
- Art / Critical Thinking / Problem Solving – Work a Civil War Battle Puzzle
Some sub-topics will have more information you can dig into while others can be covered briefly. Levels of difficulty can be used for different ages.
Tips for Unit Study Success
Follow children’s interests – Be sure to pick a topic that interests your children to maximize engagement and participation.
Field trips – Plan plenty of field trips to help the topic come to life.
Library – The library is an endless learning opportunity so be sure to rotate through library books while researching your topic.
Curriculums – If you’re like me, and choose to switch to unit studies after purchasing a curriculum, use the curriculum as an aid! For example, right now we are doing a construction unit study. I checked where we left off in our math curriculum and we were working on patterns. Now, my son is using LEGO to build and learn patterns at the same time!
Overplanning – Don’t feel like you have to have an 8 week long unit study! Sometimes we just learn about a topic for a day or a week. Usually, the younger the children, the faster you switch topics.
Be flexible – Sometimes you will plan on doing a 1 month unit study and it will turn into 2 weeks because the kids are losing interest in the topic or you feel like you’ve covered everything you set out to cover. But the opposite also happens. Don’t be afraid to stick with a topic a lot longer than you planned to if it is holding everyone’s interests and there are still topics to cover.
Things to Consider about Unit Studies
Planning – There is quite a bit more planning for this type of homeschooling and teaching style. However, that is because it is highly customizable to your children’s learning styles and interests.
Time-consuming – The unit study approach is more time-consuming than other homeschooling styles as it is more project-based and hands-on.
Math – Some unit studies do not include enough math, so a math curriculum may need to be used in addition to the unit study.
Not open-and-go – Because unit studies involve several materials, it is not easy to do while traveling or outside the home. I struggle with this at times because we are a part-time traveling family. Read more about how we do it!
Structure – As a type-A parent, (I’m working on it!) I actually prefer a traditional curriculum, but my son does not. I’d rather adapt my teaching style to his learning style than vice versa. It has been hard for me to know where he stands. I just have to trust my mama gut.
While there are a few disadvantages to using this style, the benefits far outweigh the negatives in my opinion.
Conclusion
So there you have it – the basics of unit studies. If you’re feeling excited and ready to get started, that’s great! Don’t forget to take advantage of all the amazing resources available online and in your community. There is no need to reinvent the wheel if you can find an already made unit study that works well for your family.
Finally, be sure to enjoy yourself! Unit studies should be fun for both parents and kids alike.
Have you tried unit studies before? What was your favorite topic and why? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below. Let’s keep this list growing!
As always, happy homeschooling!
