"Self-directed education is education that derives from the self-chosen activities and life experiences of the person being educated, whether or not those activities were chosen deliberately for the purpose of education." - Alliance for Self-Directed Education


Children, and all people, are learning ALL the time. Babies learn how to crawl and walk without anyone teaching them. Toddlers learn how to speak complex languages without being taught. For millenia, children learned the ways of their people without having to enter an institution.

Self-directed education is kids having the opportunity to choose what they want to do, what they want to learn, who they want to be with, and where they want to be. The child chooses their path.

People are wired to learn naturally through these 4 educative drives

We are born curious, and this curiosity can continue to develop more complex ways of exploration if we follow its lead. Through play, we learn and practice new skills. Play is the far more efficient and efffective way of learning! We are social beings, and we are inspired by others around us. We learn to relate and collaborate.  We think about our future, and we plan ahead. We create our own paths and decide our activities based on this. 


For more details about the 4 educative drives, click here.

6 Optimizing Conditions of SDE

At Liberated Kids, we ensure that young people can tap into their intrinsic, natural drives of learning by structuring around these 6 optimizing conditions of Self-Directed Education.​​

1.

Responsibility: 
Social expectation (and reality) that education is the child's responsibility. 

4.

Helpers not Judges: Access to a variety of caring adults, who are helpers, not judges. 

2.

Unlimited Time: Unlimited time to play, explore, and pursue one's interests.

5.

Fee Age Mixing: Mixed-age play and socialization among young people.

3.

Tools of the Culture: Opportunity to play with the tools of the culture. 

6.

Community: Immersion in a stable, supportive, loving community.

For more details about the 6 optimizing conditions, click here.