One of the most often heard questions when considering homeschooling is, “Aren’t you worried about socialization?”  I’m not sure if those questions are truly about socialization, or if they’re about socializing.  There’s a big difference between the two.

While this issue of socialization seems to be on the minds of people against homeschooling, those who actually homeschool never give it much thought.  They know that their children are not going to suffer by foregoing public school socialization. In fact, most homeschool children are probably better socialized than public school students.

Socialization is basically learning to conform to today’s society.  What is it about homeschooling that would keep a child from learning to conform to today’s society? And do we really want children that conform and become little automatons?  Or do we want children who can think for themselves while having something to offer society as a whole? 

Children are little sponges, so just by being a part of a family they will begin to learn what society expects of them.  The only way a child would fail to be socialized is if they were secluded away from everyone.  The image of a backwoods, backwards, misfit homeschool family is just not accurate.  Homeschooling families are generally active in their local communities, and often involved in volunteering to help others.  These activities will help solve any socialization issues.

So if you plan to homeschool, how should you respond when asked about socialization?  Are the questions really about socializing instead?  Well, I can honestly say, my kids are very social.  Not only do we attend church every week, we have days during the week that we meet with other homeschool families, and they’ll strike up a conversation with anyone, no matter their age.  If those activities aren’t enough, homeschool children have play days, skate days, and trips to the bowling alley.  How much more social does a child have to be?

When thinking about socialization, one has to wonder, are the lessons they learn in public school really any better than what they’ll learn at home?  Since public schools create artificial societies which rarely mirror real life.  In public schools children learn about drugs, alcohol, violence, and sexual promiscuity.  Most homeschool parents are very happy that their children won’t have to learn those lessons.

If socialization is supposed to teach your child how to behave in society, how to properly respond to people, and be responsible adults, it isn’t very likely that a child will learn that from public school.  All one has to do is go to nearly any public middle school and walk the halls.  After witnessing the behavior of the students there, ask yourself which of those behaviors you would truly want your child to emulate.  That should get any parent’s attention and quell any further questions or concerns about a homeschool child’s socialization.

When one decides to homeschool, there is so much to consider, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.  Along with being overwhelmed, you may feel confused about what to expect.  How will homeschooling affect your daily lives?  The homeschool family may choose to create a schedule for everyone to follow, or they may choose a routine that will be effective for their families. 

For some people, a set schedule is the best way to run their lives. For others, however, having everything planned out in fifteen minute increments doesn’t sound like fun.  Where structure might be desired, it isn’t always practical. Conversely, while being relaxed might be great, some routines are needed to be effective as homeschoolers.

Schedules and routines for homeschooling are as varied as the families that homeschool.  Here are a couple of routine types that a family can follow:

1. School at home would have the children keeping a similar schedule as those in public school.  This would include getting up at a specific time every day and then starting their day with either breakfast or chores as the first order of the day.  Following that, the children would be given 45 minutes per subject, just like if they were in public school, and they would have a printed schedule to go by for their day.

2. If you’re not enthused by this approach, a more relaxed routine might be more what you’re looking for.  If this is the case, you may start your day whenever one of the children gets out of bed.  You can work with that one child, undisturbed, until the other children make their presence known.  This type of routine would be more staggered, with mom giving special attention to each child as they rise.

3. Some homeschoolers don’t really have a set schedule or routine for actual schoolwork. They may allow the children to choose which subject they want to do first, and continue in that way until all subjects are covered.  This type of routine is great for those students who are self-starters and can work without supervision.

4. While these routines might be helpful, there are the people that completely against anything planned and live life by the seats of their pants.  This is the type of person that allows the day to happen to them, taking each moment as it comes and living their life to the fullest. They often have more fun, but may have a little bit of a problem finishing projects and school work.

Whichever routine or schedule you choose to follow, just remember that all work and no play make Jack a very dull boy.  Take some time out of your scheduled day to enjoy your children.  Plan some free time on your calendar to allow them to just relish in being a child.  After all, part of the reason you chose to homeschool was so you could spend quality time with your children. Let the schedules and routines slip every now and then.  You’ll be glad you did, and your children will thank you for it.

Homeschooling, while it affords you certain freedoms when educating your child, is not always easy. But there are things that you can do to make homeschooling easier for yourself as a parent.  The following tips may help make your job as a homeschooling parent a little easier.

•  If in doubt, look on the Internet.  If you are in doubt about your method of homeschooling, use the internet to seek another method.  In fact, you can use the internet to help you in regard to nearly everything homeschool related.  Do you need something to keep your little one busy while you’re working with an older child?  The internet has coloring sheets galore, as well as worksheets, mazes, and puzzles.

•  Choose a complete curriculum.  Complete curriculums will also make homeschooling easier on you as a parent.  Instead of having to search through multiple catalogs to find just the right curriculum, choose a complete curriculum.  Not only will it save you time, it may even save you money, in the long run.

•  Cut yourself some slack.  Don’t expect yourself to be the perfect teacher.  Unless you have an education degree, you most likely will make mistakes along the way.  Don’t beat yourself up about them.  Learn from the mistakes and try not to repeat them again.

•  Allow your children to help themselves.  You can’t be expected to know everything, so if your child wants to learn something you don’t know, give them the freedom to follow their interests.  You might be pleasantly surprised to find that they learn more on their own than they did while you were more involved.

•  Seek the help from others.  When in doubt about anything dealing with homeschooling, seek the advice from those who have been homeschooling for longer than you.  Even though they may not have dealt with exactly what you’re dealing with, chances are they will be able to give you advice or point you in the right direction.  Take advantage of your homeschooling peers’ offers of help, there might be a time where you’ll be able to return the favor.

•  Online communities are available.  If you don’t know people that homeschool in your local area, there are literally hundreds of homeschooling communities on the Internet.  Search online for homeschooling groups or forums.  They can be found in every state, and even some outside of the United States.  You may have to register to join a homeschool group or forum, but you can be as active as you like and remain anonymous if you like.

Homeschooling doesn’t have to be hard.  In fact, one of the reasons most people choose to homeschool is the ease and freedom associated with it.  When you have difficulty, however, you may feel as if you need help.  The above tips, when followed, can help make homeschooling a little bit easier.

If you’re new to the idea of homeschooling, you’ve gotta have questions.  Are you overwhelmed at the different choices you have to make?  How do you prepare for the school year?  Do you have to buy a specific curriculum, or do you even need one? Before you allow yourself to get too stressed, the following guidelines might help to make the process easier.

1. Learn your state’s homeschooling laws. Each state has their own laws concerning educating your child.  Make sure you understand and obey the laws in your state.

2. Write down your educational goals for your child.  This will help you decide which curriculum will best meet those goals.  It will also give you a guide to see if you’re on track throughout the year.

3. Develop an educational philosophy by determining what you believe to be important.  Are you concerned just about academics, or do you consider character development to be equally important?  Do you want your child to be able to learn for a test, or do you want them to learn to think for themselves?

4. Decide what type of personality your family has – do you normally schedule everything down to the minute, or are you more spontaneous.  Knowing this one piece of information can make a big difference in choosing the style or method of homeschooling you choose.

5. Know your child’s learning style?  Are they a hearing, seeing, or doing learner?  Knowing their learning style will help you determine what items you will need to best meet their ability to learn.
If your children are very young, you don’t have to purchase the latest curriculum. Spend time with them helping them learn to write their alphabet, learn simple math, and prepare them to learn to read.  Small workbooks available at most discount stores.  Use candy or beans to teach math concepts.  Teach them to form their letters properly, use shaving cream or rice on a cookie sheet.  As you can see, you don’t need to spend a great deal of money to teach the basics.

After teaching the basics, make sure your child has an opportunity for fun.  Get involved in a support group with other homeschoolers.  Plan some play days or field trips; let the children run and work off some of their pent-up energy.  Having a support group helps moms, as well, especially when you have questions or need guidance.

Subscribe to some homeschooling magazines or newsletters.  This will also help when you have questions because you’ll be able to see how other people homeschool and learn how they handle the different aspects of daily life while homeschooling.  It will help you to know that you’re not alone.

Plan on going back to school yourself; continue reading and learning as you teach your child.  There will always be new things to learn, so plan on becoming a life learner.  As your child grows you may need to try a different approach.  By reading and learning along the way, you’ll be better able to make the necessary changes.

Choosing to homeschool is not always an easy decision to make.  However, when you realize that you can do it and follow these basic guidelines, you’ll soon realize that you made the right choice.  Homeschooling is an awesome opportunity for you, your family, and your children to learn and grow together.

Children often say they don’t like school, but you might not ever hear your children make that statement if you homeschool.  Homeschooling has many benefits over sending your child to public school.  Besides being able to attend school in your pajamas, your child will have much more freedom to learn than their public school counterparts will have.

One of the things that can make homeschooling fun for children is the ability to take multiple field trips throughout the year. Whereas most public school students are lucky to take one field trip a year, if they even get to take that, homeschool students have the freedom to go on as many as their parent or support group can plan. 

Field trip possibilities are endless, limited only to by the imagination of the planner, and funds you’re willing to see leave your wallet.  Some common field trips are museums, zoos, and botanical gardens.  Did you know you can also make a field trip out of a trip to a Krispy Kreme Donut store?  Yep, you sure can.  You can also visit police departments, fire departments, and local newspapers.  In fact, if you can find someone willing to allow it, you can make a field trip out of almost any business you can think of.

Besides taking several field trips a year, another thing that makes homeschooling fun for kids is the ability to learn what interests them and in a way that suits their learning style.  While they will still have to learn the basics of reading, writing, and mathematics, they may choose to concentrate on robots, dinosaurs, or some composer or artist.  And one of the benefits of homeschooling is that you can combine coursework into Unit Studies that enable the student to cover the basics all whilHow To Make Homeschooling Fun for Kidse concentrating on that one subject.

It seems that art and music are all but missing from public schools as educational budgets are slashed each year.  If you homeschool, and your child likes either art or music, you can spend as much time on those subjects as you’d like.  In fact, you can combine art and music appreciation with many other subjects.  Allow your child to try something they’ve never done before.  You have that option if you homeschool, and you don’t have to get permission from the principal to do so.

Many children learn best by handling items, whether math manipulatives, building blocks, or cooking utensils.  If you homeschool, you can allow your child to use those manipulatives if doing so will help them to learn.  In public schools, children’s learning styles often aren’t taken into consideration since teachers have to teach to a whole group and can’t address students individually.  By allowing your child to learn in the way that is easiest for them, homeschooling will be much more fun for them.

While it’s unlikely that your homeschooled children will say they “love” school, there are things that you can do to help them enjoy it more.  By allowing them to learn to their strengths, concentrating on subjects that interest them, and taking them on field trips, your child will enjoy going to “school” much better.