Socialization + Homeschooling

It’s amazing that one of the biggest concerns that people tend to have with homeschoolers is the socialization issue. The questions of interaction with other children and activities are the ones that always arise and are simply taken out of proportion. A homeschooler need not worry about socialization skills because those are learned on a daily basis. The main concern should be the quality of the education and not how the child will socialize.

Actually a homeschooler will have more time to socialize than a child that attends a traditional school setting. In all honesty, parents closely monitor the type of socialization that a homeschooler gets, unlike when they are in a traditional school setting. In a public school or private school setting, there are bullies, unstable individuals and teachers you would not want your child socializing with. It is unfortunate that children in a traditional school environment have to be subjected to the negative type of socialization such as bad behavior, rumors and bullying, to name a few.

There is also a misconception that a child should be subjected to the regular, negative, social interaction often seen in public schools in order to learn how to handle conflict. However, like I said, this is just a misconception. Most children who are home educated usually learn HEALTHY ways to resolve conflict. Being bullied is not a means of learning conflict resolution, instead it is a means to cause insecurity and a lack of self confidence.

Homeschooled children have the opportunity to get involved in after school activities such Boy and Girl Scouts, 4H Clubs, and many church activities. There is no shortage of opportunities to interact with children their own age. Children also have the opportunity to get involved in team sports such as soccer, baseball, and cheerleading, which will increase their ability to interact with many other children.

There are also homeschool groups where children will interact with other homeschooled children. Parents have the opportunity to plan group activities with other homeschooled families, such as field trips, meet and great activities and community service projects. As the children get to know each other, the parents get a well deserved break as well and an opportunity to socialize themselves.

The notion that homeschooled children have no socialization skills is far from the truth. Homeschooled children do not spend every waking hour at home; they are involved in many activities that involved children their age. Finding friends is not and should not be a concern for them.

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The Christian Homeschooler

There are many different programs and curriculum’s you can incorporate into your home school environment. Many will choose books while others will choose online resources and some will incorporate both online resources and textbooks. The Christian homeschooler’s main component and focus is based on their spiritual beliefs and traditions.

The Christian homeschooler is at ease when teaching their children about their faith. The freedom to teach and practice your religion is one of the main reasons Christians choose to home school their children.

The Christian home school environment is one that involves the entire family. One parent is not teaching the children; instead it is accomplished together keeping the family unit intact. This type of homeschooler abides by the required course studies as well as incorporating Bible studies for a well-rounded student. The children are taught respect, responsibility and love for life as well as social and community issues from a Biblical perspective.

Many parents will choose this route because although the public school system will explore many different religions, these parents feel that they would rather study in depth their own religion. This is not to insult other religions, but to emphasize the importance of their personal beliefs to their children. Also, some Christian curriculum’s DO explore other religions, however it is always from a Christian Biblical perspective. It is wise to also point out that a Christian homeschooler is not drilled on the Bible all day. Their religious beliefs are given a place of importance that can’t be attained in the public school system.

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