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Common Homeschooling Misconception: Socialization

For many parents who are not homeschooling or interested in homeschooling always have a big misconception about socialization if you are homeschooling. While I have talked about it in my previous posts called frequently asked questions but I wanted to write about more in detailed here as it is one of most asked question about homeschooling.

Well first there is difference between social life and socialization, according to Mrs. D,

Socialization is knowing how to act appropriately in various situations and is best taught by adults who care about the child.

Socialization is not the same as having a social life. Remember this when you hear the dreaded “S” word from others. Your homeschooled kids will have as many friends and activities as they want and you allow (and likely more time than their PS peers to enjoy them).

They will be socialized by their parents and other caring people who will help them learn appropriate behavior in different situations- at home, in public, in informal and formal activities. They will have many opportunities to learn and practice social skills as they will be interacting with the real world on a regular basis.

I think Mrs. D is right about it. But you know what? Many people have the misconception that homeschoolers are isolated at home all day, with little or no contact with the outside world. What is your experience? Has your family struggled in this area? What social activities do your children participate in? Do appropriate social skills come naturally to your children or do you have to work at it?

That is not true, I have 2 young kids and they are out in sport classes, field trip, playing in park, taking a hands on experience classes to make volcano, dinosaur fossils or planting new flowers with other mixed age kids. Here are a few ways that homeschooler kids and parents can keep social life active!

Homeschooled students can have a very busy and abundant social life. For some, this happens naturally, others have to work a little harder to arrange activities for their children. Here are a few of the many activities homeschooled children participate in:

  • Other homeschoolers: Many homeschool families participate in homeschool group activities such as field trips, park days, coop classes.
  • Sports programs: Students can participate in city sports, homeschool sports programs, and some public schools open up their sports programs to homeschooled students.
  • Youth Groups: Many homeschool students join clubs and programs like 4-H, scouts, youth groups, etc.
  • Friends: Play dates are often arranged with friends.
  • Volunteer Work: Some homeschooling families volunteer at nursing homes, feeding the hungry and other community opportunities.

Sometimes, problem with homeschooling is that parents and kids can have “too much” socialization AKA too many activities to deal with. Many parents actually have to actually make an effort do studying or alone time to make sure kids and teens get plenty of rest and down time as well.

As you can tell, socialization is overrated in public school, now with some public school are cutting recess time to 15-30 minutes so they can cover more teaching, kids have less and less time to interact with peers at the school. It is activities such as sports, field trip that makes good opportunity to make new friendship when you spend quality time together.

Check out:

Homeschool Reference Books for Parents

Debunking Homeschooling Social Concerns

Homeschooling: Frequently Asked Questions

More Homeschooling Questions Answered