Socialization it one of the biggest fears for many parents when it comes to homeschooling. Even if you as the parent are pretty happy with the social aspect, I can promise you that you will get the socialization question over and over from well meaning family, friends and random people in the isle at Target.
Homeschoolers actually have so many opportunities for social interactions. It is not like we lock them in the house all day long. Their social interactions are offered in a much more organic and real world approach rather than in a school atmosphere that is very much controlled.
None the less, sometimes parents (myself included) really like to have some ideas on how they can create great social opportunities for their kids. Something beyond play dates, especially for our older children.
Co-ops
Homeschool co-ops are one of the best way to really get to form great friendships and have a lot of fun with other homeschooled children.
A homeschool co-op is usually a class run by parents or a teacher hired by parents. Co-ops run on a regular schedule, for example weekly or fortnightly. In large scale co-ops multiple classes are offered and children can select which class they want to attend based on their interests.
Children who attend co-ops become close friends as they see each other on a regular basis and get to participate in fun activities and learning together. They get that fun school type experience without having to actually go to school.
Field Trips
Field trips were always one of the best parts of school as a child. Likewise they are one of my children’s favourite parts of homeschooling.
You can either get together with a few other families to make it a group field trip or just go as your own little family. We enjoy doing both.
Field trips can occur much more frequently in a homeschool setting. We have tried to go out at least twice a month for a schedules field trip.
These can be trips to the zoo, museums, science centres, art galleries, places of business which are appealing to your children. There are many places that put on open days in which you can go in and see how their business works. Emergency departments in particular are good for this. Keep and eye open for events offered in your community that will interest your children.
Field trips can include events offered by places like the museum or science centre. Special exhibitions offer great insight and knowledge for homeschoolers. When you attend these exhibitions during the quiet weekdays the staff are more than happy to give your children a lot more attention and answer all their questions. This really engages the children with someone who is knowledgeable and excited about the topic and this rubs off on them, making their desire and enthusiasm even greater.
Volunteering
I really love this idea for the older crowd. Teenagers are wonderful at providing service to those in need. Volunteering gives this a great way to get out into the community and sharing their skills and time with others. It is a wonderful way to invest in other people, develop life long social skills that will benefit them greatly as well as opening up their minds to different ideas, people, situations and career paths.
Volunteering is real world work. They interact with people of varying ages and are given a lot more freedom. The freedom I am talking about is learning to be self driven and directed, learning to use their own initiative and working as a team.
Volunteering can lead to employment options. Many teenager start out as volunteers and soon progress to part time paid income. If they really love what they are doing options can open up and connections made which can lead to a fruitful and enjoyable career.
Extra-Curricular Activities
One of the reasons I love homeschool is the freedom it allows for my children to participate in extra curricular activities without becoming burned out from being hurried from one activity to the next without being able to fit in any free time, family time, friend time on top of the homework and long school hours. Since homeschooling takes a lot less time, they have plenty of time to engage in these activities without becoming over worked. This also means they enjoy them a lot more!
There are extra curricular activities for every kid. You don’t need to stick to the traditional sports, dance or music. Think outside the box. Look at what your child really loves and what will interest them the most. Children will develop deeper and more meaningful relationship with those that they have the most in common with. There are classes for coding, chess, art, Lego, robotics are just a few of the non-traditional ideas I thought of. My oldest has done robotics classes and loved them. A Lego We Do is a great place to start if you are interested in robotics. It’s the perfect step up from normal Lego as it allows you to use coding to make your creations move. Super cool.
Youth Government
I had some friends when I was in high school who attended the Model United Nations in Europe. AMAZING opportunity! If your child is interested in politics or making a difference in their community then help them to find opportunities to participate in youth government.
These opportunities can look like working for your local officials on campaigns, or in volunteer capacities. There are also so many ways that kids can be a part of politics in youth councils.
If working in government is what your child may want to do as a career then this would be the idea place for them to start. They can make connections with the right people, learn how things work and develop the skills required.
Internships
Working as an intern is the perfect way to get a feel for a career. You can have your child draft then write a letter of interest to the company or business in which they would like to intern at.
As an intern you can really learn about a career and decide if it is for you. You get to work with others in the field and engage on a professional level. Common interests will draw you in and help create meaningful relationships.
Community Groups
There are many community groups for your child to participate in. Whether they be church groups, youth groups, scouts or down at your local community centre.
Community groups provide support and meaningful friendships and social experiences. What I enjoy about community groups is that they are very much family friendly and family focused.
Homeschool Camps
Did you know that homeschoolers have camps?! Well they do. There are so many different options for camps that you can send your kids to. Many of these camps are family type camps also which means you can bring everyone along for some good old camping fun.
The older kids can sign up to volunteer in the kitchens or running programs for the younger crowd. This gives them a great opportunity to practice their independence and leadership skills. There’s nothing that is going to test your leadership skills more than corralling a class full of crazy kids!
Many homeschoolers come together from all over the state or further to attend their favourite camps each year. The children look forward to seeing each other and renewing friendships.
Homeschool Conferences/Conventions
One of the most exciting event on many homeschool families calendar is a homeschool convention. This is a wonderful even for both parents and children a like.
Parents are treated to some incredible lectures, and classes from seasoned homeschoolers, education professionals and the like while the children are able to participate in their own classes and fun activities. One of the recent homeschool conventions I saw was holding a prom for the teenagers. This just made my heart swell because I know how much some teenagers really want to do the whole prom thing….to be honest I am sure there are a lot of moms who want to do it as well.
As you can see there are many opportunities for homeschoolers to socialise outside of the home. There is also just every day life. Going to the store, meeting people at the playground and just being a normal human being is going to be a part of developing good social skills. The best way we can teach our children these skills is by demonstrating them ourselves. We don’t need a school environment to teach our children how to be decent human beings. To be honest school socialization is not really the type of socialisation I want for my children anyway.
