How Do Homeschoolers Socialize

A number one concern for many looking into homeschool is how do homeschoolers socialize? Or are homeschoolers socialized? In this article, I want to bust this socialization myth because the short answer to this is yes they can be socialized, but likely not in the way you expect.

I have 2 elementary grade children but most of my experience on this subject comes from my own experience when I was in homeschool.

You may have in mind an awkward homeschooled child from your childhood that everyone thought was weird. Yes, it is possible for a homeschooled child to be hidden away from the world and not know how to interact but that’s going to take a whole lot of effort from the parent hiding that child away from other people. And let’s face it there are tons of awkward kids in public school. Socialization will happen for your homeschool children in quite the same way it happens for yourself as an adult. 

Intentional Socialization 

 Arranged playdates. For younger kids, this of course would take effort on the part of the parent. Having a support group in order to make these connections, makes this much easier! Any group your family may have something in common with. Whether that be a religious group, a homeschool group, a group from extracurricular activities, or even family. Many times for older children this may just require freedom to do so. This one is key for me. I don’t have to arrange much because I already spend lots of time associating with my religious group.

Unavoidable Socialization

When kids are home with you they get to socialize with people of all ages, in different occupations, and in different scenarios. They are able to interact with these people as they would in real life not having the barrier of one of those people (the adult) being an authority. They learn how to speak to people at the grocery store, at the bank, at the clothing store, casual interactions at the gym with respect and confidence. Even hearing and watching you speak to people over the phone in different scenarios is a learning experience. These interactions are things that happen in real life when you have your kids with you all the time.

Socialization They Will Lack

Suffice it to say the socialization homeschool kids have is DEFINITELY not the same as children in public school. Depending, this may be a good thing or a bad thing for you. The experience public school children will have is massive amounts of time with children in their very small age range with all adults in an authority position over them. I find many public school children find it difficult to speak confidently to adults, especially high school students who have been in the system for so long. This of course varies for each child.

So when you are homeschooled not in the above situation daily you may not know the latest trends on clothes, the most recent slang. The curriculums will be different so there will be a story all the other kids remember from back in 3rd grade that your child may not know. So I will let you decide what kind of socialization do you want for your children.

I hope this has helped you understand a little better how socialization can definitely be a part of your homeschool. Dont forget to come see what we are doing daily on Instagram lilysandleis_littlefarmhouse