One of the biggest concerns people have about homeschooling is the lack of social life the child will have as a result of being taught at home. Studies have debunked the myth that homeschooled children are not socially adapted … and other studies show these children to be behind their peers in social skills. It all depends on who runs the study. But that’s a topic for another day. The point is, human beings do need a certain amount of interaction with other human beings. I mean, look at Tarzan. He wasn’t the most civilized individual, having been raised with a bunch of monkeys, and Jane had a little bit of a hard time with him at first. Humans are social beings and they do need each other.
However, it is another myth that a child needs to attend a public school in order to socialize. In the first place, school isn’t about socialization – it should be about education. The only real chance kids have to be social with each other is in the halls between classes, or talking to each other in class, which is frowned upon. It seems to me that the best chances for socialization would come outside of school, whether you’re taught at home or not.
But let’s look at this a little more closely. Where can your homeschooled child turn for their friendships and their social interaction?
1. The first and most obvious place is within the home. Homeschooled children very often form close bonds with their siblings that lead to lifelong friendships when they are adults. Siblings that play together tend to fight less. In addition, children who spend time with their parents tend to have larger vocabularies and to understand at an earlier age how to interact in an adult world.
2. The second place is in the neighborhood. You homeschool, but that doesn’t mean your children are in the house all the time. Get to know your neighbors’ children. There are, of course, times when you don’t live near people with children, but for most people, most of the time, there are opportunities to make neighborhood friends.
3. Church can offer great opportunities to find friends. People who attend the same church live in the same geographical area, so even if your child’s new friend is a mile away and you need to drive them over there, it’s still only a mile.
School is not the only place on the planet to socialize, and you can find many different outlets for your child. If you’re looking for friends for just an afternoon, take your children to the playground. They will form instant bonds with the other children playing there. In a world entirely peopled by humans, it’s not hard to find other humans with whom to interact.
Related Blogs:
Helping Children Learn about Making Friends
The Big Socialization Question