But aren’t you worried about their social skills?

I feel like this is the first thing criticism people say when you mention that you are going to homeschool.

But what about their social skills?

They imagine you and your child staying in your home, being isolated, never leaving for any reason and therefore not getting the opportunities to socialise with others. < insert eye roll > I mean who can really blame them right. You don’t know what you don’t know.

Here are a few things I like to consider:

The school environment

If we think about the traditional school setting, it generally isn’t set up to encourage any form of social development. You have large classrooms of up to 30 students, individual desks, students normally have to raise their hand to speak and are only allowed to do so during certain activities.

Same age peers

On top of that, the classroom is made up of students that are all the same age so students only have the opportunity to ‘socialise’ with people of the same age. Think about your group of friends who you socialise with on a regular basis. Some of my closest friends are ten and twenty years older than me. I connect with people of all ages when I go to the shops, libraries, museums, cafes, and restaurants.

Your unique homeschooling environment

Every homeschooling family is going to be different but there are a number of ways families choose to socialise including play dates, sports lessons, co-ops, tutoring, arts and crafts lessons, interest-based groups. Not to mention all of the beautiful, rich social interactions you have with your child ALL DAY long.

We learn by watching others. So your child watching you interact and socialise with all the people in your life is teaching them all they need!

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