Line upon Line Learning

Homeschooling and lifelong education . . . one day at a time

Enjoy life-long learning. . . one day at a time.

Hands-on learning activities, ideas, games, and printables for parents, homeschoolers, and educators

  • About
  • Read the Blog
    • Preschool Learning
    • Elementary Learning
    • Homeschooling
    • Parenting and Family
  • Become a VIP
  • Shop
  • 0 items
Home » Homeschooling and Home Learning » Homeschool How To: How Do I Help My Child Be Social?

Homeschool How To: How Do I Help My Child Be Social?

Post by Rebecca Reid 1 Comment

homeschool how to

When I first decided to homeschool, the first question my mother, a public school teacher for decades, asked me was one that I believe most homeschooling parents get at one time or another. What about socialization?socialization question

Now, this will not be a post about the public schools and whether or not the socialization in them is what I want my children learning in the early or later years.

This is about how homeschooling families make socialization a part of their days. Here are some thoughts on how our family makes socialization a part of our every day. I’ve also linked to a number of helpful other blog posts that address the same issue.

1. Family socialization.

Because we homeschool, my kids get extra time to socialize with one another. They play together, do chores together (well, they will, Strawberry is not even 2 yet!), and learn together.

Instead of helping my son with homework, my husband spends his free time helping my son learn things: how to do the dishes, how to play chess, how to put in a new garbage disposal. Ok, that last one was not something Dad was teaching, but Raisin enjoyed the time watching his dad at work.

2. Friends socialization.

I admit, it is hard to find time for play dates like we did back in the preschool days! My son’s friends go to public school, and do not return home until after 3:30, so they are not available. My son is busy working on school most mornings.

But he makes friends at our weekly co-op, where we see the same kids each week, the kids do projects together, and the kids share what they are learning with each other.

Further, Raisin is in a weekly P.E. class through our local park district. These run in 10 week sessions, but that is often long enough to find a new friend.

Get more information about how to start a co-op at She Knows and at So You Call Yourself a Homeschooler.

3. Stranger socialization. Because my son is with me during all of our chores together, he has plenty of opportunities for polite social contact with others. When he was in preschool, he was such a friendly soul I had to discourage him from talking to strangers. Sometimes he still resorts to stoic silence when a stranger asks him a question. Personally, I like that. There is a reason we don’t have to talk to strangers!

Since he is school age, he has learned to respond politely to the questions. “Actually, I am homeschooled.” He is very comfortable talking to adults, and while he will always be wary of the complete stranger (which is good!), he is able to find a voice in situations where it is appropriate!

Want some more answers?

  • A Pioneer Woman Homeschooling reader asked the same question, with more than 200 responses.
  • Why Socialization Matters on Cultivated Lives talks about what we can do to keep our kids happily social.
  • Kris Bales is the author of the tongue-in-cheek titled Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers blog, so of course she has some thoughts on socialization too.
  • Simple Homeschool has a wonderful post that reminds us that making friends is better than socialization.

If you like this post, you may also like...

The Pros and Cons of Homeschooling I choose homeschooling for the environment, instruction, love, and socialization.Why Choose Homeschooling? Ten Reasons to Homeschool: Debunking the Nay-Sayers Homeschooling How To: Five “L’s” of Homeschooling Get Started Homeschooling: Teach Social Studies at Home

Filed Under: Homeschooling and Home Learning Tagged With: homeschool socialization

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Filter Shop by Keyword

Line upon Line Learning’s Products

Our digital learning products are available at these sites:

The Line upon Line Learning Shop

TeachersPayTeachers 

Boom Learning

(What is Boom?)

Are you considering homeschooling?

The Yes, You CAN Homeschool: Debunking the Nay-sayers digital course will help you overcome some of your worries!

Discount pricing ends September 3, 2020.

I’m a Contributer!

Big Book of Homeschool Ideas Vol 2

The Big Book of Homeschool Ideas vol 2
ebook
| Hard copy (Amazon)

Learn with Play

Learn with Play ebook

Get the eBook 

Advertisement


Note: I include advertisements on my site. See my disclosure policy for more details.

 

Advertisement

Copyright © 2021 · Line upon Line Learning · Privacy and Disclosure Policy · Log in