It seems that the majority of parents are in an unknown territory right now—that being needing to home school your child. Homeschooling is nothing new, it has been around for decades and has proven to be successful for many families.
But homeschooling does come needing to re-adjust the family’s routine a bit, especially when it comes to managing the parent’s time between teaching and working, along with managing the child’s time between studying and developing social skills.
While there are different methods for everyone, there are some incredible ways to help make this juggling act be more achievable. Because let’s face it—the adults still need to earn a living and the children still need opportunities to be kids!
Balancing homeschool and your child’s social life is certainly achievable, especially if you follow these tips.
- Sign your kid up for an online community
Your child isn’t alone in the homeschooling world, which means there is a whole community of other children who equally are wanting to have a social group. Thanks to online communities like primer, your child will be able to connect with other children and not only grow intellectually by working on projects together, but also be able to have fun and be a kid! This, in turn, gives parents some extra time to take a break from being the hands-on teacher and do their other adult responsibilities for a bit.
- Stay organized and plan out the week
Kids do really well with routine. This is something that normal schools have mastered—creating block schedules where kids alternate between going to class, having free time to play and socialize, and doing other activities away from the books. Creating your own sort of schedule like this at home can really enhance your child’s productivity throughout the day. Spend part of the day doing assignments, sign them up for soccer practice in the afternoon, and have one of their friends come over for a cooking class once a week. Doing a range of activities like this will keep your child engaged and involved in plenty of social situations.
- Make the most of vacation time
One of the best parts of homeschooling your child is that taking family vacations suddenly gets a whole lot easier! Send your child to summer camp, go on an overseas holiday together to give them cultural exposure to new ways of living and bond as a family. While it is important for your child to have quality time with other kids their age, it is equally great for their social skills to have quality time with you—their parents! So make the most of the extra time you get with your child and know that homeschooling means that they can do their assignments anywhere and anytime that works for your family.
- Call on your network to help teach your child
Just because you are homeschooling your child does not mean you have to be the only one to teach them. Team up with your extended family, friends, and neighbors to get them to help teach some of the lessons in the curriculum. By having a range of teachers, it encourages your child to continue to tap into their social skills and learn to interact with different types of people at different ages while also learning the information for the school.
- Don’t worry too much
There are more opportunities for your child to socialize than you might think! So don’t stress and be confident that your child will be okay and flourish with the opportunity you have given them!
Homeschooling and balancing social life for children is not as overwhelming as one might think. With online communities, support groups, and flexible hours—your child is going to love being homeschooled!
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