There are numerous benefits to an excellent home-schooled education, and whatever your reasons for deciding to homeschool, your kids will appreciate the advantages and privilege of receiving their education in their own home. Academically, there shouldn’t be any disadvantage for home-schooled children, as there are many excellent resources available as well as the support of the home-schooling community. One thing you will need to be careful about though is your child’s socialization skills, which will be very important as they start spreading their wings and moving into adulthood.
Social skills
Humans are social creatures, living in a highly complex social environment. To function well in society requires people to have a certain level of social expertise, an understanding of how to communicate with different people, and the confidence to make their voice heard. Without these skills, when children grow up and try to integrate into society, they will find it hard to fit in and be able to communicate with many of the people they come across. Social skills can be stressful for them, and hold them back in their further education or chosen career. At school, social skills learned by kids interacting with other kids and teachers, and as they gather information in their lessons, so they are gathering information about how to fit in with others. Home-schooled children need to have the chance to mix with their peers and other age groups so that they too can pick up the social skills they need.
Developing social and teamwork skills
Sports clubs, hobby clubs, and community activities of any nature that local children get involved with are great ways to help your kids develop their social skills. These kinds of social groups not only help kids with interpersonal communication but provide plenty of opportunities for them to mix with and learn about new people. Joining an organization like the Scouts, going to summer camps, or being part of a team in an STL Escape Room adventure can also enable them to understand what teamwork involves and how to co-operate within a group. Developing social and collaboration skills will be a useful and in some cases essential ability to possess as they mature, and finding enjoyable ways to learn how to work with others to achieve a common goal is something you can do a lot to facilitate.
Social problems
Kids can sometimes struggle with their social skills, and identifying when your child is having problems is an essential first step in dealing with them. Some kids are naturally more introverted and happy in their own company, but you need to be able to tell the difference between a child who likes to be on their own and one who excluded when they would prefer to be joining in. Autistic spectrum disorders can also affect social development, so stay tuned in to how your kids are dealing in social situations so you can help them when they need it.
It’s not only an essential part of their development, but one of the joys of childhood to play with and be around other kids, so see what activities you can get involved in that will give your kids these important opportunities.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
