Yesterday, we talked about connecting with others as you homeschool. The question about socialization will stay with us forever. Even though homeschooling has grown in numbers, some people remain ignorant and/or skeptical. Therefore, you need to be prepared to answer that question. Presenting your schedule with grace will help. Hopefully they will leave you alone after that.
In this talk, I present many ways to socialize your homeschooled children. In no particular order, here is the list:
- Youth Orchestra
- Band/Ensembles
- Community Center activities
- Sports
- Book club
- Play group
- Play dates
- Hiking groups like Wild and Free
- Co-ops
- Learning pods
- Support Groups
- Science Olympiad teams
- Library clubs
- Community service opportunities
- Family gatherings
- Church
- Choir
- Medical visits
- Shopping
- Going to the pool
In the video, I do not touch on all 20 items, but I give examples from many of them.
Socialization should help us all become more compassionate people. However, it also makes us wiser. Give your children socialization opportunities under supervision at first. Then, discuss what went well and what went wrong. Praise your children for being friendly or encouraging or gracious to other people. Discuss better ways to handle things that did no go well.
This process represents a more balanced way than the oversocialization they would get in school. Not to mention, they do not get supervision that much while socializing in school. Otherwise how do you explain all the bullying that goes on?