Sat 31 Aug 2019
Homeschooling is becoming more and more popular with a recent report stating that families choosing to educate their children at home has risen 40% in just three years. Despite this, it’s still seen as “odd” because it goes against the societal norm of sending our children to school or nursery from a very young age. If you’re on the fence about whether or not to homeschool your children, hopefully, this post will answer some questions you have.
The first thing that many parents of home educated children face is people asking about socialisation. They seem to think that the only way a child will learn how to be social is in a classroom with 30+ other children, all of the same age. This isn’t the case at all. Think about this; after you leave school, when are you ever in a situation where you’re forced to socialise with people who are the same age as you? Never. At work or even if you have a hobby, you’re surrounded by people of different ages, backgrounds and religions, all of which could become your really close friends. There’s also a large homeschooling community around the UK, with meetups and trips organized by people in your local area so both you and your children can interact with other people.
The next question people have is whether or not you have to follow the National Curriculum. The answer to this is no. You are not obligated to follow any sort of structure if you don’t want to. The best thing about educating your child at home is that you can teach your child what they want to learn about which means they’re more likely to take it in. If they’re into dinosaurs or space, make a project for them on these subjects. If that changes throughout the project, either abandon it and move on or stick with it until the end, the freedom is something most home educated families love. When it comes to exams, you can pay for them to sit the exams they need for their A Levels or university in a school just like any other GCSE student.
Holidays and days out are a lot cheaper in term time as well. We all know that prices tend to be steeper during school holidays so this is another perk of educating your child at home. You don’t have to ask anyone’s permission to go on holiday and let’s face it, learning about the world around them is just as important as “desk learning”. Attractions closer to home are quieter in term time too, meaning it’s a calmer day out and your children can enjoy it more.
You don’t “need” anything to educate your child at home, nor do you need any kind of special qualification. You’ll learn alongside your child so you’ll be bettering yourself on a daily basis. It is hard being around your children all day every day and not getting a break so this is something you’ll need to get used to. But the pride you’ll feel from knowing that you taught them everything they know will more than make up for it.
Before your child goes to school, you teach them everything they know from walking and talking to learning to use the toilet. Why should you lose confidence in yourself because they’ve hit school age?