Homeschool Socialization
Are you surrounded with loved ones that question your home school ambition? Homeschool socialization is a top concern for many, but you’ll be shocked about the stats I found about homeschooled children and socialization…
The TRUTH-
Most home school parents go the extra mile to make sure that their kids are building social skills, but it really isn’t necessary to fret about this issue-
socialization is a natural human behavior, a NEED. Your kids are already inclined to interact with other people in their environment…
To Help You Understand How Homeschooled Kids Fare Better With Social Skills Click Below to download the Study…
Stetson University Study on Home-Schooled Kids
This study examined the socialization of home-schooled students compared to their traditionally-schooled counterparts using three separate perspectives- parents, objective observers, and the children themselves.
The Stetson study used a widely accepted measure of social development, (Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales) to examine the social competency of home schooled students.
The results will shock you…
Home schooled children received higher scores on all social skills sub scales- cooperation, assertiveness, responsibility, and self control, compared to their traditionally schooled counterparts.
Simultaneously, homeschooled students ranked lower on the “problem behavior” sub scale than children in public schools.
So much so, that in fact another study was cited in the findings- (Shyers 1992a, 1992b) which concluded that traditionally schooled children had more than eight times more problem behaviors than their home schooled counterparts!
Shyers described the traditionally schooled children as “aggressive, loud, and competitive”. In contrast, the home schooled children acted in “friendly, positive ways”.
He noted that they introduced themselves, initiated conversation, cooperated with others, invited uninvolved children to join them in play, took turns, and even “exchanged phone numbers and addresses for future contact.”
In a world where we associate so much of our success to our ability to effectively network… It’s completely understandable that we would value social fluency above other skills…
Homeschooled Kids Aren’t Limited to a Classroom Full of Peers All Day
This means that they interact with people from ALL age groups, demographic, economic background, religion and so forth. And they interact with all these different people in various public and private settings.
They have become accustomed to modifying their behavior based on the location, time of day, and individual(s) they are around!
The kids are not limited to spending all day, every day with children of their same age and interests. They are not limited in their environment to a single classroom, and the feedback they receive from others is not filtered through a “kid glove” approach.
Homeschooled Kids Experience a Variety of Social Settings
My students go where I go. They’re learning to adapt to “real world” social situations so they are prepared to easily navigate interpersonal relationships and social expectations.
In Conclusion
Homeschooled Students Have a Social Advantage Over Public Schooled Peers. As parents, it is SO EASY to let criticism from others rule your parenting choices! But socialization shouldn’t be a primary concern.
Homeschooling is becoming more popular in recent years! As parents, we still enjoy the freedom to make critical decisions about our children’s health and education.
Homeschoolers have more support than ever, in our communities and the ever- growing educational tools we can use!
I hope I’ve put to rest any fears you may have about homeschool socialization!
The Homeschool Community is Growing Every Day
And we welcome you with open arms! We have so many resources today to bring education home- to be a part of our kiddos ongoing learning and design a school experience that is truly tailored for their individual needs!
All My Best! Enjoy Your Homeschool Journey!
Breezy
