Friends are a fundamental part of youth culture and social development, with traditional school providing a natural and often easy opportunity for children to build meaningful friendships. Nowadays, with the rise of homeschooling – also known as home education – forming lifelong relationships can be more difficult for those learning from home. Parents and students wondering “how do homeschoolers find friends?
” can benefit from understanding the unique challenges and benefits of creating strong, lasting friendships when homeschooling.
1: Reasons Homeschooled Children Find it Difficult to Find Friends
When it comes to education outside of a traditional school setting, children can find it difficult to make new friends due to the limited opportunities to meet people in their same age group, and the limited chances they have to develop strong relationships. Firstly, there is often a lack of organization or resources that can help children meet peers of the same age group in their area that are also homeschooled.
This can be especially difficult if the family has recently moved and is not yet integrated in their local homeschool community. In addition, it can be difficult to create relationships with the people they come into contact with while doing activities outside the home, such as taking classes at community centers or going to religious institutions, as these institutions may not be populated with a large number of children who are homeschooled. Finally, homeschooling itself can encourage an isolating lifestyle – with limitations on socializing and activities – that makes it more difficult for children to achieve strong relationships.
While some homeschooling families do their best to embrace the social and educational opportunities their community has to offer, such opportunities can be limited due to geographical or economic constraints.
2: The Benefits of Homeschooling for Forming Friendships
It is important to note that there are many benefits to being homeschooled, which can offer advantages in terms of finding and maintaining relationships. Homeschooled children tend to form deeper, more meaningful connections with friends, compared to children in traditional schools, as they are able to spend a larger portion of their day with their friend. This can lead to the creation of more lasting relationships.
Moreover, the individualized learning environment of homeschooling allows students the autonomy to create deeper friendships with some degree of selection – such as, who they would like to spend more time with, or how they would like to structure his or her relationships with peers. Furthermore, homeschoolers tend to have better relationships with adults due to the increased time spent with their families, and the strong relationships this encourages.
Homeschoolers can build strong bonds and close friendships with adults, which can potentially transfer over to their friendships with children. As homeschoolers are familiar with adults from the beginning, the transition from talking and connecting to adults to forming relationships with children can be beneficial for those who are homeschooled.
3: Strategies for Finding Friends for Homeschoolers
There are various strategies for parents and homeschoolers to create networks and find friends and peers. Such strategies include getting involved in homeschooling groups, finding a mentor and/or tutor, participating in extracurricular activities, and engaging with people online.
Firstly, local homeschooling support groups can be an invaluable resource in terms of meeting other students and families who are experienced in the homeschooling journey and can offer advice or resources. These groups can also provide access to classes and activities, which could give opportunities for children to meet fellow peers. Educational mentors and/or tutors can also be beneficial for providing academic direction as well as support for homeschoolers.
An experienced mentor and/or tutor can provide advice on homeschooling methods and how to form relationships with other homeschoolers in the area. Another great way to meet peers is to participate in extracurricular activities outside the home.
This could include taking classes at the local library, attending religious services, going to community centers, and participating in sports, theater, and music programs. Finally, homeschoolers can also connect with potential friends online, through social networks and homeschooling forums. Homeschoolers can connect with other homeschoolers around the world and learn about different methods, support, and resources.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the challenge of forming strong, meaningful relationships for homeschooled children can represent a unique set of challenges. It is important to be aware that there are many benefits of homeschooling in terms of forming friendships, and various strategies for parents and homeschoolers to create networks and find friends and peers, such as getting involved in homeschooling groups, finding a mentor and/or tutor, participating in extracurricular activities, and engaging with people online.