Nowadays, more and more parents are seeking homeschooling for their kids. As it offers its unique advantages, it is becoming a popular choice for those looking for the best option for their children’s academic future. From flexibility to customized curriculum, the reasons parents choose to homeschool are more varied than you might expect.
So why are more parents opting to homeschool their kids? In this article, we take a look at 13 major reasons parents are homeschooling their kids.
Safety and Security Reasons
Safety and security are some of the top reasons why parents are likely to make homeschooling a viable option for their kids. With homeschooling, parents can ensure their children’s safety as there are fewer risks of them socializing with people of different ages, cultures, or beliefs. In addition, parents can eliminate any fear of questionable teachers, bullying, and other potential dangers that may occur in traditional schools.
For example, if a family is planning to relocate soon, they can provide a safe and secure environment to the children while they plan the move. Homeschooling is also beneficial for high-risk students who can’t attend a traditional school because of safety issues.
Another security benefit is that parents can monitor the progress of their children. Unlike in a conventional school, there are usually no standardized tests in homeschooling that may risk a child’s security. Instead, parents can assess their child’s academic level and provide appropriate guidance or advice.
Flexibility of Learning
Homeschooling is often preferred because of the flexibility it offers in terms of learning. Parents can chose to focus the learning activities on their kid’s areas of interest and also tailor their learning schedule as per the family commitments or availability of resources. Homeschooling also gives the parents the freedom to choose and set the curriculum for their kids, which is not always possible in a traditional educational system.
For example, if a family is looking to give their children a more religious or cultural education, they can focus the curriculum around these topics. Similarly, if the student is learning faster than usual, parents can let them progress ahead without having to wait for the entire class to catch up.
Homeschooling allows flexibility to create learning plans tailored to individual’s needs and abilities. Parents also have the option to adjust the overall duration of the homeschooling year depending on individual circumstances. If a child is lagging behind, they can take more time to learn a particular subject or area.
Alternatively, if a student is learning faster and excelling more, parents can let them progress ahead of the curriculum in shorter periods of time.
Customize Curriculum
As homeschooling offers parents the freedom to choose and set the curriculum for their kids, it allows them to customize the learning process for their kids. This means that parents can pick the tools, materials, and resources suitable for the child’s individual learning needs and abilities. They can also pace the curriculum to suit the child while ensuring they learn what they need to become an independent learner.
For example, if a student is having difficulty in understanding a particular concept, the parents can choose materials or resources to help them understand it better. Similarly, if a student is interested in a particular topic or field, the family can focus on that topic and introduce the relevant subject matter.
This helps them become more engaged in the learning process and encourages them to delve deeper into assigned topics or subjects. Furthermore, parents can also introduce new or forward-thinking subjects such as coding or app development for the student.
This provides them with a much wider scope to experiment and explore their interests further.
Provide Individual Attention
Homeschooling is great for students as it allows parents to provide individual attention and feedback to the child. Unlike in a traditional school, the teaching ratio in homeschooling is usually 1 student to 1 teacher, or in this case, parent.
This time can be beneficial as the parent can address issues and doubts of the child instantly while tackling the subject matter. For instance, if the student is weak in math, the parent can give them undivided attention and work on the child’s areas of concern. The parent can identify individual learning patterns and gaps in understanding and then fill the same with support and guidance.
These kind of personalized interactions becomes easier and more flexible with homeschooling as compared to traditional schooling. Aside from just providing individual attention to the student, homeschooling also gives parents the flexibility of teaching multiple children together.
For example, if a parent has more than one kid, they can plan their learning activities together to maximize productivity and resources.
Development of Character
Homeschooling provides parents the opportunity to monitor and observe their children’s social and emotional development in a much closer way than a traditional school. As homeschooling usually involves direct parental involvement and guidance, it gives parents more control over the kind of values and principles that they can cultivate in their children.
For example, they can include extracurricular activities like swimming, music, book clubs, or painting classes as per the child’s inclination and interest. Similarly, they can also focus on developing good habits such as eating healthy food, exercising regularly, and getting adequate sleep. For example, they can create an outdoor space in the house or garden to allow the child to explore and play.
Moreover, homeschooling can help the parent to form a stronger bond with the child as they teach each other through mutual respect and understanding. This closeness can help in developing a better connection between the two and work towards forming better character traits in the child.
Time with Family
A lot of families opt to homeschool because it gives them more time to bond with their children. With homeschooling, parents can find more quality time together — from going on family vacations to simply spending the day together in the park.
Homeschooling gives families more flexibility to schedule the learning activities in ways that work for them. This can allow parents to have more time to work on their interests without having to worry about missing out on important family moments. For example, a family can decide to take a fortnight every year to take a vacation around the world while keeping the kids engaged in learning activities as they explore.
Furthermore, parents have the option to involve their kids in the daily life activities such as grocery shopping and meal planning. This way parents can not only bond but also teach the importance of budgeting, planning and help them understand their, and the family’s responsibilities.
Choose Environment
The flexibility in terms of location that homeschooling provides is another major factor that shakes the balance in favor of homeschooling over conventional schooling. With homeschooling, parents can teach their kids anywhere, from their porch to the beachside. On top of that, families also have the option to move around often and adjust the learning spaces or environments to suit the learning activities better.
For example, if the family is looking to teach the kid about ocean conservation, they can take a short vacation to one of the coastal areas, educate the kid and observe first-hand the local flora and fauna. Or, if they are looking to explore more into history and science, they can plan a trip to a nearby museum or natural heritage site.
This provides a much more interactive and engaging learning environment for the children. On the other hand, if the family is looking to stay close to home, parents can create different areas in the house to let the kids explore their interests. This can also involve activities such as gardening or animal care.
Here parents can let the children take part in light home renovations or tasks such as painting, carpentry, or plumbing that would create learning opportunities and help them understand the basic concepts and importance of hard work.
Save on School Expenses
One huge benefit of homeschooling is that it saves parents a great amount of money in school expenses. Compared to traditional schools, homeschooling materials and curriculums generally cost less, especially if the family is making use of online platforms or open educational resources.
Families also have the flexibility to use materials that have longevity, such as items like books, lab equipment, and art supplies. This cost-effectiveness provides a more economical and sustainable approach to education, which is much appreciated by the parents who want to provide top-quality learning for their kids. Furthermore, parents can receive tax deductions from the government if they stick to their homeschooling plan and make use of legitimate resources.
Parents can also receive tax credits for expenses related to homeschooling.
Competition-free Learning
A lot of parents prefer homeschooling over traditional schooling because it eliminates the pressure of competition. In homeschooling, there is no grading or comparing the student to their peers, which gives the kid the freedom to learn at their own pace.
Here, the parent can focus on the child’s individual abilities and encourage their growth without having to worry about their comparative performance with other students. Moreover, students learn to gain self-confidence and independence as they progress ahead at their own pace without having to stress about any preconceived pressure or expectations. Additionally, students also get to take breaks in between their studies if they find the topic too monotonous or challenging.
This helps in avoiding rigidity and instead foster creativity, imagination, and innovation in the student.
Encourage Parent-child Bonding
Homeschooling doesn’t just encourage parent-child interaction during the teaching hours; in fact, it goes beyond that in terms of building a strong bond between the two. Parents get to involve in the everyday small activities with their around their children, from cooking and baking in the kitchen to setting up board games for family nights. Through these fun and easy activities, parents can ensure their kids understand the importance of family values.
Furthermore, parents and children can also explore different outdoor activities together such as camping and hiking that would build their trust and respect towards each other.
Conclusion
From safety and security to competition-free learning and strong parent-child bond, the potential benefits of homeschooling can be immense. For families looking to provide their kids the best education option without having to compromise on quality, homeschooling can be a great choice. As it offers more flexibility and control over the curriculum and learning process, it makes it easier for parents to tailor the learning experiences for their kids as per their individual needs.