Homeschooling was the best decision we could have made for our family. I have been asked countless times why I homeschool my son. There are even the questions, “But what about socialization?”, “How long are you planning to homeschool?”, “That is so awesome, how do you do it?”, or “How do you find the time?”
My son is only six years old, and I have been his first teacher since the day he was born. I enjoy spending that time with him and seeing him continue to learn with me. I am so incredibly lucky that I can homeschool. Homeschooling is an amazing opportunity that I never imagined doing, but I can’t imagine doing it any other way.
Our First Year Homeschooling
In just six months of formal homeschooling, I have become so in tune with how my son learns best. I have been able to tailor his learning opportunities to what interests him. His love for learning and reading blossomed in just our first six months as well. I can say that I taught him to read, and I was able to see the excitement on his face. This is something that I will never forget. I was also there for his first co-op experience (parent-led learning with other homeschoolers). Being able to see him in a little classroom with other children, with his little sister being able to participate with him was such a great experience as a parent. In our first year, we have navigated the world of homeschooling and learned so much about this amazing community we have available to us.
Learning Opportunities
Curriculums and Learning Programs
With homeschooling, there are so many curriculums and programs that you can use with your child. We went with a nature-based curriculum, and we absolutely love it. It contains various topics, including animals and the outdoors, the solar system, and a wide assortment of books with activities associated with them. Separately, we chose a program for learning to read and write skills, as well as math and some basic geography. When my son shows more interest in certain topics, we use various resources to learn more about those subjects as well. The flexibility of it all is what makes homeschooling work best for us.
We have such an abundance of learning opportunities within our community. Between the large selection of books we have used in our first year and the activities put on by libraries – your library becomes your best friend!
Alternative Learning
Besides our typical learning routine, we can learn through various everyday activities at home and even in our community. We cook, bake, play board games, do art projects, and create with Legos and magnetic tiles together. This spring we will be creating a garden to grow vegetables and flowers. These activities allow opportunities for me to teach him math, how to measure and read as we cook or bake, and discuss scenarios from books we have read. We also have more flexibility in time and travel together, such as visiting parks, the beach, and museums, and even traveling more together as a family.
Socialization and Community
There has always seemed to be this thought that homeschooling equals a lack of socialization. Yes, it is not like being in a public school, but there are so many wonderful opportunities to socialize as a homeschooler. There are drop-off homeschool programs and co-ops for various learning opportunities that our children can choose from. There are great groups that are created by parents with park meet-ups, field trips, art classes, gymnastics, and sports. I also make sure my son is involved in town sports/activities with our non-homeschooler friends.
There are so many opportunities that you can choose from that truly interest your child. I feel that with the opportunities he is presented with, he can socialize with a wider range of people from various areas surrounding us as well. My son can socialize in SO many ways and he is such a happy kid, which is the most important thing to me and my husband as his parents.
My “Why”
From the day our children are born they all develop at different rates. They are not all going to excel at math, reading, and writing at the same time. By homeschooling, I can give my son that one-on-one attention. We can learn at his pace and explore different topics based on his interests. Six months into the start of official homeschooling, I have seen him so excited to do his “school stuff.” He is inquisitive, bright, and so sweet. The various opportunities he has been presented have helped him love learning.
Homeschooling is not easy, it’s a lot of work and preparation on my part. There are hard days and there are great days. But seeing how happy my son is and seeing how close our family relationship is makes it all worth it. Homeschooling works for us. It works for him. I want him to develop into a confident, well-rounded human, and I know that homeschooling him right now will do just that. That is why I homeschool.
