Should you homeschool your child?


When it comes to our children, we all want the best for them, although often it can be challenging to know exactly what that looks like. We know they should eat healthily and get plenty of sleep, shouldn’t play with sharp objects and wear seatbelts in the car. However, when it comes to education, it can be much more divisive. So, should you homeschool your child?

Make it work for your children

One thing that the public school system often seems to forget is that children learn in different ways. Some might retain information best if they do something practical, and others might like to do their own research. If a child has a learning disability, this is even more important. So when you homeschool, you are able to tailor your classes to best work for your children.

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Making learning fun

Often in traditional schools, potentially exciting topics may be made quite dry and dull, due to the teacher having to tick certain boxes with the curriculum or not having the time or resources to do something more creative. If you are homeschooling, you can create interactive projects on the Romans, or spend a day in an art gallery to learn about Van Gogh – you never have just to sit and copy out of exercise books!

Flexibility of time

Again, it’s all about seeing what works best for you and your child. Perhaps they work best in the morning, and by the afternoon slump, they would rather do something creative. You can make a schedule that suits the way your child likes to learn, and what’s best for your family overall.

A lack of time

How often do we, as parents, lament at how we never seem to have enough time? Not only will some of the time be eaten up by the actual teaching, but also having to prepare lessons and come up with ideas for activities will take up even more time.

You’re always ‘on’

As a parent, it can feel like a 24/7 job as it is, but when you homeschool, there really is no respite, and it can be quite draining and difficult. When your children go to school between 9 am – 3 pm, you have a few hours to yourself to catch up on work, or chores, or even just to spend some time alone. However, if you are homeschooling then you can never switch off or get away from it all.

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Socializing

One benefit of traditional schooling is that your children will spend time with lots of other children. Some of these will become lifelong friends, and others will be a great example of how to get along with people that they might not necessarily like – something that will be very beneficial in the workplace in the future! Although you could join a homeschooling group, to allow them to socialize, they will only be making friends with other homeschoolers and might be missing out on a diverse mix of people.

Some families like to travel around the country, and homeschool along the way, as they don’t need to stay in one place. However, other families will love the stability and structure that traditional schooling begins. As you can see, it’s such a personal thing, and as parents, you have to weigh up the pros and cons to decide what is best for your family.

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