Kids who go to a public or private school are naturally going to form friendships with some of their classmates. They spend several hours of the day, five days a week, with their peers. Parents who are homeschooling their children are going to have to make an effort in order to give their children opportunities to make some friends. Here are some suggestions about where to start.
Homeschooling gives a parent a great deal of control over what their children are exposed to. This is one of the advantages of homeschooling. Parents get to decide what their child will learn. Parents can present academic lessons in ways that conform to their own personal values and religious beliefs. Parents can choose exactly what their child will be served at lunchtime.
A disadvantage of homeschooling is that your child will not have the opportunity to have friendships with other kids form, organically, while they are at lunch or playing on the recess field. This does not mean that your child is doomed to be isolated or socially awkward. It simply means that parents need to make the effort to put their child into situations where they can form friendships with other children.
Start with your church. Does it have a youth group, a children’s bible study, or religion classes for children? Your child can go there to meet kids who are the same faith that your family is. This is a good way to ensure that your child makes friends with kids who share your child’s religious beliefs.
Try the park district. Your child can join a soccer team, or a little league team. Learning how to work with a team is an important life skill. Your child can make friends with kids who love to play the same sport that he or she enjoys.
Does your library have a summer reading program? Kids who are “bookworms” can happily discuss the books that they have read with other children, who also love to read. Your child can find a friend who has the same favorite author as they do.
Connect with other homeschooling parents. Put together a group. Together, you all can take your children on a “field trip” to a zoo or museum. Arrange a schedule of play dates at different locations. Kids who have the opportunity to spend time together, and to play in a way that isn’t specifically organized by adults, often form friendships.
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