It’s the first question when you tell someone you homeschool your children. It’s one of the many concerns for new homeschoolers and those that are considering homeschooling. It’s the “s” word …. socialization. “What about socialization?”
Some people wonder if their children get enough socialization, particularly new homeschoolers, smaller families and those living in more remote areas. Homeschool family or not, all parents want their children to grow into successful adults that can navigate their way through society and interact well with colleagues and other adults.
Who doesn’t love getting together with friends? In addition, playing sports and taking classes teaches valuable life skills such as working together as part of a larger group, relating to different personality types and learning how to tactfully handle criticism and praise.
As homeschool parents, we definitely need to put forth a bit more effort than our public school counter parts for our children to participate in sports, scouting, art classes, etc. We often find ourselves shuttling our children here and there, several days a week, in the name of socialization. But, how much is too much? Is there such a thing as “too much socialization”?
As a homeschool mom of 11 years, I can tell you, emphatically, “YES!!!! There is such a thing as too much socialization!” How much is “too much”?
A well balanced homeschool includes socialization. Who doesn’t love getting together with friends? In addition, playing sports and taking classes teaches valuable life skills such as working together as part of a larger group, relating to different personality types and learning how to tactfully handle criticism and praise. However, as the old adage goes “too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.” If you find you do not have enough time in the day to complete your schoolwork or get household chores done, on a regular basis, you may need to ask yourself if your homeschool schedule is balanced enough.
Sometimes “too much” places unwanted stress in your child’s life. Trying to emotionally and physically keep up with a demanding schedule (i.e. spreading your family too thing) can be trying and children can bring about feelings of pressure and anxiety, often manifesting itself as negative behavior. If your child’s behavior has changed significantly since adding in all of the “extras,” you may want to consider if it is “too much.”
Where the line of “too much” is drawn varies from family to family and even from child to child. Within our household, it has changed from year to year, depending on the emotional maturity of each of our children. We’ve had to reevaluate our own needs based on some of the situations mentioned above. Also, if we notice our children have started to lose their individuality in favor of modeling other children’s behaviors, style, etc., we carefully consider if their lives are balanced enough.
Have you ever reach the “too much” limit? How did you recognize this and how did you handle it? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.
This post was written by Christina S.. She lives in Detroit with her husband and two daughters. They have just completed their 11th year of homeschooling and looking forward to many more ahead!
In this unit, your child will learn the words and history of the Pledge of Allegiance, the Star Spangled Banner, andAmerica the Beautiful. Your child will create collages to illustrate the Pledge and America the Beautiful, as well as design his or her own starry banner. A bookmark, online activity, and a book are included to reinforce the concepts. This unit is designed to last one week, depending on how often you teach history.
Part 1
In this unit, your child will explore 
Today as I was piecing 
While many of us are enjoying a three day weekend, barbecues and ushering in the start of summer, we would like to remind everyone to take a moment to honor the men and women who have died in service to our great country. The sacrifices of our military men and women in defending our freedoms are not forgotten.
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