Thinking about homeschooling your kids? Here are 10 amazing reasons to homeschool to help with your decision.
If there is one thing I’ve learned about parenting it’s that nothing goes the way you think it will. For example, I never thought I would homeschool my kids.
I went to public school growing up and never really thought twice about it. Everyone around me went to public school and planned to do the same with their kids.
But when my oldest daughter was 3 years old, I started looking into education options for her and came across homeschooling. After doing some research, I knew it was the right decision for our family.
To date, it’s hands-down one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
In this article, I’m going to share 10 amazing reasons to homeschool. These are some of the main reasons why I, and many other families, decided to start homeschooling in the first place and why we continue to do it year after year.
Let’s dive in!
10 Reasons to Homeschool
Before I dive into this list of reasons to homeschool, I want to be clear there are WAY more than 10. Like, way, way more. Almost every week, I experience something that makes me glad I homeschool my kids.
But for this list, we’ll just cover some of the big ones. These are some of the most compelling reasons to homeschool and why many families make the switch from public school.
If you find that some of these reasons resonate with you, definitely start doing some research into homeschooling your kids. It just might be the right fit for your family.
1.) Personalized learning
The first, and maybe most obvious, reason to homeschool is that you can offer your child more personalized learning. In public school, lessons are taught to a group of kids and they continue at a pace that matches the majority of the group.
So even if your child is struggling to master fractions, the teacher has to move on when the rest of the class has gotten it. Or, if your child got the hang of nouns and pronouns on the first day, they still have to sit through another week or more of busy work while the rest of the class catches up.
This means that throughout the year your child might be struggling to play catch-up. Or alternatively, sitting around bored depending on where the rest of the class is at. For some children, this can be a recipe for disaster.
Homeschool in a way that fits your child
When you homeschool, you can customize the homeschool
And because it’s all personalized, there’s no more feeling left behind or bored out of your mind!
This was one of the major factors that inspired me to research homeschooling in the first place. As an exceptionally bright preschooler, I was worried about what kind of experience my daughter would have in Kindergarten. I was afraid she would get bored and restless going over lessons we had already covered at home.
It’s been a huge weight off my shoulders knowing that my children can learn at their own pace and in the way that works best for them. And even better, not have any sort of negative thoughts about their own intelligence simply because they can’t stick to a pace set with other children in mind.
2.) Safe learning environment
Another very compelling reason to homeschool is that your children will get to learn in a loving and safe learning environment. You can’t get any safer and comforting than your own home.
In public school, children are exposed to a variety of people and situations. While this can be great for learning how to handle being in groups, it also means they’re more vulnerable to problems too. Things like bullies, peer pressure, and potential dangers that lurk around the corner.
You have no control over who your child interacts with or what kind of experiences they have outside the home. But when you homeschool, your children are learning and interacting with people that you approve of in a safe environment.
3.) Stronger family bonds
Next on our list of reasons to homeschool is that it allows for your family to create much stronger bonds with each other. The best way to build a relationship is by spending quality time together.
When children attend public school, they are spending at least 8 hours a day with other people. And that’s not including getting to and from school, sports practices, and club meetings. That doesn’t leave a lot of quality time for families to spend together throughout the week.
When you homeschool, your kids get to be with you all day every day. Which means plenty of time for bonding and building strong relationships. Homeschool families are able to learn together, eat meals together, and work on different projects together.
I’ve enjoyed seeing this play out between myself and my kids, but what I really love seeing is the bond my kids have with each other. Sibling relationships can often be tough to navigate, but homeschooling has offered them the time to really deepen their relationships.
Hearing my kids call their siblings their best friends and seeing them actually enjoy spending time together makes my momma’s heart happy.
4.) More influence in your children’s lives
Another really great reason to homeschool is that you have more influence in your children’s lives. Just like that quality time I just mentioned leads to stronger bonds, it also allows you to be more involved with your children’s day-to-day life.
When your children attend public school, you don’t get to see how they interact with peers or how the teacher is teaching them. You’re left with just hearing about it at night when your child goes over what happened during the day.
Your children are often most influenced by the people they spend the most time with, and unfortunately, that’s not you. But when you homeschool, you are there for every step of the way.
You’re often one of the first people they come to with questions or concerns instead of their friends. You actually get to meet their friends and get to know their families.
My daughter still comes to me at 13 with questions about her friends and their interactions. She asks me how to navigate different situations, what she should do when someone does something wrong, and so much more.
It’s important to me as a parent to be able to guide my children and support them as they grow up. Homeschooling allows me to be a more integral part of that.
5.) More time to teach family values
Another reason that many families choose to homeschool is that it offers more time to teach family values to their children. This could cover everything from your faith to the environment and character development.
In public schools, the focus is more on academics than moral values. And that makes sense because it’s a collection of many different groups with many different faiths and beliefs.
However, when you homeschool, you can take the time to really focus on the values that are important to your family. And make sure they get passed down to your children. You can integrate them within their learning instead of making it something separate.
Rather than it being something you hope they learn in the moments they can during the evening and on weekends, it becomes a full part of their day.
6.) More time out in the real world
Next on our list of reasons to homeschool is that it allows for more time to get out in the real world. A public school environment is not the real world.
Children spend 8 hours a day inside with a big group of 20-30 kids their own age being told what to do all day. They’re often not expected to think for themselves or to make their own decisions, and there is no autonomy throughout the day.
Sure, it’s great if your children are learning a lot of different topics and can recite facts at the drop of a hat. But what good does that do them if they don’t know how to apply them in the real world?
Homeschooling allows you to take more field trips and do hands-on activities that really help your children understand what they’re learning. You can use museums, libraries, nature trails, local businesses, art galleries and so much more to bring their learning to life.
And it doesn’t have to be only educational either. Homeschoolers learn how to be self-directed, take initiative, and independently find information to teach themselves necessary skills.
I feel like it’s a real advantage for my children that they are learning about the world as they grow up instead of being stuck inside a classroom all day.
7.) Better time management skills
Homeschooling also allows children to develop better time management skills. Teaching a child how to manage their own time is an incredibly important skill that can be used all throughout life.
When your children are in public school, their entire day is usually already planned out by the teacher. They get up at a certain time, go to school, move from class to class, eat lunch at a specific time, and so on.
When they come home, it’s often homework until bedtime. Then the weekend is spent catching up with friends or doing activities. Your children don’t have much experience in actually managing their own time because it’s always being done for them.
Homeschooling, on the other hand, provides an opportunity for children to learn how to manage their own responsibilities. They get to plan out their day and decide when they should do certain tasks.
Of course, as parents, we guide them and help them find balance in life but they get a lot more opportunity to make their own decisions about how they spend their time. This skill is invaluable and can help your children learn to be more organized, efficient, and productive in life.
Both of my daughters have learned by 8 years old to wake up, get ready for the day, and get their schoolwork and chores done without me having to direct them every step of the way. It helps me feel confident that when they grow up and leave the house, they’ll be able to manage their own time and make sure all of their responsibilities are taken care of.
8.) More time to follow passions, hobbies, and interests
A really fun reason to homeschool is that your children get a lot more time to follow their passions, hobbies, and interests.
When they attend public school, children are limited to a certain number of activities that the schools offer. And while those activities can help foster growth in many different areas, it’s not always enough for them to explore their own individual interests.
Homeschooling allows you to go more in-depth with topics that your children really care about. Especially if there are certain activities or resources you want to provide for them that the school wouldn’t have access to.
My son loves dinosaurs, so he’s been able to create staged scenes, record dinosaur movies, and read as many dinosaur
My daughter loves drawing, so she gets to spend a lot of time doing sketches and artwork. Instead of having it be just an occasional activity on the weekends or during summer breaks.
And because we have more flexibility with our schedule, they both get to explore a wide range of topics and activities, from coding to cooking, as part of their learning experience.
9.) Less social pressure
One of the reasons to homeschool that has become more noticeable in our family over the last few years is that there is a lot less social pressure.
In public schools, your children will be exposed to a variety of different social situations. However, these social situations don’t always bring out the best in people. They can often lead to bullying or feeling like they need to fit in with the crowd.
Children also end up learning about things or acting in ways that they aren’t comfortable with just because they feel like it’s expected of them.
Homeschooled students are allowed to have some distance from these types of social pressures. They can learn more about how they want to interact with others, not just what is popular among their peers.
Your kids aren’t forced to act a certain way or do or say certain things because they’re worried a classmate won’t like them. They have so much more time to develop confidence and self-assuredness without feeling like they need to be someone they’re not.
Especially as my oldest daughter starts to navigate her teenage years, I’m so thankful for homeschooling. It has given her the mental and emotional space to figure out who she is without feeling like she needs to conform to a certain “ideal”.
10.) Learning can be fun
Last on our list of reasons to homeschool is that you get a chance to make learning fun! Ask any public school kid if they like school. Ask them if they think school is fun.
The odds are pretty good they’ll say no. Or if they do say they like school, it’s almost always because of their friends.
Most teachers do their best, but public school isn’t really designed to make learning fun. It’s supposed to be efficient.
But learning can actually be an amazing, beautiful, and exciting experience. In fact, I think most children are born with a love of learning. It’s when they start going to school that they lose that.
When homeschooling, you have the opportunity to create an environment where learning is not only encouraged but also fun. You can include things like field trips, hands-on projects, and even family vacations as part of your
You can let your child learn and explore in a way that feels right for them and encourages them to learn. Rather than master facts or “keep up” with what everyone else is doing.
By homeschooling your children, you will not only encourage a lifelong love of learning but also make sure that your child is getting the best education possible.
Conclusion to 10 Reasons to Homeschool
I hope this list of 10 reasons to homeschool helps you decide if it’s the right path for your family. If any of these resonated with you, definitely start doing some research into homeschooling. Then you can decide if it’s something that could work for your family.
Homeschooling has been one of the best decisions for us as a family and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
If you have any questions about homeschooling or our experience, please feel free to reach out! I’m always happy to help other families learn more about homeschooling.
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