Seton Magazine Catholic Homeschool Articles, Advice & Resources
Summary
What about socialization? Homeschooling mother, Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur, discusses the wealth of opportunities for homeschoolers to learn social skills.“What about socialization?” Homeschooling parents hear that question, or some variation of it, often in the course of their homeschool lives.
This query is often asked by well-meaning family members and friends who are truly concerned that our children are going to miss out on some vital skills and experiences by not being in a conventional school. We know that much social learning takes place within the family unit, especially if there are multiple children.
However, while we homeschooling parents understand that our children do not need to be in a classroom with 20+ other children of the same age five days a week, six hours a day in order to be socialized human beings, they do need some interaction with their peers and the opportunity to make friends.
Over the years, I have learned the importance of such interactions, and I have discovered many valuable resources for socializing my children.
When I first thought about homeschooling, my two older children were very little. At the time, we were involved with a parish sponsored play group where both they and I made some great friends. I also took them to a Music Together class where they got to play and learn with other young children.
Nevertheless, as my oldest child reached kindergarten age, I knew that those resources would soon be gone. I wanted to homeschool, but I didn’t want to do it alone. I reached out to my local Catholic homeschool group, but no one ever got back to me. For that and other reasons, I sent my children to school for two years.
When God made it plainly obvious that I should be homeschooling, the doors opened. I began to attend the the local homeschool group’s Friday morning “Moms pray, Kids play” sessions with my children. Eight years later, I still look forward to this weekly gathering.
My children made wonderful friends, and I can’t imagine homeschooling without the support of this group of moms. On and off throughout the years, that group has also sponsored co-ops, both large and small, in which my children have been able to enjoy a classroom-like experience.
Moreover, my children have had many other opportunities to learn social skills. In second grade, I sent them to the parish religious education program for their sacramental preparation. When they were younger, they played soccer in the fall and spring.
When they got a bit older, they started acting classes, an activity they love and still take part in. This has been an excellent educational as well as social activity for them. They have learned how to speak in public as well as how to work with a large and diverse group of people to pull a production together.
The library has also been a great resource, not only for books and educational purposes, but also for free social activities. Our local library runs a chess club which my children took part in for many years.
Through this club, they engaged in friendly competition with fellow members, and they were also able had to compete at larger regional events. When they were young, I took them to library story hours and events. As they got older, they volunteered to help run the summer reading program. This work taught them responsibility and useful customer service skills.
The opportunities for homeschooled children to socialize are many and varied.
Almost any community after school activity is also open to homeschoolers. Homeschooled children can play organized sports, take music or art classes, get involved in scouting and 4H, or be a member of a parish youth group, to name just a few. The YMCA or Boys and Girls Club may also offer interesting programs.
While overloading on activities is never a good idea, choosing one or two worthwhile ones to take part in can go a long way in providing a chance to make friends and learn social skills.
Header photo CC: Adobe Stock: Sergey Novikov
About Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur
