Benefits of Homeschooling: A Running Tally 1

Benefits of Homeschooling: A Running Tally

What are the benefits of homeschooling? You probably have a few in mind, but until you experience the ups and downs of life and homeschooling your list will be incomplete. I love to make lists, so I’m keeping a list of homeschool benefits.  **This is just a beginning list. I’m trying to keep track of the moments when I think, “I’m sure thankful to homeschooling today.” Use these lists as encouragement and start your own list of blessings. If you’re thinking about homeschooling, start here.

Homeschool Benefits by Category:

Mom giving Monarch butterfly to daughter to release

Table of Contents

Flexibility

  • I set the schedule for our day.
  • Dr. and Dentist appointments are easier to schedule.
  • Field trips can happen anytime.
  • If the weather is nice, we take our work outside.
  • No make up work when we are sick.
  • When a mouse runs through your house, you can learn about the best ways to rid your house of mice. Hands on Science!
  • If Dad loses his keys, it’s time for a treasure hunt. We call this a brain break!
  • A home business is a possibility–if you’re a book lover consider Usborne Books & More.

Family

  • Lots of time with family.
  • Daily opportunities to show love to family members.
  • Strong bonds with family.
  • Conflict resolution is essential.
  • We learn that no matter what, we are family and family sticks together.
  • Family works and plays together.
  • Every member of the family is important.

Learning

We can learn about anything, anywhere and anytime. Here are some learning opportunities from this morning’s trip into town.

  • At the Dentist’s office
      • Watching mom get her teeth clean and asking the technician about how everything works.
        • “Why is there blood on her teeth?”
    • Driving down the road.
      • What do those lines on the road mean?
      • Why are some yellow and some white? 
      • How fast are you driving mom?
      • How long will it take to get to the store?
    • In the grocery store.
      • Bananas are 49 cents a pound.
        • How much do these bananas weigh?
        • How much will they cost?
      • Which is better?
      • Is this a healthy choice?
        • What are the ingredients?
        • How much sugar? Caffeine? Carbs?
      • Does this store have a bathroom?
        • Why is this stall bigger than the rest?
        • How do automatic toilet flushers work?
        • Do I have to wash my hands?
        • Is it ok if I use water and not soap?
    • Mailing a package at the post office.
      • What are all those boxes for?
      • Why do you have to pay to mail a package?
Homeschool Fieldtrip

Pick Your Pace and Your Interests

We recently discovered delight led learning. While my girls loved learning about Monarch Butterflies, I think I learned even more than they did. Go ahead and sneak a peak at our Monarch Project.

Relationships

When you start talking about homeschooling, someone will ask you about socialization. Don’t you think your kids need to be with other kids? No worries here! We get plenty of opportunities to socialize (Church, homeschool group, library, family, friends, park days).

If socialization is your main worry, I will quote my third-grade teacher (whom I consider an expert), “Stop! We are not here to socialize. We are here to learn.”

  • Friends of all ages and interests.
  • Able to carry on a conversation with an adult.
  • We see our friends at church, library, homeschool co-op (see a lesson plan), Dairy Queen, grocery store, and playground.
  • Visit with elderly family and church friends.
  • Time for making birdhouses, camping, baking and quilting with Grandma & Grandpa.

Moments to Cherish

  • The first time your child reads a word, a sentence, a page, a small book, a chapter!
  • Excitement when a skill is mastered! “Look! I can do it by myself!”
  • Exclamations of “Best day ever!” and “Can we do that again?”
  • Discussions about things you never even thought of. 
  • Hugs after a long talk.
  • Hugs — just because.
  • Sitting in silence when everyone is exhausted from a family project.
  • Chasing bubbles on a windy day.
  • Sliding on a snowy hill & throwing snowballs.

Faith

  • In our family, we emphasize relationship (know who God is, who you are, and how you should live your life based on this relationship) over religion (manmade expectations).
  • Children learn to ask deep questions.
  • I model for my children what faith in action looks like.
  • We study God’s Word together.
  • They ask questions to make sense of the world.
  • Home is a safe place for my children to sort out what is true and what is not.

Did you notice that many of the homeschooling benefits on my list aren’t specific to homeschooling. Many are parenting and family moments. 

I wish that I’d had these moments with my family when I was a kid. Our school bus picked us up early in the morning and brought us home late in the afternoon.  Most evenings we rushed through homework, chores and supper.  Then we went to bed and repeated the routine. We didn’t have time together as a family unless it was the weekend. Even then our weekends were full and on the go.

Homeschooling has a different feel to it. We set our schedule. We choose what is important to our family. We are learning all day long, but my children don’t even realize it. For them, school is the stuff we do out of books. For me, it is what we do all day long (and yes it can be exhausting, but exciting at the same time). Questions and teachable moments abound, if you are looking for them. 

What blessings and benefits have you experienced from homeschooling?

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