There are many advantages of homeschooling for those who decide to start this adventure. Although not for the faint of heart, it is a commitment well worth it for those who have decided to take this path. I’ll list a few reasons I see homeschooling as advantageous in my upcoming points.
Advantages of homeschooling #1: flexibility
Your child has the ability to complete classwork any time during the day (unless your state requires certain hours, and even then it should certainly be flexible). Your child can work at his or her own pace and complete work at a time that is acceptable to you, the teacher. As your child’s teacher/mentor, you can help your child to set an appropriate pace based on his/her development and skill. You also have the flexibility to select from a variety of curricula that will best fit your children’s needs.
I enjoy having my children move faster or slower on subjects where it best suits them, and it is absolutely wonderful to be able to schedule our school so that we get longer or shorter summer and winter breaks so that we can take impromptu family vacations. I also appreciate the flexibility in choosing a curriculum that my children will enjoy and that I enjoy teaching from.
Advantages of homeschooling #2: increased academic performance
Your child, as a homeschooler, would typically perform at or above grade level in some academic subjects and would possibly score higher on achievement tests. This, of course, is a real plus for high schoolers who are looking into the college option. Many colleges are actively recruiting homeschoolers for this reason alone (not to mention that they see other valuable qualities in home-educated students, such as work ethic).
Personally, I have noticed that my oldest has been performing on a higher level academically in language arts and music, for example. She’s a voracious reader who is a disciplined and independent learner, and I believe that much of this is nurtured through the environment we try to have in our home.
Advantage #3: involvement in community activities
Homeschooled students have the advantage of being very involved in community activities, submerged into new cultures, and therefore many times have been proven to be quite adaptable to new circumstances and people. Rather than just learning to get along with same-age peers and be exposed to peer pressure, homeschooled children learn to get along with groups of multi-age clusters.
I very much enjoy watching my children communicating with children younger and older than them, as well as adults.
Advantages of Homeschooling #4: shorter school hours
One other advantage of home education that many parents report is shorter school hours. It is very possible to finish school in as few as two to three hours each academic day. This is possible because there are no administrative tasks to attend to as in most public school settings. When activities such as roll call, getting into single file lines to change classes, multiple assembly meetings, or even classroom behavior disruptions are eliminated, then the actual time spent learning is typically what is left for most homeschoolers.
Check out this video for more information on the advantages of homeschooling.
In our home, we set aside extra time for physical education and play dates at the park (our recess), as well as breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Behavioral disruptions are few, and when it is time to learn, (with fewer children than the typical 15+ students in a public school classroom) we simply meet up at a table, desk, the floor, or outdoors with our learning materials, and start to learn. This makes homeschooling enjoyable for all of us, and the hours are much, much shorter than a typical school day for many children.
So, still not convinced homeschooling is for you? It may not be, and that’s okay if it doesn’t work for your family…but if you are feeling that pull to be home with your children for both spiritual and academic reasons, then definitely consider the benefits for your family.
I hope this post explaining the advantages of homeschooling has helped you see many of the reasons our family (and tens of thousands of others worldwide) have also decided on this home education path. If you feel that you might be ready to begin homeschooling, check out this post and begin exploring how to homeschool.
