If you would have told me 5 years ago I would be homeschooling my children and I would enjoy it, I would have laughed at you. Seriously, I was counting the days until my youngest was school age and I could return to the work force. But as life would have it, I would soon pull my kids from public school and start on this amazing journey and never look back. Now I pulled my children from brick and mortar school with thought that I would send them back in a couple of years, we fell in love with homeschooling and have yet to look back. So here are my Top 10 Reasons we Homeschool.
Reason One: Freedom of Homeschooling
The Freedom that comes with homeschooling is more than I could ever have imagined. There is no schedule or time frame that school has to be done. We make a schedule that works for us. There is no law that says you must do school work from 9 to 3 each day. We can to zoo early in the day before it gets hot and do our “book” work as I call it after supper. This has also allowed my family to more vacations together, as we don’t have to follow the traditional school schedule.
Reason Two: Interest Based Learning
Every child has subjects they enjoy and subjects they don’t. Homeschooling gives us the freedom to explore more in depth with the subjects the children are passionate about. Today it is insects next week is space. The only limitation is your own imagination. With homeschooling you have the freedom (there is that word again) to let your child explore their natural talents and tailor their education to them specifically.
Reason Three: Family Bonds
I thought I was close with my children (and I was) but the sweetest thing I have witnessed with my family and other families is the sibling relationships grow and flourish. We have been blessed with a strong family bond because we are able to spend more quality time together. Now we are able to support each other when one is struggling and cheer one on as they succeed. Together grow learn and explore as a family.
Reason Four: Safety
I would be lying if I didn’t say safety was one of the leading reasons we pulled our children from school. Between bullying, peer pressure, drugs and yes even school shootings. There were some days I dreaded putting my children on the bus. To say they don’t face any of this would be false but bullying is a lot less likely to happen in a homeschool group.
Reason Five: Our Christian Faith
Our Faith is important to me. Homeschooling allows us to bring our faith in the classroom. We are able to bring our Christian values, character development into our studies. God has played a big role in my life and our journey to homeschool. While homeschooling has brought me closer to God, God has brought me closer to my family.
Reason Six: Socialization
The biggest question I get asked “what about socialization?” I remember being told as public school graduate that school was not for socialization it was for learning. Here is what I have found. My children are more socialized than I ever was at any of their ages. My youngest who has never been to pubic school will have complete conversations with random adults. Something I would never do.
Not only do my kids socialize with peers in their age group they also engage with older children, younger kids and adults. We get to experience the world together, from grocery shopping, the bank teller, our local co-op, church, sports, and all the other activities. Public school is the only time in life where you are put with 20 peers your same age and it is called socializing.
Reason Seven: More Time to be a Child
More time to be a child, this pulls at my heart strings. The freedom to go the park, climb a tree, play in a creek, put on a puppet show and play pretend. Children grow up too fast but I have found with homeschooling we are able to slow down and let them stay a child a little bit longer. We are able to go outside almost every day, letting nature be our guide as we explore and learn. sometimes we just sit out by our favorite tree and read a book. If the my children spent six hours in a class room they wouldn’t have the time or freedom to be a child.
Reason Eight: The Mornings
Our morning routines used to be fighting kids to get out of bed get dressed, brush their hair and teeth, make a quick breakfast, all while packing lunch finding folders and shoes. It was crazy hectic and exhausting.
Now our mornings are slow calm and fun. Most morning we don’t have a set time to wake up. I believe the children need sleep and their bodies will wake them when ready. We play music and dance, we talk about our day ahead. We work together to get morning chores done and eat breakfast. Then when can all settle in together to start our school day. It might seem small, but remembering morning filled with tears and fights, I cherish the mornings we have now as a family.
Reason Nine: The Budget
There is so much freedom when it comes to homeschooling including the cost. There are 1000’s of curriculum to choose from and something for every budget. We use the library and other free sources while I pay for curriculum and unit studies in other subjects. You can spend as little or as much as you want. Its all about getting creative and enjoying the experience.
Reason Ten: The Community
When my husband and I decided to homeschool our children we had a lot of pushback from family and friends. To this day we still have family that does not support us (and that’s okay). We lost friendships too. But what we gained was an invitation into a whole new community that is welcoming, caring and supportive. No two homeschooling families are the same, yet we are all here to share and support each other.
Homeschooling has been a Blessing
My reasons for homeschooling has changed since we started homeschooling, but if I had too I would do it all over again. I love this family we have created. The freedom and creativity that brought us together, is something I will cherish for a lifetime. Homeschooling my children as been one of the best blessings I never knew I needed.
