Benefits of Homeschooling

Deciding whether or not to homeschool can be a difficult decision for parents.  It’s hard to know what the benefits of homeschooling are if you have not experienced it for yourself.  If you are like me, you went to public school and feel like you got a decent education.  There is also something to be said about the public school experience…riding the bus, a classroom full of kids, and later prom and varsity sports.  We want to do what is best for our child and it is difficult to know whether the answer is for her to go to public school just like you, or to venture into unknown territory and  try homeschooling.  I’ve come up with a list of pros and cons that will hopefully get you thinking and maybe help with your decision.

Pros to Homeschooling:

1.       Your child’s education can be customized to meet her specific needs and learning style. As we know, every child is different.  No person has the same interests, abilities, or learning style.  So why does our public education system put children into the same class primarily based upon age, rather than by ability or learning style?

For example, in the public school system, why isn’t a 6 year old able to take a science class with 8 year olds if she is capable of comprehending the material and shows a natural ability in the area of science?  With homeschooling, this is able to be done because each child is able to explore her particular interests and set the pace of instruction.

Just as with interests, every child also has a different ability level in each subject.  Why do most public school systems expect children to be at grade level in every subject area?  As in the example above, the girl has a natural ability in science, but maybe she struggles with spelling and grammar.  With homeschooling, the pace can be adjusted for each subject to meet her needs.  This flexibility is especially helpful with children who have learning disabilities and/or special needs.  The curriculum can be designed and adjusted specifically for each child.

Every child has a different learning style, also.  Some children rely mainly on visual input to learn, while others rely on auditory input, and yet others rely on a kinesthetic mode of input.  Usually a child will be a combination of the three, with one mode being the strength.  (Read more about AVK  learning styles.  You can also take the VARK test to determine your own learning preference.)  In the public school system, what do you do if a teacher uses mostly visual and auditory methods of teaching, and your child is mainly a kinesthetic learner?  With homeschooling, the teaching style can match your child’s learning style.

2.       The world is your multisensory classroom. With homeschooling, teaching a child is a part of daily life.  Your child learns from everyday people and experiences.  A child can learn to interact with people of all age groups, rather than just her peers.  Multisensory opportunities are abound, as any day of the week can be a trip to the zoo, art or science museum, monument, or nature walk.  School can become like one big “field trip”, which unfortunately is not the case in most public schools.

3.       Ability to control the content taught to your child. With homeschooling, you are able to incorporate art, music, history, science, and geography into the curriculum which may not otherwise be taught in the public school system.  Also, you are able to instill your family’s beliefs and teach your life philosophy to your children.

4.       Ability to spend quality time with your child. As every parent knows, children grow up so quickly.  With homeschooling, you are able to spend precious time together with your child every day while learning and creating new memories.

Have I left any benefits of homeschooling out?  Please let me know in the comment section below.  Also, stay tuned for my next post on Downsides of Homeschooling.