This is a very personal topic for me because I have social anxiety and spent my entire adult life trying to understand it and battle it.
Now that I’m homeschooling my kids, I try to be more aware of their personalities and what I need to do or what advice I need to give them to make them feel comfortable.
One thing many parents are worry about when they think about homeschooling is socialization.
Kid’s who are in public school have a lot of opportunities for socializing. So, parents worry that homeschooling their kids means that there will get less opportunities for socialization and with that may come social anxiety or their child acting awkward around other people.
THE BIG PICTURE
First, I want to say that there are so many scenarios that play into whether or not a child will end up with social anxiety because of homeschooling.
Keep in mind that putting your child in public school can also cause social anxiety.
IT COULD GO EITHER WAY
Maybe your child is shy and needs that push with public school because consistently going outside of their comfort zone is helpful.
Maybe public school is too much for your child to handle because there are too many people and social situations to deal with.
Maybe homeschool will make your child more uncomfortable around people because they don’t get the opportunities to socialize regularly.
Maybe more close-knit homeschooling communities will be great for your child!
YOUR CHILD
First, we have to think about your child.
Is your child shy?
How does your child handle issues with other kids?
Does your child want to be with friends often?
Understanding your child will help you to make the best decision for them.
THE PARENT
Second, we have to look at the parent. How many social interactions a homeschooled child has will depend on the parent.
Will you put your child in a charter, co-op, sport, schedule playdates…?
MY BEST ADVICE
Listen, watch and talk to your child. Be open to the fact that not every child is a social butterfly and if your child has social anxiety, it may be a deeper issue than him or her being homeschooled.
If you are all in with homeschooling but you know your child is shy, remember, you are in control.
THE BALL IS IN YOUR COURT!
Many people choose to homeschool because we are our child’s best teacher.
In public school there is one curriculum, one set of kids, and one environment. You hand your kid over and that’s it.
When you homeschool, you have full control of everything.
You can do more or less outings depending on your child’s needs. You can have more intimate play dates or bigger field trips…
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Xx Jeni
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