Prospective Homeschool Parents: Part 3 of 5: What are the Benefits of Homeschooling for your Family?

So many families are jumping on the homeschool bandwagon these days as millions of children are a part of a homeschooling family.  While there are no statistics on the actual number of homeschoolers in the US, it is estimated that almost 3% of all children in the nation are now homeschooling.  And those numbers are growing every year.

While doing research for this post, I came upon the exact same "articles" and resources that were available over ten years ago when we first started homeschooling.  Are there no reliable statistics?
Honestly, I'm OK with that.  I have no desire to see lists and records being kept...

Unfortunately that makes it very difficult to get information on the lifestyle.  Most people find themselves having to rely on blogs and other independent sources for information.  So, in the name of doing my part, I have "interviewed" some of my friends who have been homeschooling for many years.  Between us we have well over 100 years of homeschooling experience.

In this blog post we will explore the question:  

What are the benefits of homeschooling for your family?

I'm going to give you a little clue.  

The main benefits spoken of are Family Time, Freedom, and Flexibility. 

 But each mom who responded to this question was quite enthusiastic 

in their answers!

Shannon said:  1. The benefits have been numerous but the biggest is the flexibility of the schedule. We are able to do work when/if we want to and if I want to sleep in until 9am (and if the kids let me!) then I can. If we need a day off to play in the snow, no big deal. The other huge plus is that we are DONE with school stuff within 2-3 hours tops (not counting any educational shows/movies we watch).

Rayven:  Freedom

Amnesty:  Flexibility

Carrie:  We have actual time together. (Locally, bus pick up is around 7:30am and drop off around 4:15pm if a child has no after school activities. Add homework, practices/lessons/games, and there’s barely time for a rushed dinner most days. We did that for several years before homeschooling. It was awful.)

Cynthia:  Benefits are the freedom. We can do what we want, mostly. And it's wonderful to let teens sleep as they need to.

Angie:  It fits our lifestyle! We love to travel and the kids enjoy a lot of extracurricular activities. I don't want to bog down their afterschool hours with activities when they don't need to be in school that long in the first place. If people realized how much actual learning was taking place in school, I think more people would be choosing 'education-your-way.'

Rebecca: The benefits are endless. I know when the children have actually understood something, and they won't get left behind. They can work at their own pace. We can do interesting things in more depth and at a more advanced level than they would at school. We can have days off when we are just not in the mood. We can go on vacation out of season. We can go on day-trips at the drop of a hat. My children don't have to sit behind desks all day. I don't have to worry about them being bullied (apart from bullying each other!). They have a lot more time to actually be children, play outside, go to the beach.....instead of spending hours doing homework. I could go on and on.....  And NO School on Birthdays!

Shannon:  The benefits have been numerous but the biggest is the flexibility of the schedule. We are able to do work when/if we want to and if I want to sleep in until 9am (and if the kids let me!) then I can. If we need a day off to play in the snow, no big deal. The other huge plus is that we are DONE with school stuff within 2-3 hours tops (not counting any educational shows/movies we watch).

Darlene:  Better academics, freedom, liking and enjoying each other, plenty of sleep, and ten million more...

Marie:  Allow them, and you time to shake off the idea of what school should be, and develop your own path and system, that allows you the freedom to adjust as needed,

Cathy:  All sorts of benefits. Big two are: (1) incredible close family, even between my kids with big age differences (8 to 10 years), and (2) time to really read (rather than doing reading worksheets), time to play, time to explore passions, time to sleep, time to be with relatives (such a blessing in my dad's last few months of life), time, time, time.

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Please feel welcome to ask any questions that you wish.  

I am more than happy to provide support and resources!

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Upcoming questions in this series:

What are the negatives of homeschooling?

What about Socialization???

 

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If you enjoyed this post you might also try:
At Least Ten Good Reasons to Homeschool
Part 2 of this Series:  Homeschooling Fears 

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