What alternatives for socializing exist for home-schooled children?

Question

I'm thinking regular outings to local parks, community sports.... What else?

Answer 1

There are already some really good answers to your question.  We participate in many of the things that have been mentioned.  I just wanted to add a couple of suggestions.  My three kids and I meet monthly with three other homeschooled families and go to a seniors' home to read to senior citizens.  We sometimes play games, too and some of the kids perform musically.  It is enriching for both the residents and our children.  The other thing we do is a monthly meeting where the kids can read a story or poem, perform a skit or speech, or perform musically for the others.  We usually do this in the evening, so the dads can see what their kids can do.  Everyone really enjoys it and the kids really have a chance to shine.  There are usually around fourteen kids between three and fifteen years of age.  Nobody is obliged to attend or participate, but we're finding that even the older ones seem to really like it.

Answer 2

Sports teams, dance, music lessons, homeschool groups - and homeschooled kids aren't retarded they can make their own friends and do their own things, too!

Answer 3

Pretty much anything and everything you could think of.  My son sees his friends several times a week by going over to play when they're all done with school (2-3 hours before ps kids get out), being in plays with lots of other kids, Scouts, sports, programs at church and at the library, going to the park, going swimming, ice skating, and roller skating with our homeschool group, field trips, co op classes, and sleepovers.  I'm sure there are things that I'm missing, but that's what I can think of off the top of my head.

Basically, everything they have time to do because they're not stuck in a classroom with the same kids every day :-)

Answer 4

There are more opportunities available to homeschooled children simply because they have more time to live in the real world, outside of a classroom.

Some ideas...  park, sports, stores, field trips, museums, zoos, picnics, parties, family, neighbors, every place that people interact with each other.

The possibilities are endless :D

Answer 5

Frankly, the concerns about socialization are exaggerated.  Kids get socialized by being around other people.  That can happen anywhere, formally or casually: public places, church, community centers, sports, festivals, concerts, museums, neighborhoods, etc. etc.  It happens more or less naturally.

Involve your kid in programs that you think are enriching for their own sake.  Socialization will happen in its own natural way.

Answer 6

Homeschool groups, church, youth group, scouting, boys and girls clubs, 4-H, gymnastics, martial arts, clubs run by the local library (ours has a chess club, and several book discussion clubs), and just simply getting together with others after school hours and on weekends.

Answer 7

My son is in a home school gym class at the YMCA. They meet for 1 hr every Thurs.

He's also on a soccer team, they pratice 2x's a week, with a game on Sat. Then we have an excercise class 3x's a week. We also go to parks and do other stuff to interact with other peers his age.......

Answer 8

Your children can join the clubs and activities at the local public school.  Consider the ones with competitive events such as Future Business Leaders of America where there are group projects.  [You just need to contact the adviser to find out how to join.]

Answer 9

The other answers here are all great and accurate.  

One thought that has not been mentioned is something that I have done with my children.  

We would go to a coffee shop or the like at the same time each week.  We discovered a group of elderly that would meet on a regular basis in the same location.  These were highly intelligent men with wonderful educations who were fascinated by homeschooling.  They bonded with my children and we would all meet at least once per week.  My children learned a lot from them and they from my children.  And those relationships enriched my entire family and made the end of these men’s lives very happy.  My children have never had difficulty talking to adults, that I a wonderful blessing.

Answer 10

Many cities have home-school groups that meet to go to museums, tours of local buildings and businesses.  You could organize an art/craft group, dance / phys ed group.  The possibilities are endless.

Answer 11

I'd recommend (being a home school student myself) getting your child into something he/she loves. Dance, soccer, swimming, instrument.. Summer camps for the child's age level are also great. Traveling abroad with a study group of the same age.

I personally wish I would have gotten into an early honors program we have here in town. It's a lot like home school in the sense of learning and flexibility, but would have prepared me for the structure of college. Plus the students there are all mature, not like those in high school. It's something to keep your mind open to...

Answer 12

Think about every social activity that you can do and there you go -- you have your list.

We are and have been involved in:

Equestrian events (horses...) from 4-H to high-school equestrian teams, trail riding, arena games, etc.

Baseball - both in Little League and home-school leagues

Wrestling -- community team; district competitions

Basketball -- regular gym days and also league events.

Field trips -- to the zoo, the aviation museum, bakeries, the Marine Science Center, maritime museums (ships, etc..), Wood-carving classes

Church gatherings, youth groups, potlucks etc.

Art classes

Writing classes

Reading groups

Volleyball

Summer camps

Winter camps -- horsemanship and other

Hay rides

Country dances

Jobs -- work on construction sites, farming, customer service at local festivals

Managing craft-fair sale tables

Plays -- both watching and performing

Concerts -- again, both watching and performing

Music classes -- group choir, violin, piano, voice, etc.

And then there are the nominal activities -- grocery shopping, garage sale shopping and managing, yard work for elderly folks and neighbors, newspaper routes, etc....

Need more?  :-)  I've got a longer list.....

Thank you for asking!

Answer 13

Depending on the age of the kids being homeschooled the kid could play high school sports.  This is great because they have an oppurtunity to make many friends and then that can lead them to going to things like homecoming for their sports team.  This really allows them to have the same social experience as an average highschooler but without making them go to high school.

Answer 14

Of course each area is different, you'll have to check what is available in your own town, but...

We have several homeschool groups that meet a couple of times per week at parks to play, or go on group field trips a lot (like next weekend, we're all going camping at a nature preserve for 2 days).

We also have a co-op that meets Thursdays at a facility we rent with classrooms and a playground out back-- runs from 9 to 2 or so and the kids take various classes (a big variety is offered) and run around and play during their periods off.

Our local library has a lot of both homeschool and regular programs-- reading programs, Yu-Gi-Oh tournaments, chess club, American Girls series events, etc., etc.

We're very active in our church, spend a lot of time there on Sundays and hang out with friends afterwards, plus go there once more per week for meetings & choir practice and such and the kids all play while we do our thing.

Community centers, museums, botanic gardens, theaters, etc., all have lots of different programs for kids-- classes, camps, workshops, etc.

There's scouting, 4H, community sports teams, specialized classes (dance, art, karate, etc.)...

Then of course there is just going out to play in the afternoon when the schooled kids are out, or going to the park and such.

For my teen there is the dual enrollment program at the community college she takes classes there, too...

Answer 15

There are so many way for home-schooled children to "socialize."  

1.  Neighborhood friends

2. 4-H, FFA, Scouts, etc.

3. YMCA

4.  Homeschool co-op classes

5.  Church

6.  Classes at public schools/community college/parks department

There are many other ways to "socialize" homeschooled kids, these are the most obvious to me.  I was in 4-H, active in my church, and had neighborhood friends.  It was great!  I hope this helps!

Answer 16

Classes through museums, zoos and co-ops, playgroups within homeschooling groups, library groups (we have not only age book discussions, but also crafts and classes through the library), more time to travel and explore because they aren't tied to the  schools calendar. Our homeschooling group has two pages of activities from which you may choose every month, from skating and to bounce houses to nationwide travel.

Not to mention that homeschooled kids usually go with their parents throughout the day for typical bill paying and shopping, giving kids a heads up on how households are run and how to 'socialize' with professionals rather than just age mates and authority figures.

Answer 17

Volunteering, play dates, parties, talking to store clerks and librarians, field trips with other families, other activities put on by homeschooling groups, spring break and summer camps, group lessons of all kinds (music, art, swimming, dance, gymnastics...) and so much more. Basically, other than the homeschooling specific stuff, everything that's available to all kids regardless of where they are schooled. You just have more time to do it all when you're homeschooled.