| Have you been thinking about home schooling | | | | recurring tummy aches, headaches, or general |
| your children? Are you wondering how they would | | | | anxiety. These can all disappear in peaceful home |
| really benefit from learning at home? | | | | environment. |
| Home schooling is not the right choice for | | | | My oldest child found school very stressful, and |
| everyone. But if you're ready to commit the time | | | | his personality completely changed - for the |
| and the energy to teaching your own children, | | | | better - once we removed him from a traditional |
| here are some of the advantages you can | | | | classroom and started teaching him at home. |
| experience. | | | | 5. Home schooled children can be better socialized |
| 1. You know your children better than any | | | | than their peers. Whenever I tell people we home |
| teacher ever will. When you home school, you | | | | school, one of the first things they say is, "But |
| choose how, when and what to teach your | | | | what about socialization?" Some people seem to |
| children. This means you can tailor your children's | | | | think we never leave the house or interact with |
| education to suit their unique skills, interests, and | | | | anyone outside our immediate family! |
| learning styles. | | | | However, our experience has been quite the |
| 2. Home schooling creates more family time. | | | | opposite. Most home schooled children spend time |
| Strong family relationships are created over time, | | | | with many other people in different settings, on a |
| and teaching your children at home creates | | | | regular basis. They're not confined to the |
| opportunities for these relationships to develop. | | | | same-age-only relationships that you get in a |
| Time together also helps you teach your children | | | | classroom setting, so they get more experience |
| your values. | | | | getting along with people of all ages. |
| All of our family relationships have been changed | | | | 6. Your children can learn life skills, such as |
| since we began home schooling, but the biggest | | | | managing a household, handling money, cooking, |
| difference I've seen is in the relationship between | | | | and yard work, by being part of the household |
| my son and daughter. When they attended a | | | | activities everyday. Sometimes we take a day |
| public school, they didn't get along at all. When we | | | | off school to catch up on housework or do some |
| began home schooling they had to learn to get | | | | baking together. When we do that, my children |
| along, even when they disagree, because they're | | | | are still learning valuable skills, and developing |
| together all day, everyday. | | | | confidence in their own abilities. |
| 3. Learning at home takes less time than learning | | | | 7. Homeschooling offers a degree of safety that |
| at school. In a classroom setting, it takes extra | | | | a traditional classroom can't provide. At home, |
| minutes to make sure everyone has their books | | | | there are no bullies, drugs, violence, or peer |
| out, everyone is on the right page, and everyone | | | | pressure. |
| understands the instructions. | | | | By protecting my children from these problems, |
| When you regain that time by educating your | | | | I'm not overprotecting them, and leaving them |
| children at home, your child can learn more, and | | | | unprepared for the "real world." Instead, I'm |
| also have time to pursue their personal interests. | | | | creating a safe place to grow and develop so |
| 4. There is less stress in a home school | | | | they will have the skills and confidence to handle |
| environment. Some children find it stressful to be | | | | those issues when they are confronted with |
| in a traditional classroom. They might experience | | | | them. |