Social activities are an essential requirement for homeschoolers. They not only aid the academic needs of the homeschoolers but also enhance their hands-on experience. We have discussed below some of the important social activities that can help your homeschoolers effectively realize their academic goals.
Educational Experiences
The educational experience of similar homeschool groups can be a great social activity for homeschoolers. Being part of homeschool co-ops will enable individual homeschoolers to enjoy high-quality academic resources due to a collective pool of resources. This may not be possible for individual homeschoolers.
Homeschool groups also organize field trips. These will provide individual homeschoolers with the opportunity to socialize with other kids. Field trips to places like museums will increase their hands-on educational exposure. After-school activities and clubs can also be a means to enhance educational experiences and social interaction.
Local library book clubs and debate clubs are key places to gain a better understanding of children’s areas of interest in a cooperative environment.
Sports and Teams
Outdoor sports are a great way for homeschoolers to socialize. Joining a team of your favorite sports is a great option to opt for. The interest of the child is the most important consideration when joining any particular sports team.
Sometimes homeschoolers are stuck in situations where they are not comfortable with the members of the team. In this situation, you can ask the child’s friends to participate in the sports team with your child. Looking at it in a broader context, outdoor recreational activities can also be included in this category.
Participation in summer camps will also improve socialization. As these types of camps do offer sports activities in the camping programs, homeschoolers can get a better understanding of working in a team.
Community Service
Community service is such a strong social activity for homeschoolers that it directly affects the personality of the child. This is not merely a socialization activity; it also improves the managerial and organization skills of the children.
Participation at local food banks or organizing events in the local community is a great community service. Charity sports galas for the mentally retarded or organizing a cancer awareness walk are some of the great community events. Many homeschooling families find it hard to participate in community service.
This is largely the result of families lack of awareness about different communities’ associations. YMCA is one such association that organizes community events. Enrolling in these associations will increase socialization activities for homeschoolers.
Social Circle Connections
Spending time with other homeschooled kids and families can foster social connections. You do not need to reserve special time for these types of social interactions. Joining other homeschooler families during their play time at the local park is an easy meet-up idea.
The benefit of these types of meet-ups is that they do not require any special occasion. This increases the chances of regular meet-ups for socialization. These types of meet-ups are not limited to physical places; digital meets can also contribute in this context.
There has been a growing trend toward using digital means for homeschooled learners. This has resulted in the creation of online homeschooler forums. Participation in these forums is a good social activity for homeschoolers.
Pods Learning Initiatives
Learning pods are a relatively new social activity trend that is gaining popularity with time. It is a unique concept that combines traditional classroom methodologies with the flexibility of homeschooling. In a learning pod, a small group of students organize group learning activities, either in physical or digital format.
Professional educators also lead these types of events, and specialized curriculum is also distributed among the members of the learning pods. Due to the group learning format of this activity, participation in these pods automatically increases the socialization of the homeschoolers.
The most distinct thing about these learning pods is that they are always up-to-date with new trends. Thus, it is not a mere social activity for homeschoolers but will also keep them updated.
Social Media
No matter whether they are school-going or homeschooled kids, social media is an important part of these kids’ lives. It is hard for parents to distance their homeschoolers from these platforms. This situation compels parents to use social media as a means of social activity for their kids.
An important consideration for parents for this activity is that social interaction should not be limited to merely liking a particular post. There should be some meaningful level of interaction. Social media apps are great tools to promote such a level of interaction.
Apps like Club Penguin, ChatFoss, and Popjam are developed especially for kids who have their own messenger and are safe for kids to use for social activities and interaction.
Online Classes
Parents need to understand homeschooler social activity in a broader context, not merely as a means of socialization. They should be naturally made part of the lives of homeschoolers so that a routine can be established without any significant effort.
Online classes serve as a great social activity with a focus on learning as well. Homeschooler parents should realize that there should be some sort of educational connection between their child and other kids regularly. Online classes for homeschoolers are an important means of achieving it.
Platforms like Out School and charter schools are good for socialization and education as well. Participation in these types of classes will enable children to make new friends and also achieve their learning goals.
Part-time jobs
Parents of homeschooled children are always haunted by the thought of how well their kids will be able to perform in the professional workspace. This situation compels them to place more emphasis on social activities. It can be beneficial as far as interaction with the other kids is concerned.
However, concerning the professional working environment, social activities that make them understand some aspects of the job will be a great way to meet with their peers. These need to be complex jobs. You can motivate your kids to try a dog walker for a day.
These types of activities are good social activities that also have a working aspect. Thus, socialization and hands-on experience occur at the same time for these types of activities.
Mentorship
The role of leadership cannot be ignored for homeschoolers and school-going kids. It is equally important for both types of schoolchildren. Mentorship can become an important social activity for the realization of academic goals.
Attending mentorship workshops is a popular social event that has gained significant popularity among children and adults. These types of social activities not only motivate homeschoolers not to lose their aim in life but will also keep them on the right path to the realization of their goals.
Mentorship social activities can be organized at the group level and at an individual level, like one-to-one discussions. Selecting a mentorship that is in line with the child’s professional goals will lead to the creation of social activities that foster positive motivation in your children.
Conclusion
Making social activities part of your homeschooler’s routine will enhance their academic learning. It is integral to keeping the kids interested in their academics. Social activities will help them gain a more profound understanding of what they have learned during their homeschooling. Thus, they can utilize the knowledge more productively.