Diane Knect is homeschooling an only child. Share her experiences with raising her daughter Grace in a homeschooling small family.
Looking around at the homeschool families you know in your co-op, support group, or church, you might observe that most consist of more than one child. In fact, a 2006 National Center for Education report found that families with three or more children make up 62% of the homeschool population. If you're one of the few with an only child at home, you may be asking yourself the question, "Can I homeschool my only child?"
Your family is simple – mom, dad, child. Homeschooling an only child has to be simple, right? You can get through all of the daily assignments without having to worry about teaching the other siblings, or bouncing a baby in your lap. This isn’t quite the case. Instead, homeschoolers of an only child face their own unique challenges.
Jenni Ryan shares resources and life experiences about raising a single child and homeschooling.
The Homeschool Only One (HOO) message board is a place where those on this journey with one student could network with others.
This is a safe place for Christian families to share their hopes, joys, concerns and prayer requests as they homeschool an only child
Are you homeschooling an only child? Or perhaps your other children are grown (or infants) and there's just one whom you homeschool? Or are your other children in public or private school and there's just one at home during the day? Is there such a large age gap between your children that each child feels like an only? Then this group is for you. All homeschoolers are welcome: new, old, school-at-homers, and unschoolers.
This blog shares the experience of homeschooling an only child.
Homeschoolers report that it is sometimes more difficult to homeschool one child versus two or more children. Many parents report that it is easy to place too much pressure on a single child, as the child is the sole focus of the parent’s day. Clashes may also arise between a parent and a single homeschooler as they are together for a large part of the day. Both parents and single homeschooled children report that they sometimes feel smothered by each other. Some children also feel lonely.
A homeschool mom and her only son share their homeschooling adventure.
This website is a clearing house of resources, gathered to help those with one student on their homeschooling journey, as well as the new homeschooler.
Families with only one child have almost the exact same concerns regarding their child’s “only child status”: Are they getting enough time with other children their own age? Are we doing enough to prepare this child to interact with their peers? Are we “spoiling” this child? Will this child be prepared for life on their own or will they expect everything to go their own way?
Marcy shares her life with her son Ben, an adopted only child, who she is homeschooling.
What’s the minimum number of children required to homeschool successfully? If you’ve ever wondered whether you can homeschool an only child, this podcast is for you! HSLDA President Mike Smith discusses socialization for the only child and how you can home educate well.
Homeschooling an only child can be quite challenging at times. This group is open to anyone for support, enrouragement and ideas for those who choose the home-schooling road for you and your child. Although they are based in NC, anyone can join for support. They have a database that you can access to see who is in your state to get together with.
An only child deserves an excellent education and formation, as does any other child. Don’t deny your child, just because he is your only one, the benefits of homeschooling. Make it work. The home educated only child will profit ten-fold from your daily guidance in how to become a good and decent person by watching you in your daily life. The majority of his life will be spent as an adult so this training is of utmost importance. We have been fed a pile of lies to think that our child’s ability to socialize consists in getting along with a multitude of kids his own age.
Homeschooling is challenging for multiple reasons. But overall, an only child family is the perfect scenario for homeschooling. If you look back in history, one-on-one tutoring was the preferred method of education. so while there are minor disadvantages, the advantages far outweigh them.
Whether by God's design, or by the fact that your older children are grown and gone or for other reasons, most of us will all be homeschooling only one at some time or another. However, just as homeschooling many children has its own challenges, so does homeschooling one child. The author shares some of the different issues, both 'pros and cons' regarding homeschooling one child.