5 Days of Homeschooling An Only Child

It's day three of 5 Days of Blogging with the Homeschool Crew and today I'm writing about Homeschooling An Only Child and socialization.

It may be hard for some to believe that homeschooled children can be "socialized".  And what about the "only child" who is homeschooled? 

so· cial· i· za· tion: a continuing process whereby an individual acquires a personal identity and learns the norms, values, behavior, and social skills appropriate to his or her social position. 

I find the definition kind of funny.  What is a 6-year old's social position anyways?  Is a homeschooled 6-yr old that much different from a 6-yr old who attends school?  Are their norms, values, behavior, and social skills that much different?

Well, I know that when people ask, "What about socialization", they are really asking if Funny Bunny gets out of the house to play with other children.  So I thought it would be fun to list her activities...since she was 2.

Starting when Funny Bunny was a toddler, I took her to our library's story time.  She attended several classes a week...it was like our second home.  ;)  We also joined a playgroup and she attended Kindermusic classes for a while.

When she was just shy of three years old, we joined a homeschool group.  I still didn't know at the time if homeschooling was what we wanted to do, but thought it couldn't hurt to at least check it out.

When she turned three she began a ballet/tap class and weekly Community Bible Study classes {both of which she still does now}.  At four she started soccer and it was her first time attending Vacation Bible School at church.  At six she joined the summer swim team at the YMCA. 

As she got older she attended the local zoo's homeschool classes, I enrolled her into Classical Conversations for two years, we had co-op classes here and there, and I can't count the number of field trips, park days, and play dates she has been on.

This year alone she takes four dance classes a week, one piano class, she's in an American Girl Book Club, Jr Homemaker's Club, Art Club, and Community Bible Study...just to name a few. 

So can an "only child" who is homeschooled get the socialization that they need?  I think so!

If you are considering homeschooling your only child, I hope you will not let worrying about socialization affect your decision.  There are so many ways to get involved with homeschool groups and organizations.