Welcome to The Educating Parent Beverley Paine's archive of articles about homeschooling and unschooling written over a period of 30 plus years

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Parents' Role in Home Ed Socialisation

by Ann Leach

The difference in social opportunities for children whose education is based from home from those sent to school is the parents' role.

When children are sent to school, meeting potential friends, discerning whether they are appropriate for friendship, and building those friendships totally on the children's shoulders. Parents rarely know the other children and even more rarely know the children's parent.

In home education, we have to prioritise providing opportunities for our children to meet and play with other children, support and encourage them in making friendships, and we get to support them through the disappointments.

We also have the privilege of knowing the parents, usually but not always the mums, of all the children our children meet and play with. We can invite their whole family to our own house and visit theirs as well.

When my daughter is invited to attend a sleepover, I have met everyone who lives in that house. When she goes for a birthday party, I know whose house she will be at. I have met those parents and talked with them. Some are friends, others are acquaintances, but I've talked with them and have an idea of who they are.

The homeschooling community is a group of families who have educated themselves on the importance of peer play for their children. And they prioritise attending meet-ups. This article I wrote contains many of the local home education groups across Victoria. When family camp opportunities come up, go to them. They are the best.

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The information on this website is of a general nature only and is not intended as personal or professional advice. This site merges and incorporates 'Homeschool Australia' and 'Unschool Australia'.

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