by Travis King

Created on: April 15, 2009

Homeschooling is fast becoming a popular alternative to public and private schools, among Christians and non-Christians alike. How does homeschooling bring a family together? Well, the most obvious reason is that homeschooling families spend more time together. Most homeschoolers are taught by their parents and have more bonding experiences with them. They also spend more time with their siblings (if they have any, that is). Older children can help their younger siblings with their assignments. This amount of time spent with the family is something that children who go to school for eight hours a day, separated from their parents and siblings, unfortunately do not frequently experience except on holidays. Even in the summer, both parents may be working and the children can't spend as much time with them as they should.

Homeschooling allows for families to have experiences together. Families can go hiking, sightseeing, or even just to the park to play while other children are sitting in classrooms. They can bake cookies or go to the library. Experiences like these are valuable to children and can help them to enjoy school and being with their parents more than many public schoolers do. Instead of school just being quadratic equations, Shakespeare and homework, homework, homwork, school is an experience, a time to be with your parents and have them teach you not only formulas but life lessons.

Most homeschooling families still have quarrels, of course, but if they know how to communicate effectively then arguments are not as much of a problem as in some families. Having more time to get to know their parents and siblings will help children to understand them better and communicate with them.

In religious families, experiences like family worship and prayer are more easily had without the demands of public or private school. The children can be more involved in their churches as well. These experiences also help to bring a family closer together.

Formally schooled families can be close, of course, but this is much easier when the children are not shipped off to school every day. Instead of being surrounded by a lot of other children in an environment of bullies and cliques, they can have more time to spend with their family in everyday activities that will help them as they grow into adults. Families can learn to communicate and love each other more as they spend more time with each other, whether in schoolwork or in leisure time.

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