Homeschool Resources

The Benefits and Disadvantages of Homeschooling

What You Need to Know About Homeschooling Before You Start

So you're trying to figure out whether homeschooling will work for your family or not, right? If so, you've come to the right place.

Below you'll find a brief discussion of the benefits and disadvantages of homeschooling. After reading it, you should be able to better identify whether or not homeschooling may be right for you and your family. If you take time to think about each benefit and disadvantage and apply it to your personal situation, you'll learn which benefits you just can't live without... or, on the other hand, the disadvantages you know you won't be able to live with.

Let's get started by looking at what makes homeschooling such a great choice for thousands of homeschool families around the world.

The Top 15 Benefits of Homeschooling

You get to...

1. Control what your children learn and when they learn it.

2. Show your children that learning is not boring, but exciting.

3. Build intimate and meaningful relationships with your children.

4. Tailor your teaching to fit your children's dominant learning styles.

5. Give your children in-depth, personal attention in any subject with which they struggle or excel.

6. Create a weekly schedule that fits your needs and allows you to do things without the constraint of a traditional classroom schedule.

7. Transfer your values and beliefs to your children and address their questions when they have them.

8. Protect your children from the negative influences they may encounter outside the home.

9. Teach more effectively by interacting with your children 1-on-1.

10. Nurture your children's natural (musical, artistic, mathematic) talents so they thrive and grow.

11. Address "big issues" with your children when you feel they're ready.

12. Share with your children the common, everyday joys of life.

13. Help your children mature through the difficult times in their lives.

14. Share the joy of teaching your children with your spouse.

15. Take vacations during the school year and make them educational.

The Top 10 Potential Disadvantages of Homeschooling

You may have to...

1. Spend 24 hours a day with your children for several days at a time.

2. Justify homeschooling to family and friends who oppose your decision to learn at home.

3. Be very patient with your children when it seems they aren't learning anything at all.

4. Deal with the frustrations of sometimes being "behind."

5. Spend more money on your children's education than you're accustomed to.

6. Get out of your comfort zone to learn how to homeschool effectively.

7. Encourage your children even when you don't feel like it.

8. Seek advice from other homeschooling parents when you encounter problems you're not equipped to handle.

9. Research a few curriculum programs before you find one that works for you and your family.

10. Put forth more effort to find children with whom your children can build quality relationships.

Though by no means exhaustive, I trust this list of the benefits and disadvantages of homeschooling gives you valuable information you can use to reach a decision.

Making the decision to homeschool is often a difficult process, but that process is worth it. You definitely wouldn't want to homeschool if it's not right for you; and you definitely wouldn't want to miss out on homeschooling if it is right for you.

So do your research carefully and take the time you need to make an informed decision.

Our catalog and web site offer many valuable insights into the whole homeschooling process. If you'd like to learn more, please request a free Sonlight^® catalog. Or if you'd prefer, simply browse Sonlight's web site.