Knowing What to Look for in Homeschooling Groups

As promised, during the month of February I’m going to explore options for homeschooling groups. Homeschooling can feel like a solitary activity (apart from all the tiny humans in your house). It's a great idea to find support and community from other homeschoolers who are right there in the trenches with you.

There are several kinds of homeschooling groups, and each kind serves its own purpose. Before you start joining every group under the sun, it's important for you to know what you want out of a homeschooling group. Here are a few questions to consider:

• What's the primary reason you want to join a group?

• Do you want opportunities for your kids to interact with other kids?

• Are you looking for a group that supports parents?

• Do you want the group to be informal or more structured?

• Would you like to meet in person?

• Are you looking for an online group that provides resources?

• How frequently do you want to connect with the group?

• What's your preference for the group's size?

• Do you want any of your child's education to be provided by the group?

• Are you interested in forming a group if one doesn't already exist that meets your needs?

• Do you want to follow a group that adheres to a specific educational philosophy?

Once you're clear on what you want from a group, you won't be as tempted to join every group that comes your way.

You may prefer to join multiple groups, using each one for a specific purpose. For example, my family has been a part of three groups at once (four if you include a parents' networking group on social media). We have belonged to online memberships that provide resources for our homeschool. We have belonged to in-person local programs with a large number of participants. We have belonged to small groups of friends that meet in someone's home or a local park. Each group has served a unique purpose and hasn't required a full-time commitment from us, which is why we could belong to multiple groups. If you want to be more deeply involved with a group, that's great to know about yourself - just keep in mind that you'll want to minimize how many additional groups you join so that you don't overextend yourselves.

There is no one "right" kind of group. There are bad groups for sure (we'll talk about those later this month), but please don't feel you need to join a certain group just because you think it's what you "should" do. It can be helpful to get feedback from other homeschooling parents, but remember that everyone's circumstances are different. What works really well for one family is not a sure thing for another.

Next week, we'll take a closer look at online groups. Have a great week!