Tips From Moms Who Homeschool Only Children

I have 4 children, so I obviously do not fall into the ‘only child’ category.  However, I have friends that homeschool ONE child and I know that the ripe old questions of socialization is even more overused in these circumstances.  Since The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew is hosting a round-up of posts about Homeschooling Only Children, I thought it would be a great opportunity to pick the brains of those moms in this category and share it with all of you!

Jaz from Maryland, 5yo daughter - “Really, there's nothing super special or different about homeschooling/raising a single child. I might have more time to focus on one kid, and I don't have to juggle many multiple curriculums as my amazing multiple child friends do. But that's about the biggest difference.
My daughter is equally outgoing, happy and well-adjusted as her friends from multiple households—like her father (also raised in a single-child home). I take her out to activities and play dates as much as we can, and that's something we'd still do if she had a brother or sister. It's so very important a child has opportunities outside the home to interact with different people—regardless of whether they are homeschooled or not. School and family should never be a child's sole social experience.

Sorry, but I don’t have any [advice]. I don't do anything different than my multiple friends.”

“The book, "Maybe One" by Bill McKibben has a lot of great information in it. Other books we used are ones by Dr. Sears and Elizabeth Pantly. No, they don't write books on onlies. Just child-rearing. Any only child book about child rearing is just regurgitated advice.
As for homeschool stuff, I am just following direction of friends and a few regular homeschool books/curricula. No crazy social schedule—aside from a couple classes outside our home (which I'd still do if we had more than one). My daughter isn't an "only" to me. She is a funny bright kid (once again I may be a wee bit biased).
She was outgoing before we put her in preschool when she was 3.5. We pulled her out of of preschool last winter—one of the best decisions we ever made. It is a very good fit for our family. Been homeschooling since then. This is our first year with grade school, but so far it is great. She loves kindergarten.”

Bonnie from Maryland – “My daughter is 10. She's a little shy but always seemed to have a lot of friends. She is incredibly sensitive though. I've always felt like I had to expand her social circle with extra activities but now I definitely feel like I pulled her out of the school "socialization" so she needs to make even more friends. I worry about silly things like birthday parties and weekends alone if she gets detached from her current public school friends she still talks to. She actually has many more activities than I ever had but I had an older and younger sister built in as well as a brother. I've just always felt the need to fill her life in with as many friends as possible especially now”

Lauren from Pennsylvania, 2nd grad son – shared a few blog posts to show how she homeschools -  She has three children but only homeschools one of them:

http://literacyteachermomof3.blogspot.com/2014/01/home-at-last-my-first-week-of.html

http://literacyteachermomof3.blogspot.com/2014/01/arctic-art-project-and-other-homeschool.html

http://literacyteachermomof3.blogspot.com/2014/03/homeschool-learning-lots-of-science.html

Aime of Texas – “I've been homeschooling our only child since 2012. Started with pre-k and he's now in 1st grade. I purchase our curriculum thru Christian Liberty. We are starting our first co-op this week. We also have a few other homeschool families that we hang out with and do fun field trips / play days. These activities added to church activities, we stay plenty busy.”

Tracy of Kentucky – “This is our 2nd year Homeschooling. My daughter is 9. I'm also a single, work from home Mom. My advice is to plan ahead. I spend either Friday evening or one weekend afternoon planning ahead for next week. I get my lesson plan ironed out and all supplies I may need for any projects we are doing the next week. I also make my next weeks menu and grocery list so the meals are pre-planned to avoid the last minute running out to eat. I also try to make doubles of meals and freeze one so in a pinch I have make ahead meals I can always grab from my freezer. And I remind myself to relax and enjoy the freedoms of homeschool. The only deadlines are yours, no one else's.

And I assign chores as part of her school day. It's just the two of us making the mess but why should I be the one cleaning up after both of us? It helps when she pulls her weight too.”

Renee is another homeschooler blogger with an only child – “I have several things on my blog.“

You might also want to check out the book – Homeschooling an Only Child

Do you have any advice to add?  Leave a comment below!

As mentioned this post is part of The Schoolhouse Review Crew Blog Round-Up, click below to find MORE posts (goes live Wednesday 9/10)