There are definite pros and cons to homeschooling! Smart parents are wise to carefully consider both the downsides and benefits of joining a homeschool co-op. In this post, we’ll focus on five big benefits of homeschool co-ops.
In the last post, we answered the questions what is a homeschool co-op and how do they work. Today, let’s dive into five compelling reasons why joining a homeschool co-op might be exactly what’s been missing from your homeschool.
- Develop Social Skills
- Provide Accountability
- Help with Tough Subjects
- All the Extras
- Gain a Supportive Community
The Benefits of Homeschool Co-ops
Benefit #1: Homeschool Co-ops Help Develop Social Skills
I always laugh when non-homeschoolers mention that homeschoolers are lacking in socialization. The thing is – many homeschooling families homeschool precisely because they don’t want their children to be socialized to the worldly norms of modern society. We often feel that a loving home is the best environment in which to socialize children and we’re trying to be different on purpose. Putting that aside, however, there are still some definite social benefits to homeschool co-ops.
How to “do school”
First, homeschool co-ops provide our kiddos with a glimpse of how to “do school”. Many homeschoolers are curious about school and a co-op offers a taste of a regular school day. This preps kids who may attend college or other school like settings in the future.
Group Social Norms
In a homeschool co-op, kids gain exposure to group social norms such as waiting your turn, raising your hand, walking in a line, and simply how to function as part of a larger group than a family unit. All of these can be very eye-opening for homeschool kids.
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Social Opportunities
Other social benefits include opportunities to work interactively with other students, the chance to learn how to speak in front of a group, and the opportunity to learn from another teacher who is not mom or dad. Homeschool co-ops can provide children with an opportunity to develop independence from parents in a safe environment, too. These are all wonderful social skills we want our children to develop.
Benefit #2: Homeschool Co-ops Provide Accountability
There are many ways to homeschool, depending on your homeschool teaching style and your child’s learning style. But inevitably, homeschoolers are known for becoming a little too relaxed at times. Homeschooling in pajamas, anyone?
So, one of the benefits of homeschool co-ops is the opportunity for some accountability in your homeschool. It can be great for kids to be required to turn in assignments to someone other than mom.
Pacing
Joining an academic co-op can help parents determine what subjects to pursue and the pacing of instruction. Most co-ops work by following a syllabus, similar to a college course or flipped classroom. This requires students to stay on-pace and keep up with the work, which may be just exactly what your child needs.
Grades, Assignments & Deadlines
In some academic co-ops, students may receive grades. There will probably be concrete assignments and deadlines. For many homeschooled kiddos, this may be the first time they receive grades! Simply being required to turn in an assignment by a specific date can be very motivating for some learners.
>>> READ: How to Homeschool Multiple Ages and Not Go Crazy
Benefit #3: Homeschool Co-ops Help with Tough Subjects
Another definite benefit of homeschool co-ops is the help and support for teaching your toughest subjects. After all, not every parent is equipped to teach every subject at every grade level. Utilizing the skills and talents of other parents enables everyone to benefit from the share knowledge of others.
Out-of-reach Subjects
So, joining a homeschool co-op may allow your child to take a class they otherwise would not have been able to attend. Someone else teaches your children subjects that are difficult for you or outside of your abilities!
For me personally, this has been the game-changer and the primary reason why my family has stayed involved in homeschool co-ops over the years. I would never have been able to teach my kids subjects such as computer programming Python, Sign Language, advanced art, or robotics – but I knew someone who could! Another person handled all the biology dissection (yay – thank you!) so I didn’t have to go there.
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Greater Resources
In homeschool co-ops, parents can also pool their resources to be able to afford materials you may not have access to otherwise. Over the years, we have shared things such as microscopes, game sets, rock and gem collections, and electronic sets that enhance student learning.
Benefit #4: Homeschool Co-ops give You All the Extras
One of the biggest pros of joining a homeschool co-op is the access to all the extras that come along with being a part of a group. These might include exposure to group-related school customs such as spelling bees and science fairs (listed below), which are difficult to simulate at home with only one or two children. Or they may also be access to materials such as specimens for biology dissection or microscopes – things you may not have at home but you would love for your kids to be able to use.
Some other incredible extras that are offered by some homeschool co-ops may include:
- Fieldtrips
- Group activities
- Standardized testing
- Graduation ceremony
- Honor Society
- Newspaper or Yearbook
- Spelling Bees
- Science Fairs
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Benefit #5: Homeschool Co-ops Provide a Supportive Community
Another big pro to homeschool co-ops is the amazing benefit of being part of a supportive homeschooling community. I can’t over-value this enough! Not only are there powerful advantages for your kids, but tremendous advantages for the homeschooling parents as well.
Mom Needs To Leave the House
Let’s face it – sometimes Mom just needs to leave the house as much as the kids! A big benefit of homeschool co-ops is the opportunity for the homeschooling parent to get to see other like-minded adults and carry on grown-up conversations. After all, homeschooling can be isolating. A homeschool co-op will provide opportunities for YOU to make new adult friends and make connections.
New Teaching Ideas
When you’re part of a homeschool co-op, the conversation inevitably turns to curriculum choices. Other parents are a wonderful way to discover new curriculum choices, books, and teaching ideas.
In a co-op setting, you also get to observe how other parents teach and interact with students, too, which will provide you with new ways of working with your class as well as your own kids at home. There is so much you can learn from other moms and dads! Oftentimes, another parent has already been through what you are facing and can offer great advice for how to get through.
Share Your Expertise
Another great benefit of homeschool co-ops is the opportunity for you as a parent to share your expertise by teaching one of the co-op classes. For example, you may be skilled in coding and programming but spend all day long homeschooling your small children who cannot yet share your passion. A co-op class with older kids teaching what you love can be invigorating!
Support & Encouragement
Besides friendship, a homeschool co-op can become an amazingly supportive community of families who probably share similar values to your own. Together, you can celebrate your joys as well as navigate the bumps on the road in this homeschooling journey. It’s a win-win for both your kids and YOU as the homeschooling parent.
So, yes! There are some incredible pros to homeschool co-ops. A homeschool co-op may be just the thing you need to provide amazing opportunities for your children and help your entire family find support for this incredible journey called homeschooling.