Homeschooling An Only Child

Are you considering homeschooling your only child? Have people advised against it, saying your child will be lonely? Well, Fear Not! If your child has the right temperament, and you are able to meet your child’s needs, there is no reason not to home-school your only child.

There are a plethora of support networks to help you home-school your child, and give you the resources you need to offer your child the best start in life.

NB. We have listed some useful websites at the end of this post to help support you.

Consider Your Child’s Personality Type

I confess, before my daughter was born I had played with the idea of homeschooling my child. I liked the idea of the flexibility it offered. However, it soon became apparent that Sops is a major extrovert. She gains energy by being with other children. She thrives in the company of others. Homeschooling would not suit Sops. We learned that the hard way during the pandemic when she went stir-crazy at home and could not focus on her studies.

However, if your child is an introvert and self-disciplined, then homeschooling may be a good choice for them.

To find out your child’s personality type try this child-friendly personality test.

NB: These personality tests are not an exact science and some psychologists do not think they are helpful, but I think they can work as a guide to help you understand your child better.

Homeschooling An Only Child With A Personalised Curriculum

What is your child passionate about? Where is their heart? One of the cool things about homeschooling is you can tailor the curriculum to meet your child’s interests. This will help keep them engaged. If your child is obsessed with dinosaurs design a project around dinosaurs to cover a multitude of subjects. You can look at ancient and modern landscapes and ask the question, could dinosaurs survive in today’s environment? You could look at dinosaur anatomy and talk about the theory of evolution. Perhaps you can ask your child to write a story about dinosaurs so they can learn how to write cohesively. They can practice their art skills by copying a picture of a dinosaur from a book. You will find your child will be a lot more engaged in learning if they are studying something that interests them.

Just make sure they are learning the basics in Maths, English, Science, and Critical Thinking.

For resources on homeschool curriculums check out our useful websites below.

Homeschooling An Only Child by Travelling

One of the best ways to learn is through travel. Visit museums and art galleries. Check out places of great natural beauty. It is much easier to travel when you are homeschooling an only child. You don’t have to wait for the school holidays to take your child travelling, which is usually a lot more expensive. You can travel wherever you want, whenever you want. Just make sure you plan your trip thoroughly to get the most out of it.

If you want a taste of other cultures, but don’t want to actually fly on a plane to get to a new country, you can always play the magic carpet game. Sops and I used to play this game, and it is a great opportunity to learn about a different country and its customs. We have added 25 countries to the game, but we are open to adding more. If you can think of an awesome country to add to our Flying Carpet Game please let us know in the comments below.

Join A Homeschooling Network

To ensure your child gets the best education it is vital they spend quality time with children their own age. This will help them to develop their social skills. Otherwise, homeschooling can be painfully isolating. Homeschooling is becoming more popular in the UK and the USA at the moment and homeschooling networks are popping up all over the place. If you sign onto an online homeschooling programme, they often have a community forum where you can contact other families who are homeschooling.

However, it is worth meeting up physically with other homeschoolers in your region. If there is no network in your local area consider setting one up. Look up Facebook homeschooling groups to link with other families who are homeschooling. They may not be one-child families, but that’s absolutely fine. The main aim is to allow your child to have social time with other children, even if they come from a large family.

Homeschooling An Only School By Meeting Their Educational Needs

Schools are great for children who fit nicely into the mold. The national curriculum seems to have a ‘one size fits all’ approach. However, if your child is a fast learner they will soon become bored with their lessons. Or if your child learns at a slower pace, they may struggle to keep up with their lessons. If your child is neurodivergent they may find it hard to manage school life.

If this is the case, homeschooling might be the best solution for them. You can teach your child at a pace they can follow. You can go back over topics if they struggled to comprehend them. Your child can engage in projects that interest them and they can cover a multitude of topics if they wish.

In addition, you can create a suitable bespoke curriculum to suit your child’s learning needs. Your child won’t have to miss other lessons they enjoy to catch up on spelling or maths. You can focus on improving their weak points and encouraging their strengths. This means your child will never ‘fall behind’ or ‘race ahead’ again.

Take Control Of Your Child’s Education

One of the reasons more and more families are opting to teach their children at home is that they are uncomfortable with the current curriculum. Some schools are teaching children topics that are age-inappropriate. Some schools are not covering the basics and children are falling behind. If you feel your child’s school is teaching your child something you are uncomfortable with, you can either challenge the school or take control and remove your child from that school. The choice is yours.

Just make sure you tell the school you plan to homeschool your child. You don’t want to face any fines.

The UK Government website gives advice on how to homeschool your child legally.

Useful Websites

Homeschool Network – UK Wide Homeschool community
Hannah Home Educates – Home educator and coach
Montessori Method – Popular educational method through play
My Tutor – Find a tutor
Homeschoolfor1 – Parent of 1 homeschooling website
KingsInterHigh – Online School
BBC Bitesize – Useful online educational resources to match the national curriculum
Quizlet – A fun website to create and try quizzes