I’m Grateful I was Homeschooled Because…

I Learned Life Skills

Introduction to this series:

In the spring of 2022, I graduated high school, ending my homeschool era after being homeschooled my whole life. If you’re interested to hear a more in depth description of my homeschool story, be sure to check out the episode of The Homeschool Dropout podcast I was on (Listen on Apple Podcasts OR Listen on Spotify)!

In short, I was homeschooled all my life, and have had experience with a variety of learning methods and options for homeschool. So, I’ve decided to start a series on my blog and Instagram sharing some of the reasons why I am incredibly grateful I was homeschooled, in hopes of sharing some of the joy and benefits homeschooling blessed me and my family with. So, with all that said, the first reason I’m very grateful I was homeschooled is that I had the opportunity to learn a lot of life skills.

Reason #1: Life Skills

From a young age, I was at home and learning through observing adults (my parents) live life and use life skills themselves! I watched as my mom cooked nutritious meals, did the laundry, kept our home clean, and cared for my younger sister. As I got older, I could learn by doing as I became more involved and participated more in the activities and goings-on in our home.

I learned about caring for children which for me showed up in making a snack for my younger sister, comforting her, or helping her patch up a scrape. I started helping with the laundry, cleaning, and cooking, and I learned several skills through cooking, such as math as I measured ingredients, and following instructions from my parents (or from recipes).

I learned how to socialize with a wide range of people - both peers and adults. Schools throw a group of children (generally the same age) into a classroom setting, forcing them to socialize. Homeschooling, on the other hand, meant my family could choose extracurriculars where I could enjoy social time with children with similar interests. I’d often go on errands with my mom (learning along the way) where I had the opportunity to interact with other adults, too.

I learned about planning, time management, responsibility, and how to be self directed through doing chores and with my school work. I didn’t have a teacher or my parents always sitting there making sure I was doing what I was supposed to, or doing things exactly correct, so these were skills I was somewhat forced to learn and practice - and I promise these skills will serve people well whether they go to college, to work, or start a business and are self-employed as I am!

This series is not to say that you couldn’t learn life skills as a public or private schooler. However, I think homeschooling is a better environment that naturally encourages learning life skills. If I had been at school most of the day, I would miss at least one opportunity each day to learn kitchen skills... and more I’m sure as I got older and would have had to rush out the door in the mornings or do homework around the dinner-prep hour. There are so many little things through each day I would have missed in learning other life skills, too. But, I want to stress, that if your children are in a public or private school, this is a reminder to make the most of the time they are with you at home! Be intentional about how that time is spent, and who with, and what life skills you can be helping them learn.

Schools are very structured, one-size-fits-all, un-customizable systems. They often require growing children to wake up very early, much time is wasted because children work at different paces. Teachers and peers are often responsible for the “parenting” through the day, rather than the parents. The time spent at desks and doing work in a school building, paired with homework given to students, leaves little time for children to be with parents, siblings, and to just be children with free time for play and exploration.

I’m sad to observe how many kids grow up and move to college and/or away from home and are not equipped with all the life skills they need. I believe it’s far easier to be gently taught how to cook, clean, care for children, and manage your time at home and slowly as you’re growing up, than once you really badly need those skill and aren’t at home for the people who love you most to teach and encourage you.

Homeschooling allowed me plenty of time for free play, exploration into new interests and topics, time with family, and, as I’ve outlined today, time and the environment to learn skills I will use all my life.