6 Reasons Why Homeschooling An Only Child Is Awesome

Sometimes I get wrapped up in thinking about all the ways homeschooling an only child can be a challenge, but the truth is that homeschooling an only child is awesome! There are so many opportunities and advantages to enjoy when homeschooling an only child.

The Advantages Of Homeschooling An Only Child

From planning the year to teaching and enjoying field trips, we love the ease and extra opportunities for one-on-one quality time. Sure, there are some things we have to get creative about with just one kid. But it’s totally worth it!

I hope these reasons inspire you to feel confident in your choice to homeschool an only child because it’s awesome! Keep reading to discover our favorite reasons why.

Planning & Customizing Curriculum

Planning our homeschool year and customizing the curriculum is a lot easier when you’re homeschooling an only child! Instead of considering multiple learning styles and interests, I can focus on just one. That makes it easier to tailor our resources and lesson plans to keep Emily engaged and excited about learning all year.

Instead of trying to weave together multiple interests, we can deep dive into Emily’s interests and passions. I love letting her curiosity lead the way! Homeschooling an only child has made interest-led learning easier to implement and more fun.

Plus, planning and recording only one child’s curriculum saves time and energy. It’s easier to track what we’re learning and where we need to spend extra time. Tracking progress and goals for multiple children would certainly be more challenging.

Check out our ultimate guide to planning a homeschool unit study for more tips on customizing your lessons this year. You’ll get ideas for tailor-made activities and record-keeping when you’re homeschooling an only child.

Focusing on Strengths & Relationships

I love the way homeschooling an only child allows me to focus on strengths and weaknesses. Since I can more easily track progress and tailor curriculum, I’m able to adapt our lessons and activities to fit her strengths.

In our homeschool, we prioritize relationships. Our focus is always on protecting and growing our connection and relationships with one another. Homeschooling an only child gives us more time to focus on our connection and that’s what’s truly important to us.

Lots of Quality Time

Homeschooling gives parents more opportunities for quality time. When you’re homeschooling an only child, there are even more opportunities! We are together all the time, so there are lots of chances to foster a deeper connection with Emily.

I love that we have so many different ways to spend time together. Whether we’re reading books together, playing games, or going on a nature walk, there are so many ways we can connect and spend quality time together. All this quality time helps foster the strong relationship we desire most as homeschooling parents.

That being said, I won’t claim that there aren’t times I want or need a break. Fortunately, finding time for yourself when homeschooling an only child is doable. We love the strong bond an abundance of quality time fosters, but it can be exhausting to be someone’s “everything” too.

When I need a break or time for myself, I can practice parallel self-care or utilize techniques like learning lunches and strewing. Techniques like strewing allow Emily to engage in activities without any input from me, giving me a break. Check out our guide to strewing to discover how you can make it work in your homeschool.

Fewer Distractions

Another reason why homeschooling an only child is awesome is the lack of distractions. There will always be distractions from learning, but there are certainly fewer when you’re homeschooling just one child.

Since there are no other kids at home, it’s much easier to keep Emily on task and limit distractions to her learning. It’s also easier for me to stay focused on Emily and avoid dividing my attention while we concentrate on learning.

The Socialization Question

We’re all familiar with the socialization question. When you’re homeschooling an only child, there are sometimes real concerns about addressing socialization.

How can you make sure your homeschooled only child has lots of opportunities to practice socialization skills and develop friendships? The easiest way to do it is to get them involved in their local community. Getting out of the house will provide lots of natural opportunities for socialization.

Socialization happens naturally in the real world. Talking to the cashier at the grocery store, asking for help finding a book at the library, asking questions at a museum, or thanking the mail carrier for delivering the mail. These are all excellent ways to address socialization.

More Travel and Spontaneity

Field trips are one of our favorite ways to address socialization and learning in the real world. All the field trip opportunities are another excellent reason to love homeschooling an only child. It’s easier to travel when there are fewer schedules to coordinate, fewer people and luggage to put in the car, and less cost.

We have so many opportunities to be spontaneous! It’s so much easier to get just one child ready to go on spontaneous field trips.

We can easily toss everything in the car for a day of carschooling and learning on location. Plus, it’s easier to say yes when there are fewer costs involved.

Homeschooling An Only Child?

Are you homeschooling an only child this year? Do you have a reason to love it that I didn’t think about? Share your favorite reasons why homeschooling an only child is awesome in the comments.