06/16/2026
🤔 “But what about socialization?”
If you're a homeschool family, chances are you've heard this question more than once.
The assumption is often that children need to spend all day in a classroom with 20–30 same-age peers in order to develop social skills.
But what if socialization is about more than being around people your exact age?
Research consistently shows that homeschooled students perform as well as, and often above average, on measures of social, emotional, and psychological development, including peer interaction, leadership skills, self-esteem, and social competence.
One reason may be that homeschool students often interact with a wider variety of people throughout their day.
They learn alongside:
✔ Younger siblings
✔ Older students
✔ Parents and grandparents
✔ Coaches and music teachers
✔ Church leaders
✔ Community members
✔ Friends of many different ages
Studies have found that homeschooled children often have social networks that span a broader range of ages than their traditionally schooled peers.
In the real world, we don't spend our lives interacting only with people born in the same year we were.
We learn to communicate with children, teenagers, adults, coworkers, customers, neighbors, and mentors.
Homeschooling often provides those opportunities naturally through co-ops, sports, volunteer work, church activities, field trips, community involvement, and everyday life.
So when someone asks, "But what about socialization?"
A better question might be:
💛 What kind of socialization are we talking about?
Because social skills aren't developed only in classrooms.
They're developed through meaningful relationships, real-world experiences, and learning to interact with people of all ages.
SCAIHS families, we'd love to hear from you:
🌿 What has been your child's favorite social activity or community connection this year?
