Anyone homeschool with just one child?

[AddysMom]

I have a only child who is currently in first grade. She tested at a 3rd grade level. They don't have the time or classes to challenge her. (As told to me by the teacher) She is a very social child. I am afraid she will be missing that if I home school her with her being a only child. The other option we have been toying with is private school. Where we live we only have very christian type private schools which isn't really what we want.

[dubatatamama]

I don't have an only child, but wanted to respond.  Do you have any homeschool groups in your area?  You can search on Yahoo groups and see if there are any in your area.  That is how we found 3 enormous groups in our area and have formed our own small co-op with a few other families.  Being out in the community is socializing as well and my kids have learned so much about how the world works by going to the library, the grocery store, post office, etc.  Are there any library story times or clubs she could join?  Town sports?  Any neighborhood kids to play with after school?

IMHO, keeping your daughter in school would only kill her love of learning because she is so far beyond her peers.  This is one of our main reasons for HSing because DS will be 5 next month and is currently reading at a 3rd grade level and doing some 1st grade level math, so I know that if he started K almost a year from now, he would be bored and either get into trouble or lose interest because he wasn't being challenged.  If you HS, you can challenge her (if she asks for it) and meet her needs.

Best of luck on your journey!

[stik]

What is she "at a third grade level" for?  Reading skills?  Math skills?  Did she pass the NCLB test for third graders in your state? 

Private school won't necessarily be more accommodating than public school.  You really have to check out their philosophy.  But for a first grader working at a third grade level, there should be a lot you (and really, her school) can do without too much effort.  For example, your dd can read material with a higher grade-level in her independent reading time.  First and third grade are not that far apart.  It's not like your dd's teachers will have to learn calculus to provide instruction that is meaningful at her level.  There are ways to do this, but teachers are often pushed for time.  You may need to give them some very specific suggestions.

[AddysMom]

She is considered third grade level by her school since she passed the testing for third graders. She actually reads at a higher level than third grade. The teacher does give her chapter books. But has told me she does not have any time to do anything more than that.. She can do all the spelling words and math problems and complains often that its "too easy" and she is bored. I know that it may seem silly to complain that my child is doing to well. But I worry she will end up not growing in her studys and waste a few years in school. She is in a few activities, I will have to look into the homeschooling in the area.

[tankgirl73]

My son was an only child until he was 8.5yo and was only ever homeschooled.  He was socially just fine.  I mean, he does have Asperger's (which we didn't realize until last year) so he has some difficulties with social cues and certain kinds of interactions, but he has always had friends, always had lots of play opportunities, he's a very aggressively social kid and always had lots of outlets for it.

He has been in lots of activities, had some homeschooled friends, and played with neighbourhood kids after school, on weekends, and all summer long.

Also, I tend to believe that kids who are highly socially-oriented will actually benefit from NOT getting their social desires completely filled... I think they are often kids who will be prone to becoming overly peer-dependent and that's not healthy.  (Read "Hold on to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More than Peers" for more info on this issue)   

[laohaire]

My DD is an only, she's very social, and homeschooled. I think she does fine. She has a growing pool of friends and she gets together with them frequently.

[mom2ponygirl]

My dd is an only.  She is 12 now and has homeschooled since she was 5.  She is also very advanced and the local schools really weren't a good fit for her.  There were few private options, so we've found our way with homeschooling.  She has many friends and is very happy to homeschool.  We have an active homeschool group with generally 2-3 events to choose from per week, 4H activities, sports, music, etc.  She has also found some online classes that have a lot of interaction with kids across the country that she enjoys.  

When we first considered homeschooling, I thought her being an only might be a problem.  It hasn't been at all.  In fact, I think I have it much easier than my friends with multiple kids as I don't have to juggle different activities, plan different academics, navigate different friend/play interests, etc. 

[jrcronewillis]

I'm Mama to one 8 year old son who is very much an extrovert.  One of the unexpected advantages we've found to homeschooling is that while DS may not get to see all of his friends every day (we're involved in several different HS groups throughout the area), when they do get together they get to spend more time doing their activities.  We can go to several park/play days a week and he can spend several hours playing with his friends.  He seems to find this quality time very satisfying and really cherishes those long stretches of time!

JCW

[Minuetmuse]

My dd is 7 years old and also an only child.  I worried and worried about this same issue.  She is extremely social!  Which is even more difficult for my husband and I because we are both introverted.  We tried private school for kinder.  It was a great school overall, but still not exactly what I wanted.  I really wanted to homeschool.  We started homeschooling last year.  This is our second year.  And we love it!!  She being an only child has not been an issue at all.  In fact she has so many activities with other kids that sometimes I feel we actually need to cut back to have more quiet time.

Yes, there are some parts of homeschooling that aren't always easy.  But overall, it's perfect for our family and just feels right to us. Any hurdles we may have, or not have, are not related to any "socialization issues for an only child".  I think she actually enjoys her various afternoon activities more because she's not in private or public school.  She has more energy and isn't as tired, so she really enjoys seeing her friends.

[4evermom]

Originally Posted by jrcronewillis 

I'm Mama to one 8 year old son who is very much an extrovert.  One of the unexpected advantages we've found to homeschooling is that while DS may not get to see all of his friends every day (we're involved in several different HS groups throughout the area), when they do get together they get to spend more time doing their activities.  We can go to several park/play days a week and he can spend several hours playing with his friends.  He seems to find this quality time very satisfying and really cherishes those long stretches of time!

JCW

Same here (except my ds is 9).  I've always noticed that he's happiest with quality interaction.  And he wouldn't get that in school.  It would be just little snippets of time which would leaving him wanting more.  It did take us a few years and a lot of effort to meet other homeschoolers and get a core group with whom to hang out.  But now ds has two good sessions a week, one parkday with a group and one weekly visit with his best friend.  Both events last for hours and he is nice and filled up on interaction afterwards.