Considering Homeschooling When Living Abroad
Providing your child with the best possible education is the duty of every parent. Only with the right schooling can our kids grow up and fulfill their full potential. Unfortunately, finding a good school is tough when you’re moving around a lot or living in a country that’s far away from your home. So, to avoid transferring from school to school and changing lots of teachers, you can be more involved in your kids’ education. Consider homeschooling when living abroad or if your family is moving with kids. This may be the best alternative for your child to get a proper education and upbringing.
Benefits of homeschooling
The foremost advantage is that you can keep up with the national program even if you’re living abroad. This will help your child return to your home country for high school or college. In addition to this, you can expand the curriculum and adapt it to whatever you need.
A more rounded education
Another benefit of homeschooling your children when living abroad is that you can provide a more complete education suited for your kid’s needs. You can follow a premade curriculum or develop your own. Add the information you think is important to already existing teaching plans. This will make learning with your child easy. Just make sure you follow his/her pace when you’re teaching them.
Involvement in the community
You can provide your child with a more immersive approach to learning by taking it on more field trips and showing him/her how your community works. This is a good way to help your little people identify themselves and to help them get ideas about what they’d like to do in life.
More time with your kid
The last but not the least advantage of schooling your kids at home is that you’ll have more time with your little ones. Even though this can sometimes be challenging, it’s always worth it.
Other advantages:
- Minimal deconcentrating factors – learning in the comfort of your home
- No commuting – no commuting means more free time for your child every day. Also, there’s no chance they’ll will get lost.
- Your kid’s diet – a better control over what your child eats will improve your their health and help them form better habits.
Disadvantages and how to fix them
The biggest disadvantage of homeschooling is that the education can be one dimensional. However, if you’re moving around a lot or have been living abroad for a long time, you’ll know how to tackle this. Hire online tutors and experts to compliment your child’s education for those areas you’re not sure about.
Social life and making friends
Homeschooling is great when your job requires your family to move a lot. However, you should think about how this can affect your child. It could be difficult for them to find friends among their peers if they’re not staying long in one place, while it might be easy for you to embark on yet another job hunt.
How to tackle it
If you’re a well-practiced nomad family, your moving preparations shouldn’t take long. So, after you find international movers you can trust, take a few moments to look up some activities for your kids in your new neighborhood. Talk to your children about what they’d like to apply for. Signing up for a club or a team sport will help your youngest family members find friends and learn even more new and interesting things.
Too easy to be overprotective
We love our kids, and this is why being too clutchy is always an option. Even though you’re educating your kids in the comfort of your home, you shouldn’t keep them strapped to your side. The point of homeschooling when living abroad is to provide a better education, not a one lacking some of the basic principles.
How to tackle it
Fight your fear about your child’s safety and stop being overprotective. Of course, don’t let your little ones go wild, but don’t keep them in all the time. Let them meet people and experience things. And, remember to give both you and your child a break from time to time.
Motivation
Planning homeschooling your kids while on the move or living abroad is much easier than practical homeschooling. Once you start you’ll need to keep up with it – no excuses! This may seem easy and inspiring at first, but it will get very challenging at some point. Do not give up!
How to tackle it
Both the child and the parent must want this and show initiative to make it work. Also, both you and your kid should feel free to offer encouragement and motivate each other. So, don’t be stingy with your compliments, studies show that if you’re children think they’re doing good, they’re more likely to enjoy their education. Show understanding, but keep good discipline when you’re teaching your child.
Why should you consider homeschooling when living abroad?
Homeschooling your child is excellent for the families that move around a lot because it provides the most consistent education. And when learning is in question, consistency is the name of the game. This way of learning can provide your kid with a stable schedule outside of school, which will help them get good learning habits. All while combining this with the better quality of education than you’d be able to get in most cases. And it doesn’t matter whether you are moving to Toronto or some other city/ country – the same rules apply.
In addition to this, you can:
- Reduce exposure to stressful environments
- Know where your kid is
- Offer the most immersive education possible
Furthermore, make sure you hire help if you need it! This isn’t necessarily about your kid’s knowledge and education. You’ll need to stay organized if you want homeschooling to work. So, please don’t be afraid to request assistance with planning and preparing classes or activities. Look up solutions to the challenges you’re bound to encounter when homeschooling when living abroad. Don’t let them catch you unprepared.