How to Make Friends As a Homeschooler

How do homeschoolers make friends? Do you need some ideas to help your young children, homeschooled kids, and teens make new friends while homeschooling? If you want to know how to make friends as a homeschooler, this article is for you.

Video & Podcast Episode: How to Make Friends as a Homeschooler

On this page, you’ll find a video and podcast episode that will help you understand how homeschoolers make friends and socialize.

• Video: How to Make Friends as a Homeschooler
• Podcast: How Homeschoolers Make Friends

Let’s put your mind at ease and show you how homeschooled kids make friends and how to find social activities for homeschoolers.

While this article is geared toward homeschooling families, you’ll find many ideas about making new friends that are helpful to all people, including kids, teens, and adults. Near the bottom of this page, you’ll also discover more videos that anyone can use to learn how to make friends.

There are plenty of homeschoolers around. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there were more than 2 million homeschooled kids across the United States alone. So if you’re looking to make new friends who homeschool, plenty of other homeschoolers probably live near you.

Video: How to Make Friends as a Homeschooler

How Do Homeschoolers Make Friends?

If you’re considering homeschooling your kids, you might be concerned about socialization.

In most places, there are many homeschoolers and numerous homeschooling groups. The hardest part is finding these groups, but once you figure out how to find other homeschoolers, you are well on your way to helping your kids make homeschooled friends.

We will discuss these ideas for making friends more in-depth further down this page, but here’s a quick list to start with.

• Sports
• Library
• Museums
• Public, Private, & Charter School Programs
• Homeschool Programs
• Youth Programs
• Homeschool Conventions
• Community Centers
• Churches
• Outdoor Programs
• Nature Centers
• Parks
• Studio Centers
• Recreation Centers
• Volunteering
• Parents
• Social media (like Facebook)
• Search engines (like Google)

Become Friends with Other Homeschool Parents

While you might be inclined to primarily focus on helping your kids make homeschooling friends, consider focusing on yourself first. It’s easier to help your kids make friends when you’re friends with other homeschooling parents.

Here’s an example…

1. Join or visit several homeschooling groups, coops, or classes.
2. See which groups you jive with best.
3. Invite a few of the parents you connected with to have coffee with you or meet at a park for a playdate.
4. If you feel like you could be friends, find out what other activities their kids are involved in.
5. See if you could sign your children up for some of those activities.
6. Consider inviting the parents you would like to get to know better for a mom’s night out, book club, or game night.

Overall, the point is to find other parents YOU click with, nurture those friendships, and then help your kids make friends with the children of the parents you most easily connect with.

Overlapping Interests

The best way to make friends that you’ll know for years is by overlapping interests.

For example, as families you might be in the same homeschooling group. Your children could be in some of the same extra-curricular activities, the moms might have a monthly Mom’s Night Out, and you could have occasional family game nights and gatherings.

Having multiple shared interests is the key to developing long and lasting friendships.

Making Friends Through Sports

If you’re concerned about it, your homeschooled kids may still be able to partake in public school sports. Find out if homeschooled kids can play public school sports where you live by asking your local school district.

Homeschooled kids play sports too. Here’s how you can get your kids involved.

• Homeschool sports programs.
• Your parks & recreation department.
• Local & national youth organizations like Boys & Girls Club, Little League, etc.  
• Community centers & churches.
• Public & private schools. 

If homeschool sports haven’t been promoted in your area, consider collaborating with others to start a new program.

Ways Homeschoolers Make Friends: The Library

One way to meet other homeschoolers near you is by visiting your local library. When you’re there, do the following.

• Look for homeschool group information on community bulletin boards.
• Ask your librarian if they know of any homeschooling groups or other homeschoolers they could connect you with.
• If you see parents with school-age children, ask if they homeschool. This approach works better when most kids are in school during the traditional school year.

Many libraries offer daytime programs targeted to homeschooling families. By frequenting the library, you may also meet other homeschooling families. 

Listen to the HomeSchool ThinkTank Parenting Podcast

Each week we share two podcast episodes.

• Mindset Mondays: Each Monday, we share an episode that’s designed to inspire and uplift homeschooling parents.
• Wednesday Wisdom: Our Wednesday episodes are created to help parents learn more about homeschooling, parenting, and education.
• Friends Podcast Episode: Listen to our podcast episode about how homeschoolers make friends. It’s at the bottom of this page.

Do You or Your Child Have Social Anxiety?

Below are ideas to help anyone make new friends.

1. Smile at others.
2. Make eye contact with others.
3. Talk less and be curious.
4. Ask open-ended questions rather than “Yes” or “No” questions.
5. When you talk about yourself, offer something interesting that the other person might relate to.

When you meet new people, being friendly goes a long way. If you’re nervous, smiling and making eye contact might not feel natural. However, these simple things let others know that you’re open to conversation. When you’re getting to know someone, be curious and ask open-ended questions.

What to Do If You or Your Child Has Social Anxiety

If you or your child has social anxiety or struggles to make friends, I can help. My name is Jackie, and I’m the founder of HomeSchool ThinkTank. While I offer homeschool consulting and coaching services, I am also a certified life coach. As a certified life coach, I have the skills to help you with many of life’s challenges.

• Click here to learn more about my life coaching services.
• Learn more about my homeschool consulting services here.

About My Homeschool Consulting & Life Coaching Services

Museum Activities for Homeschooled Kids

Many museums, especially children’s museums, offer homeschool activities.  They offer everything from art activities to science experiments.  Kids can learn to paint like Picasso or learn how electricity works through activities offered at museums. 

Remember to take note of small groups with school-age children accompanied by their parents during school hours. There’s a good chance they are homeschoolers.  You might start a new friendship at the museum by initiating a conversation.

Remember to ask your museum staff if they have contact information for any homeschool groups.

Home School, Public School, Charter School, or Private School

There are two ways to enlist the help of schools to help you meet other homeschoolers near you.

1. Ask the school receptionist if they have lists of homeschooling groups in your area.
2. See if the school offers in-person programs for homeschooled kids.

We’re fortunate to live in a time and place where we have choices. Often, you can combine homeschooling with other educational options. Love it or hate it, many schools offer shared school or family school programs.  

If you want to combine other educational options with homeschooling, we suggest visiting your local homeschooling organization before checking with your school district. You’ll want to understand how your choices impact your family where you live. In addition, it’s important to understand how your choices impact the greater homeschooling community.

Outdoor Programs, Nature Centers, & Parks

Check with nature centers, outdoor programs, and your public parks department to learn about homeschool activities.

Some homeschool groups in your area may meet around activities like walking, bicycling, or park days. 

If you don’t find something interesting, consider starting a homeschool group.  Certainly, there are others who would like to join you!

Homeschool Programs & Classes Near You

Frequently, local homeschool programs don’t have a website and aren’t easy to find. That’s why we shared many other ideas to help you find homeschoolers who live near you. However, we also recommend doing an online search by typing in your town and the word homeschool.

Some homeschool groups form classes like geography, STEM, languages, choir, and art.  Homeschooled children often meet once or twice weekly and take classes together for years.  Deep and lasting friendships can be the result of these types of classes.

Community Centers

Community centers can be very helpful and accommodating to homeschool families. Sometimes, they allow homeschoolers to use their space for free, at minimal cost, or in exchange for service. A homeschool group likely meets at a community center near you.  

Recreation Centers

Have you checked with your recreation center to see what activities they offer?  Most rec centers offer general classes, and they might also offer classes created for homeschooled kids.

Recreation centers offer activities like basketball, bicycling, rock climbing, and swimming lessons.

Studio Classes

Call your local studios and inquire about homeschool classes. Try contacting the following types of studios.

• Art
• Dance
• Drama
• Gymnastics
• Martial Arts
• Music
• Technology

Many studios remain empty during school hours. As a result, studio owners may be happy to utilize their space and offer classes to homeschooled students. If you would like a studio or local business to offer a class for homeschoolers, ask if they might create one. 

In our free course, “Homeschool with Confidence,” you’ll discover ideas that will help you meet other homeschoolers and make friends.

Children Explain How to Make Friends

In this video, you’ll hear kids’ tips about making friends.

If your child struggles to make friends, watch this video with your child and discuss it together.

1. Say, “Hello.”
2. Smile.
3. Be polite.
4. Listen.
5. Be kind.
6. Take turns.
7. Joining in.
8. Share.

Volunteer & Make Friends Too!

Volunteering is an excellent way to meet others.  Whether your child volunteers as an individual or you volunteer as a family, the act of giving is an enriching experience. 

You can teach your child to give individually, with family and friends, or through an organization. You can create new and meaningful friendships regardless of how you approach volunteering.

How are Homeschoolers Socialized?

How do homeschooled kids make friends?

Like everyone else, they make friends by doing things. The easiest way to make friends is to get together with others over shared hobbies and activities.

Homeschoolers can get involved both locally and online to connect with various groups, activities, and events in their community.

Podcast Episode: How Do Homeschoolers Make Friends

Join Our Online Community of Homeschooling Parents

At HomeSchool ThinkTank, we believe a community that learns together grows together.

When you join our online homeschool parenting group, you’ll become part of a growth-minded community of supportive parents.

Parents: Making Friends as An Adult

When you have friends who are also parents, then your children can become friends with your friend’s kids.

In the TEDx video below, John DiJulius explains a simple method to help adults learn how to make friends. He uses the acronym F.O.R.D. to help you remember this idea. When trying to get to know someone better, ask them about the following topics.

• Family
• Occupation
• Recreation
• Dreams

Near the end of the video, John DiJulius “invites you to build more meaningful relationships by focusing on other people’s F.O.R.D. and finding ways to give more in all your relationships.”

John DiJulius: Meet as Strangers Leave as Friends

Helpful Articles, Videos, & Podcast Episodes

• How to start homeschooling.
• Should I homeschool my kids?
• Check out this article about nature schooling.
• Get your questions about homeschooling answered.
• Learn about a museum pass that will get you into hundreds of museums.

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