Just one child?

We were blessed to have two homeschooling families join our church shortly after my oldest started kindergarten at home. We have remained friends throughout our journey, and the largest family has graduated their oldest 3 as of this year. So there have always been a few close friends for them to spend a little time with. For my kids, a little time with friends went a long way, and they saw them every Sunday.

Aside from that, we chose to join a monthly co-op when two of mine were in 4th grade and the oldest was in 6th. We also got together for field trips once in awhile through a Yahoo group of homeschoolers. And two years ago, we joined a co-op that spans pre-school ages through 12th grade because the original co-op was really geared toward elementary grades only. The more recent co-op is structured to have 3 classes of various subjects (some academic, some handicrafts, and gym class) every other Friday, with kids within a few years of age. Finally, we also have a fine arts school for homeschoolers called Psalmist, and we attend that once a week from mid-October to mid-May. There, my girls have taken guitar, violin, and worship dance.

If you find just one or two opportunities like that, you will probably find that your child makes a few good friends. I know that mine have developed some wonderful relationships that are a real blessing. My son, who is autistic, found it harder to make friends, but he really looked forward to seeing the other kids when we went to co-op. He is now in a special needs school, but got a lot out of the extra activities.

All of these things are great for making friends, but it can wear you down (and take too much time from your daily school activities), so you need to balance the need for friendship with giving your child a good education. This reminds me of what I sometimes tell people who ask us, “But what about socialization?” I tell them that I don’t believe we should send children to school to make friends. We send them to be educated, and friendships are a happy by-product of school, not the main focus. It’s really all about balance, in my opinion.

I homeschool my 6yr old grandaughter. Aside from church she is involved in a local eco-centers homeschool class and is a member of a 4-H special interest group that each meet once a month.  I recently started a CM support group (hopefully evoving to a co-op one day) that meets once a week for mom support time while the children all play. She also attends Awana where she is making friends.  

Socialization is not an issue for us.  Like Sue said, finding the right balance is key! 

I agree with W2F, bring her home now. Spend the summer checking out available activities in your area.  Check with your local library also, that is how I found the eco-center activities.