Before we really delve into this topic of homeschooling pros and cons, I know many of you are homeschooling for different reasons. It may be because of Covid-19 or you may have already planned to homeschool your kids like Nate and I did. Either way is fine!
Also, I know that homeschooling a toddler is very different from homeschooling an older child, hence why this article will focus on just toddlers.
To give you some background, my son Parker is two years old and we will start homeschooling this year. Yes, I know he is only two, but I’m not expecting much in regards to how much information he will retain. The purpose for us starting so early is just to get him more acquainted with the alphabet (the Spanish alphabet, that is) and to have more of a daily schedule.
To give you even more background, I was homeschooled off and on throughout my adolescence so I feel like I already have a base knowledge of what to do and how it will go. If this is your first experience with homeschooling, be excited! I hope that you can feel how much I love it through my articles.
Without further ado, let’s dive into the pros and cons of homeschooling a toddler.
Homeschooling Pros
1. You Decide What They Learn
This is a really big one for me. Like I said in the beginning, this year with Parker will be all about the Spanish alphabet. My husband and I both speak Spanish so it was a no-brainer for us to teach our children. We speak as much Spanish as we can at home, but sitting down for 10-15 each day and only focusing on Spanish will be really beneficial for Parker’s learning curve.
I am also a self-diagnosed control freak. I like to know what’s going on, so being my child’s teacher and literally planning out his yearly, monthly, and weekly curriculum makes me happy.
Another point I want to make is that other schools have mandated curriculum. I know plenty of public and private school teachers who have to teach to the test or even teach what the state tells them to. With homeschooling, it’s up to us (parents and child) to determine what they learn, how they learn it, and when.
2. Your Schedule is More Flexible
This alone was the main reason why I was homeschooled for most of my high school years. I did a lot of acting back then and it was so nice to not have to skip school for an audition or booking. Now, I love having a flexible schedule that allows me to still do what I want or need to.
During this year especially, I can homeschool Parker and not feel bad about missing a day or two when Baby #2 arrives in November. Our schedule will most likely change when the baby gets here and that’s okay. Remember, toddlers don’t have a huge attention span anyway so they probably don’t care how long you teach them.
I can’t talk about having a flexible schedule without talking about traveling too! One of my great childhood memories was going to Disney World right after Thanksgiving. We didn’t skip school, but we did skip all the long lines by going in the off-season!
3. You Can Travel More
I can’t talk about having a flexible schedule without talking about traveling too! One of my great childhood memories was going to Disney World right after Thanksgiving. We didn’t skip school, but we did skip all the long lines by going in the off-season!
Nate and I talk all the time about how much we want to travel with our children and show them the world. To me, there is no better place to learn that going out and seeing it firsthand.
Traveling doesn’t just have to be a trip around the world though. As homeschoolers, we have the great opportunity to go on as many field trips as we want – locally or elsewhere. You can bet that this year with Parker will include field trips to the dinosaur, train, and butterfly museums!
4. You Get Extra Quality Time
If you are one of my email subscribers, you know that my love language is quality time. I can never have enough time with my family! Homeschooling Parker, especially because he is still so young, is something I’ve looked forward to for some time because I know that our bond will grow as we learn together. My husband Nate will also be a part of our schooling at times and that will enhance our bond as a family even more.
It is well known that the toddler years are the most formative. My husband is a social worker and sees a huge difference in children who have present parents versus those with neglectful parents. I’m not saying at all that those who don’t homeschool are neglectful, but I personally want as much time and (hopefully positive) influence over my kids while I can get it.
Parker won’t be this small tomorrow or the next day and I want to be here for each of his special moments.
5. You Don’t Have to Volunteer for the PTA
Okay, here me out on this one. As awesome as other schools can be, they can also include a lot of work. Drop off the kids, pick them up, go to their show-and-tell, back-to-school nights, parent-teacher conferences, PTA meetings, the list goes on. I don’t know about you, but I would much rather stay home if I want rather than feel obligated to go to all those events.
One of the cool things about homeschooling (especially toddlers) is that you are the teacher, principal, and PTA President. You don’t have to worry about making a good impression or what they will think of your kid.
Good news – your kid is already great and you already know that. So stop stressing and just have fun with your child!
Homeschooling Cons
1. You’re With Your Child All Day
Yes, I know this kind of contradicts the pro of getting quality time, but I do think it’s worth mentioning. As a general mental health tip, we are taught that we need time for ourselves and to have our own hobbies (this website is one of my hobbies).
If your kid is with you all day, when do you have time for yourself?
Trust me, I feel the mom guilt as well as anyone and it can get really bad when I haven’t had enough “me” time that day. If you’re considering homeschooling or have already started, I highly suggest adding to your schedule a specific time for yourself. I personally have Parker play by himself until 9am each morning so I can get my own daily tasks done.
2. You Have to Push Yourself to be Social
This one can relate to all moms of toddlers I’m sure, but I think it can be extra prevalent in homeschooling moms. I consider myself to be a generally extroverted person, but the more I am at home, the less I want to be social. Can you relate?
Going along with the idea that we need to take care of ourselves, we also need to make sure we are social and have adult conversations with people other than our spouses. Don’t get me wrong, Nate is the best and I love talking with him. However, being a homeschool mom means that we don’t automatically get to meet other moms from our child’s school or even have an excuse like back-to-school night to put makeup on.
Try to find and keep really good friends. Part of the reason I plan so many field trips in our homeschool curriculum is so I have a reason to get changed, put makeup on, and show Parker off. It’s also a great thing to invite friends to and make it into a playdate.
3. Your Child May be Behind
Realistically speaking, your child may not be developing at the same rate as other kids. That is not anything to worry about, but it does happen.
Right now, Parker is behind on his speech. The reason we aren’t concerned is because typically children that hear multiple languages (Spanish and English) take a longer time to process them and therefore speak later than the average child. There are many reasons why your child could be behind developmentally and none of them are bad.
Mayim Bailik, an actress who played Amy on the Big Bang Theory, homeschools her two children and admits they were both behind as toddlers. If you are really worried about your kid being behind, at least you have the time to help them get through it!
4. You Can’t Relate to Other Parents
No, you won’t be able to swap stories about how your child got in trouble for hitting another kid and you probably won’t be able to compare your child’s teachers either. Being a homeschool parent means that you will have unique stories that can only be laughed about around the dinner table.
I get it. Even with the having the experience of being homeschooled myself, I can’t really relate to my husband and his public school years. As a homeschool mom, I’m still pretty unrelatable in this time. However, if we as homeschool parents can come together, I think we have a good shot at being friends 🙂
This list has more homeschool pros than cons because I believe there are a lot more benefits to it. What do you think? Comment below and tell me your own pros and cons of homeschooling!
Great advice, this is not an easy decision and your post will be so helpful for many parents!
Thanks! It definitely requires a lot of thought before choosing.
Good for you for choosing to put so much attention and care into your child. It’s nice that you included the cons here as well as the pro in order to help other parents make an informed decision.
Thanks! It’s something my husband and I have thought a lot about even before we had kids and I know that a lot of other parents are thinking about it now so I wanted to be as helpful as possible 🙂
It takes a lot of sacrifice and planning. Sounds like a great idea to be structured and start the process early!
Thank you!
I didn’t realize homeschooling for toddlers was a thing.
Great advice! We don’t have kids but my sister is home schooling her children and she loves it.
That’s awesome!
Yes to all of these! Every homeschooling parent has experienced all of these positives, and probably many of the negatives too. I’m glad you’ll get to have this experience with him this year.
Thanks! I’m really excited as well 🙂
There are pro’s and con’s for sure! But you got to do what works for the child and what will help them the most!
Exactly! Every family and child is different.
I think this is a very tricky decision for a lot of parents. Particularly these days when there is now a moral issue involved in the public education of your children. I’m glad I don’t have to fight this battle, and I wish every parent that does all the best.
Yeah, that’s why I’m glad we made the decision before all of that started.
I homeschooled my kids and taught them from birth, although I didn’t label it as homeschooling until the school district got involved. Kids are sponges, especially for foreign language and music. My daughters started music lessons at very early ages (my youngest was 2), and they both went to college on music and academic scholarships. Homeschooling was the best thing I ever did. I wish you the very best!
Thank you for sharing that! It gives me hope 🙂
Definitely thinking about this for the future because of everything going on. This was a great list and perfect timing!
Thank you! I hope it helps your future decisions!
I like how you present the pros and the cons. Homeschooling is a great endeavor for those who are called to do it!
It’s not for everyone, but I do think everyone should know about it.
This was great to see. I know quite a few parents who are planning to home school their kids this year and hopefully they have considered both the good and the not so good and are able to make it work.
Yeah, it is definitely a lot to think about.
I think another thing you can look into are Homeschool Groups. My husband was homeschooled, and was part of a home school group that offered classes every other week, and he was able to play sports through it! I am really hoping to homeschool when the time comes.
That’s such a good point! I was a part of those in high school and loved the social aspect.
Good points. My daughter-in-law is homeschooling, more or less naturally and by default since they are social distancing and she has invested in Lovevery toys and countless books, all of which my grandson loves. She enjoys reading about the experiences of other moms.
I know it’s been hard for a lot of homeschooling parents who never intended to homeschool. I’m glad to hear it’s going well for her!
What a great gift you are giving yourself and your toddler! Bravo!
Thanks! It’s been really fun so far 🙂
I’m homeschooling my toddler this semester (and maybe next) because our preschool closed. My two older children are doing distance learning. I’ve also been a PTA Executive Board Member at their school for the last 6 years. However, I’ve always contemplating homeschooling my kids. We are introverts and love to be home. I totally agree with your PROs list. I love being in charge of what my youngest is going to do each day. I wish I’d done more of it with my older two. And it’s nice to not have to do all the volunteering that comes with him being in an actual school. But, with that volunteering comes camaraderie like you said. The shared experiences with other parents, and the kids with their friends. Right now, being at home, we’re missing that piece the most. But for anyone interested in homeschooling, this is an excellent list to consider.
Thank you! It means a lot to hear your experiences and opinion on this. I hope you are having fun with your youngest!
Great advice! There are definitely pros and cons…that’s the problem! Weighing it all out is very anxiety filled!
It can be! But I think writing it out can help ease the anxiety a bit.
I was a stay-at-home mom when my son was a toddler, and was surprised at how isolated I felt (I was the only SAHM in my circle of friends). Things got better when we joined Gymboree, and I was able to get some interaction with adults.
Having adult interaction definitely helps makes me feel more of an adult and not just “the mom.” I’m glad you found that!
So timely! Good info! I am going virtual for at least the first nine weeks of school with both my girls and thusly keeping my three-year-old home and will try to teach him stuff he would traditionally learn in his preschool class. This is going to be tough, but I think it will be fun!
The good thing about homeschooling a toddler is that they don’t have any expectations for you other than just having fun 🙂
I had no idea how much goes into homeschooling. Great post!
Thanks!
School started today so I am hoping to avoid this really.
Here’s to hoping that Covid doesn’t spike again and everything will go back to normal!
Such great insight. I feel this all so much right now. I love having a bit of control over what and when we learn, but the isolation is very tough and exhausting.
It can be hard to balance, but it is possible. I hope you can be more social again!
I never too early to start teaching your kids stuff they will need to learn in school. It gives them a head start.
I totally agree! Thanks!
I homeschooled my older 3 when they were toddlers, and now they are 11, 10 and 9, so I have them doing a lot of the homeschooling for my 4 year old. It’s so nice to see them excited when she catches on to something that they’ve taught her.
I love that you are teaching your older kids responsibility by having them help teach your 4 year old. Sounds like you have a great family!
Such a great list. I debated homeschooling this year and had all these same reasons! So glad you can relate!
Thank you!
These points apply to kids of any age, I think. I will be homeschooling this fall… I am sure it will not be the easiest thing for either kids or myself (judging by how it went this spring!). Their biggest complaint, is not having the social interaction. The online courses will have a Zoom feature this year, so hopefully that helps a little.
I hope this fall goes well for you and your family! I’m sure you will find something to help your kids still get the social interaction they need.
Really good points! I admire anyone who can homeschool – seems like such a tough endeavor to me. I also have two very close in age, so I’m not sure how I would manage it, to be honest.
Everyone finds something that works for them 🙂
Excellent pros and cons for homeschooling. When I started homeschooling my youngest was three. I continued to homeschool all three kids through 12th grade. My youngest ended up graduating early and started college at 17. No regrets here!
That’s awesome!