Deciding to home educate your child (children) is probably the single biggest decision you will make about their education. With pressure to conform to ‘mainstream’ norms, the idea of ignoring traditional schooling and creating a bespoke learning environment can seem daunting, but placing your child at the centre of their learning journey is the single biggest advantage home education can offer.
With that in mind, in this article, we look at 3 key benefits that home education and a ‘child-centred’ approach offer you and your child.
A direct tutoring method
Generally, class size can significantly affect students’ learning ability. The lower the student-teacher ratio, the faster students learn. With home education, children often have 1:1 access to teachers and tutors from a young age, and even small group learning, such as when online tutors are involved, will see much smaller ratios than those experienced by children in mainstream schooling. Teachers can also individually assist students, especially those who require extra time to familiarise themselves with the subject matter.
Consequently, parents, teachers, or tutors can ensure that everyone has completely understood the subject being learnt before moving on to the next.
A customized learning procedure
Every child is unique, with their own strengths, weaknesses, and learning capabilities. With home education, parents, teachers, and tutors can customise the learning path based on their children’s abilities, identifying which areas require additional time and which ones they are good at.
Through a tailored learning system, the child’s development is often much faster, building confidence and a love of learning that will hopefully stay with the child as they grow into young adults.
Promote the child’s independent thinking
Children attending traditional schools typically rely on others instead of coming up with their own thoughts and ideas. On the other hand, home educated children are spirited and independent, are very expressive and quick to create plans because of the freedom to learn and explore at their own pace.
By its very nature, home education empowers children to think independently, to trust and value their opinions, and not to be fazed by peer pressure. When they reach college or university age, home educated children are often more mature than their classmates and can seamlessly navigate through collegiate life.
