A families relationships and home school high school students.

Homeschool parents know what makes you kids tick better than anyone. They live with you and teach you, and they’re strongly connected to you as a teacher, authority figure, tutor, your biggest supporter…and just plain old mom and dad. Those connections are part of what makes homeschooling so successful.

It makes you wonder if some of those anti-homeschool types are just jealous of the relationship you have with your parents. After all, that parent doesn’t get to watch their kids grow; but your parents get to be there for you…cheering on your greatest triumphs and supporting you when you really need them. While an ever-shrinking number of people continue to worry if you’ve been placed in some sort of homeschool box, you wonder why those folks can’t see the bigger picture outside of the box. You’re not limited to connections by class size, because the entire world is your classroom and your parents are right there with you – along for the ride with you and any brothers and sisters you may have.

Not only is homeschooling a great way to build stronger bonds with your brothers and sisters, it also helps you build closer relationships with older relatives, like your grandparents. Many homeschooling families get grandparents and aunts and uncles involved, inviting them to teach you subjects with which they are familiar. Grandparents love to play an important role in your education, and they’ve certainly been witness to a much larger chunk of history than you or your parents.

And remember, whether your classroom is run by Mrs. Mom or Mr. Dad, both parents play an equally important role in your education. Having them both available to you – as a student – is critical.

So if you want to spend more time with family members (go on … admit it, you do…we all do), here are three things you can do as a homeschooler to strengthen those family ties with your parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and grandparents:

1. History Class

Grandma and Grandpa have seen it all, from Vietnam to hiding under their school desks during the Cold War to the rise of Asia, the beginning of space exploration and the fall of the Soviet empire. They are a valuable resource…and not because they give you an envelope with some cash on your birthday! If you love history, spend some class time listening to the people who lived it…and made it. Learn how your family was involved in world-shaping events.

2. Tutoring at Home

If you homeschool with brothers and sisters, tutoring is a great way to help them out and become closer to them. They’ll appreciate the help (and maybe cut you some slack the next time Mom is demanding to know who left the cookies out for the dog to steal). Spending time together with your siblings leads to stronger life-long bonds than if you attended traditional school with other kids.

3. Leave it in the Classroom

One of the most important things to remember about school is that it represents only a portion of your day (and your life!). Make sure you leave your relationship with the teacher in the classroom…and “come home” to mom and dad at the end of the school day. Healthy family relationships are strengthened in the homeschool classroom, but – at the end of the day – they are family, so make sure you have plenty of good old-fashioned family time!

Education is about more than doing coursework and taking tests – it’s also about learning and building connections. Who better to learn from than the people to whom you are most closely connected…your family!

Have any of your extended family been invited into your homeschool classroom to teach?