Hi, friends! It’s Anne, founder of The Homeschooler’s Chat, here with another post that I hope will help you on your homeschooling journey. In this article we’re going to be looking at how you can make friends while homeschooling. Of course, my number one recommendation for making friends online will be our very own Discord server for homeschoolers, but making friends in person is a whole different game!
I asked some of our members in The Homeschooler’s Chat Discord server about their experiences with meeting fellow students while learning at home. They offered a lot of great insight which I’m excited to share! A massive thank-you to contributed to this post. Your help is incredibly appreciated.
Without further ado, let’s dive right into some of the options you have for meeting peers and making potential friends.
- Find homeschooling groups
- Find local events
- Community support
Facebook is an incredible tool for finding groups and events for teenagers in your area. This is a method that I used myself during homeschooling. Even though I didn’t have a Facebook account of my own, an adult was able to help me locate groups in my area through their Facebook account. Try searching Facebook by including the name of your local area and terms like “homeschool”, “unschool”, “co-op”, “events for teens”, and similar wording. Remember to always attend these events with an adult for both safety and support.
One of our users in The Homeschooler’s Chat Discord server, Conner, shared that even though a pareent wasn’t able to help him with a Facebook search, he did find a Facebook group for homeschoolers. Conner said, “most of the events were only for small children, but I found a party for older kids and teens after a while!” This is a great example of how keeping an eye out and not giving up can pay off.
From our experience, not giving up is the most important part of searching for friends. If you have trouble connecting with a group at first, don’t stop attending! Keep putting yourself out there. Try not to get discouraged if it takes a while to make connections. Be sure to put your best foot forward and continue showing up to meetings when you can.
🏛 Libraries and museums
- Interest-based events
- Studying environments
- Finding more events
Heading to your local library can not only be a great way to find friends, but also offer a lovely place to study and relax. London, another user in HSRC, shared that going to a library event or even a mall is a method she’s heard of for finding friends while homeschooling. Many libraries host events for children and teenagers, often education-based which gives students a chance to meet peers with similar interests. Museums offer similar events.
Science museums frequently host summer camps for students, similar to library events. These camps typically take place during the day over the course of a week or so. Topics may include dinosaurs, physics, biology, space, and more. This gives attendees another opportunity to connect with fellow teenagers with shared interests.
Keep in mind that some of these events may come with a fee, depending on the location and instructors involved. Libraries and museums may also have information about more local events for students in your area, so be sure to ask about future events next time you’re there!
☀ Summer camps and clubs
- Connect over a variety of topics
- Team work builds connections
- Learn and socialize at the same time
As mentioned above, museums often host summer camps, but they’re not the only places that do so! Summer camps can be hosted by independent groups as well. These events can cover a wide range of topics. Some common themes for summer camps are theater, science, art, technology, and even survival skills! Conner from HSRC shared, “going to summer camp has helped me feel less lonely during the summer.”
This is another method I used myself for finding friends. My experiences with summer camps were always enjoyable. From science to arts, getting a chance to learn something in a group setting was a thrilling experience as a homeschooling student.
To find summer camps, try searching Facebook, asking around at local libraries, and even reaching out to fellow homeschoolers in your area, if you know some!
👥 Co-ops
- Find a group that shares your values
- Gather with the same group over and over again
- Feel a sense of community
I know what you’re probably thinking, “Anne, everyone says this but the groups in my area don’t work for me!” I hear you. Maybe you had a weird or negative experience with a local co-op or maybe there aren’t co-ops in your area. If you’re dealing with the latter, then feel free to skip this section. If you’re in the first group though, hear me out. Don’t give up if you don’t make friends right away.
Some of the genuine deal breakers when dealing with homeschool co-ops may include conflicting values, dramatic environments, past serious conflicts, or hateful conduct from co-op members. However, if you attended a homeschool co-op and left or stopped attending just because you didn’t make connections the first few times you went, ask yourself, “what do I lose by trying again?” Maybe you don’t end up making life-long friends, but how will you know if you don’t give it a chance? Better to spend a day meeting new people than stay at home and potentially miss out on future friendships!
You can often find homeschool co-ops through Facebook. Some homeschooling programs may even have in-person meetings, like the one that cloakkkkk, a member in HSRC, attends. cloakkkkk shared “the homeschooling I do has in person events with other students that I could attend but I haven’t gone to any yet.” If you use a program like this for your learning, try digging around to see if in-person groups are included!
But, I feel anxious! You’re not alone! I spent at least the first 10 meetings at new co-ops just sitting in one spot and watching the other students. Seems silly, right? It probably seemed a bit goofy to those around me, but after a while I felt more comfortable getting involved. These things just take time for some people, myself included. That social anxiety is a tough beast. The friendships I found were worth those first 10 anxiety-ridden meetings, and they could be for you as well!
This doesn’t work for me. Co-ops aren’t for everyone! For example Conner shared in HSRC, “I know that co-ops if they are available in your area are a great option, but they sometimes require fees”. This is very true, and a good reason that co-ops might not be right for you! Some co-ops do require fees, while others are more like casual gatherings between friends. However, those environments may not work for everyone. You can absolutely make friends without joining a homeschooling co-op. Some people even make friends by meeting their neighbors, which is our next topic.
🏘 Neighborhood
- Find friends nearby
- Find out about more local events
“We had just moved and these two girls were our neighbors. They were playing outside one day and I joined them. That was how I made friends.” That was breezeyninja’s experience, shared in The Homeschooler’s Chat Discord server. breezeyninja is not alone in this experience! Tons of homeschoolers make friends by meeting their neighbors, especially during the summer. Becoming friends with a neighbor is a great way to find out about local events, too!
Introducing yourself to your neighbors can open up lots of doors. “Open doors”. Get it? Opening doors? Little Anne joke for you there. Okay, back on track. Saying hello to your neighbors is a perfect method for socializing and potentially making friends near your home. London from HSRC met a friend this way, just like breezeyninja. “They were my neighbor and I saw them outside playing and joined,” said London. Step out of your comfort zone next time you see a neighbor and say hi! They probably don’t bite.
⚽ Sports
- Great for health
- Increases self-esteem
Sports are great for maintaining healthy activity levels and meeting new people. “I have met a few people that seemed cool through playing sports with other kids my age,” cloakkkkk shared in The Homeschooler’s Chat Discord server. Some popular options for team sports to try are football (soccer), hockey, basketball, and American football. There are so many more sports out there, but these tend to be some of the most popular for those who love fast-paced team sports!
Gymnastics is another sport worth trying, and one that breezeyninja in HSRC has heard is a good option! This can be a great choice for those who aren’t interested in contact or collision sports. Other great sports similar to gymnastics are ice skating and swimming.
Public school sports and clubs are another possible option for some homeschoolers, depending on location. Try calling around to your local schools and asking if they allow non-students to join in their sports or have clubs open to homeschoolers.
Getting involved in a sport can, in addition to the above, contribute to increased self-esteem and improved mental health. Staying active and enjoying the company of others in sports is a fantastic method for rounding out your homeschooling journey!
💫 Gyms, parks, pools, etc
- Great for overall health
- An easier, more casual way to meet people
“Another way I made a friend was going to a public pool!” That’s another experience user London shared during our chat about making friends in The Homeschooler’s Chat Discord server. Public pools are a fun way to enjoy the summer weather and, of course, another exciting way to meet people! Even if you don’t make friends right away, who doesn’t love going for a swim? Going to the park can be a similar fun and successful way to make friends, according to breezeyninja who made friends that way.
Sometimes the biggest part of making friends is just getting yourself out there. Conner from The Homeschooler’s Chat shared, “I go to the gym to get out of the house.” Getting our is a huge part of this process and can seriously improve your health both physically and mentally. Gyms, parks, and pools are all an excellent way to stay active and venture out into the world. As you’ve heard so many times in this article, don’t give up if you don’t make friends right away! Like Conner said, even if you don’t make connections “it’s still nice to get out and see other people!”
🤍 Experiences vary. Don’t get discouraged!
From our conversation in The Homeschooler’s Chat, I heard a lot about what did and didn’t work for each user who contributed. The primary theme that stood out to me in our dialogue was that no single method works for everyone. For example, Conner shared, that there are no clubs or sports for teens where he lives, so that method hasn’t worked for him.
The options listed in this article are far from an exhaustive list. You may find that you’ve already tried these methods and haven’t had any luck. If that’s the case I’ll say once more: don’t give up. It can take a long time to find people that you click with, but it will happen. In the meantime, there are always friends for you in The Homeschooler’s Chat Discord server. London from HSRC mentioned playing video games as another way to make online friends, which is always worth a try for those who love gaming!
Online friends can bring so much comfort and love into our lives. While it’s hard to be apart, unable to go to the same movie theater or eat at the same restaurants together, the support is real, and so is the friendship. The Homeschooler’s Chat is here for you, whether you have dozens of friends living near you or you’re feeling completely alone.
Thank you to the HSRC members who contributed to this post, including Conner, London, cloakkkkk, and breezeyninja! Cover photo by mododeolhar on Pexels.com.
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