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Home schooled kids socialize well

With Kindergarten registration fast approaching, I thought it would be a good time to share this article...

Conventional wisdom and anecdotal evidence has always suggested that home-schooled children are smart, but that they have trouble fitting in with their peers.  However, a new study by the Canadian Fraser Institute says these children not only do well on standardized tests, but also have good social skills.

The report found that home-schooled children are generally involved in more than five outside activities per week.  It suggests that these activities often have a higher adult to child ratio than a school setting which provides more opportunity for adults to model good social behaviour and assist children in building problem solving skills.  Home schooled children were found to socialize well with their own age group.  The study also found that adults who were home-schooled as children behaved typically, in career and family life, for their age category.

Of course, each family situation is different -- general studies do not necessarily mean a particular solution is best for every situation.  Economic factors, school quality, parental skills and a child's personality all play a role in deciding how to school your child.  However, this study provides comfort to those who do choose to home school that their educational choices will not contribute to delays  in other areas of their child's development.