Single Parent Homeschooling: Should You Do It?

The day your child is born, you are reborn as a parent. 

When you hold your child in your arms and feel their heartbeat, the newborn parent in you takes a pledge. You pledge to do your best for your child. 

Parenting is a full-time job. It is sprawled with responsibilities and challenges. This burden is particularly heavy for a single parent. Raising a child, managing the home, and financially supporting the family are some of the many roles that a single parent plays. After conversing with several single parents, I have understood that decisions regarding their children’s education are some of the toughest for them. 

“My child’s career depends on the kind of schooling she has,” said Mary, a single mother of a three-year-old girl.

Homeschooling made a prominent appearance on the horizon of education during COVID-19. Fortunately, the toll of the deadly pandemic is fading, but homeschooling seems like a trend to stay. Many parents across countries like America and the United Kingdom are homeschooling their children. Understandably, parents get overwhelmed by the sea of opinions on homeschooling and conventional schooling practices. The arguments about single-parent homeschooling are even more. If you are a single parent, I can understand your inner struggle. 

So, is single-parent homeschooling worth considering? Well, the answer to this question is subjective. It depends on your situation and preferences. I am penning this blog for all my single-parent friends to give them a better understanding of what homeschooling feels like for a single parent and what to expect from it. So, without further ado, let’s get to it. 

How is Homeschooling different from Regular Schooling? 

For a long time, sending children to school was like a ritual. Right from the beginning of their academic career, burdened with a heavy backpack and timetable, children found themselves standing in front of the school gate. Having a strict routine and curriculum, a traditional school imparts education conventionally and systematically. Usually, this type of education follows a one-to-many approach, where the teacher imparts knowledge to a class of students using standard teaching techniques and study materials. Therefore, in traditional schools, every student receives the same knowledge irrespective of their interests and intelligence. 

Homeschooling is a lot different. It involves a parent educating their children at home using techniques and materials tailored to their children’s needs and interests. Gifted with flexibility, this education approach allows parents to fix the study time and incorporate subjects according to their preferences. Moreover, the parents can have complete freedom in choosing the evaluation techniques for their children. Contrary to traditional schools, homeschooling is a less formal medium of imparting knowledge in a more comfortable environment. 

What does Single-Parent Homeschooling feel like? 

Being a single parent is hard. The long to-do list seems too hard to tick off. Parenting a child, taking care of the bills, doing the household chores, dealing with daily challenges, and so many additional challenges come the way of a single parent. Homeschooling adds to this list of responsibilities. It is a time-consuming activity. You will need to lay out a study framework for your child, set a learning goal, prepare a lesson plan, and impart the education. Hence, you might find it difficult to balance time between every other task and educating your child.  Often, single parents need to sacrifice their time and commit to educating their children. Hence, single-parent homeschooling can feel tiresome occasionally. Although homeschooling requires you to invest your time and energy, its benefits are substantial.  For example, homeschooling is ideal for any single parent if they are the only bread-earner in the family. 

Some Statistics on Homeschooling

If you are someone who looks at statistics before making a decision, keep reading. This infographic can help you understand the trends in homeschooling. 

• In America, the percentage of homeschooling rose by 33% between 2019-20 to 2021-22. 
• As per the National Household Education Surveys Program of 2016, 1 in 5 children with single parents is homeschooled. 

• A USA-based study by the National Center for Education Statistics in 2023 revealed the top reasons for choosing homeschooling in America. 

• According to a study by the National Home Education Research Institute, home-schooled students outperform traditional school students about 78% of the time. 
• Studies by the National Home Education Research Institute show that homeschooled students joining the workforce earn an average annual income of $67,000 compared to the national average of $49,000.
• World data has projected that 67% of homeschooled students complete their college education. 

Source: THINKIMPACT

What does Single Parent Homeschooling offer?

Homeschooling can seem difficult for a single parent. However, the statistics vouches highly for homeschooling. Wait! Don’t make a decision just yet.  Let me share some unique benefits of homeschooling that you can enjoy as a single parent. 

1. Single-parent Homeschooling Offers a Chance to Bond 

A child who has lost a parent goes through a transition. Similarly, as a single parent, you embark on a new journey too. Believe it or not, your relationship dynamics with your children change during this time. Remember, as a single parent, your children and you are each other’s closest connection. Therefore, you must focus on weaving a strong bond between yourselves. Having a strong bond will make your children feel comfortable. And they will find it easier to share their struggles, feelings, and emotions with you. Homeschooling is the best opportunity for you to bond with your children while educating them. On the contrary, traditional schooling requires your child or children to stay away from you for a long period of time. Even after they return home the burden of homework keeps you from spending quality time with your children.

2. Single-parent Homeschooling Fosters Emotional Stability 

One of the things we fear in life is instability. We try our best to restore the known rhythm of life. When a child loses a parent, they face an unstable situation. Under these circumstances, attending a traditional school might be a challenge. Your child needs the constant presence of a loved one and a homely environment to get accustomed to the new condition. Single-parent homeschooling allows your child to study at a pace that suits their mental condition. On the other hand, attending a traditional school would force the children to adopt a pre-set routine that might not be helpful for them. 

3. Single-parent homeschooling Gives You More Power 

Education is the foundation of a child’s future. Therefore, every parent wants to give their children the best education possible. Unfortunately, in the traditional form of education, parents do not have much say over the curriculum, course structure, or teaching technique. Hence, in this type of education, the parent has little involvement. On the contrary, home-schooling allows parents to impart education the way they want to. You have complete control to customize the subjects learned. For example, if you want to inculcate religious values in your children, you can add religious lessons to their study routines. Thus, homeschooling gives you the power to shape the educational journey of your child and teach them the subjects of your choice. 

4. Single-parent homeschooling Gives Flexibility to You and Your Children

Back-to-back classes often burden the students and make them lose interest in the lesson. In fact, they desperately wait for recess to free their mind. Homeschooling allows the children to take frequent breaks wherever they feel tired. This helps them remain attentive during the study sessions. More importantly, a child goes through a lot of mental upheaval when they lose a parent. There might be certain days when they feel mentally disturbed. Homeschooling gives you the flexibility to recuperate the loss, adapt to the situation, and spend some time healing. At the same time, as a parent, you can also schedule the study sessions according to your free time.

5. Single-parent Homeschooling Helps You Save Money 

In most cases, being a single parent, you are in charge of all the finances. From paying the bills to buying the groceries, every big expense and little is your responsibility.  The situation is tougher if you have a single source of income. Homeschooling is a less costly yet effective option for educating your children. This type of education technique saves you resource fees, school fees, and other fees like  field trips and occasion fees. Average calculations show that per-student costs of public schooling are much higher than that of homeschooling.

Type of Schooling	Cost per student yearly
Public Schooling	$5,325
Homeschooling	$500 – $600

The benefits of single-parent homeschooling are manifold. Moreover, it also helps your child develop a love and interest in learning, something that is most unlikely in the case of traditional schooling. Homeschooling stretches beyond the realms of education and can incorporate an array of activities of their liking. You can make the experience as learner-friendly as you want. However, homeschooled children do not have opportunities to socialize with peers unless otherwise arranged by their parents. Also, creating a structured study routine without expert help can be a bit difficult for the parent. Often single parents doubt their teaching capabilities.  Being a part of single-parent homeschooling support groups can help you create a valuable homeschooling experience for your children. Moreover, you will find plenty of support, resources, and guidelines to help you with your lesson plans and craft an effective framework for studying.    

In modern times more and more parents are choosing homeschooling to educate their children. In this blog, I specifically helped single parents figure out if homeschooling is an option for their children as well. Through authentic information and statistics, you can get a rough idea about single-parent homeschooling. And before deciding, remember just like conventional schooling homeschooling has its pros and cons. Do an in-depth research and see if this is a suitable choice for you and your children.