Homeschooling means different things to different people. For some families, homeschooling means duplicating school at home, complete with textbooks, report cards and regularly scheduled field trips. For others, homeschooling is simply the way they live their lives – children and adults living and learning together with a seamlessness that would challenge an observer to determine which was ‘home’ and which was ‘school.’

If you think of a kind of homeschooling continuum, with ‘school at home’ at one end, and ‘learning and living completely integrated’ on the other – you would find homeschoolers scattered along that line with every possible variation of what homeschooling could mean.

Many Christian parents are committed to educating their children at home because of their conviction that this is God’s will for their family. They are concerned for the spiritual training and character development as well as the social and academic welfare of their children. Specific advantages have been expressed as follows:

  • Parents can present all academic subjects from a biblical perspective and include spiritual training. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Prov. 9:10).
  • Home schooling makes quality time available to train and influence children in all areas in an integrated way.
  • Each child receives individual attention and has his unique needs met.
  • Children gain respect for their parents as teachers.
  • The family experiences unity, closeness, and mutual enjoyment of one another as they spend more time working together.
  • Children develop confidence and independent thinking away from the peer pressure to conform and in the security of their own home.
  • Children have time to explore new interests and to think and to develop ideas.
  • Communication between different age groups is enhanced.
  • Tutorial-style education helps each child achieve his full educational potential.
  • Flexible scheduling can accommodate parents’ work and vacation times and allow time for many activities. (Think: off peak holiday rates)