5 Ways to Make the Most Out of Rural Homeschooling

Abraham Lincoln did it. So did Thomas Edison, Agatha Christie and Alexander Graham Bell. But homeschooling isn’t limited to famous leaders, writers and inventors of the past. More than 2.5 million children are homeschooled today. 

The convenience and personalized attention of homeschooling comes at the cost of lack of socialization, constant distractions and the possibility of rushing through the curriculum. Things are harder for families located in rural areas due to the lack of suitable infrastructure and easy access. 

So, as a parent to a homeschooled kid in a rural area, how do you balance the pros with the cons, while giving your child the best possible education?

Here are 5 ways you can make the most out of your rural homeschooling experience:

Join a local homeschooling group 

Studying on your own can be extremely isolating, especially at an age where children need social connections for healthy psychosocial development. While you can’t fully recreate the high school canteen experience, joining a local homeschooling group can open up opportunities for children to interact with other kids their age. Hanging out with peers might not seem like a priority, especially if you have a tight schedule, but research has repeatedly shown that loneliness can literally kill you. 

A quick Google search will pull up helpful resources and information about in-person and virtual homeschool groups that meet weekly or bimonthly to help both parents and children share their experiences and learn new techniques by observing what others are doing. 

Have a fixed space for studying

If you are living in a small house, it can be tempting to study wherever possible, but it may be counterproductive. Studies show that having a fixed space for studying primes your brain for learning and make the study sessions more productive. 

However, this doesn’t mean you need a dedicated room for studying; simply having a desk, a small table or even a fixed corner of the wall can be reserved for study sessions. This makes it easy to distinguish between play time and study time. Sitting in your ‘study space’ means no distractions and full concentration while you are there. Once homework is over, kids can leave this area and proceed to play. 

Plan the study session around access to resources

If you live in a region where power cuts occur frequently, it becomes difficult to study according to a schedule. You may have planned an English lesson at 7 pm but the power is cut and you are left in the dark. 

You can avoid this by scheduling your studies around these power or water cut timings. If you know you lose power for 2 hours every evening, set up a study session in the mornings or afternoons. If you get water only twice a week and need to devote time to filling up buckets, lighten that day’s study load and schedule an extra session on other days of the week.

This way you are giving enough time and attention to managing the household, while also making sure your children’s studies don’t suffer because of the chores. 

Always leave room for flexibility 

If you are implementing the step above, you may notice, sometimes things don’t always go according to the plan. Some days power will be cut without notice or the water tanker will arrive a day late. In these situations, you might have to quickly scrap off previous plans and throw something together hastily. This is again counterproductive and leads to confusion and chaos. 

Instead, plan your schedule in a way that leaves room for flexibility. For example, instead of having a rule of studying for 4 hours every Thursday, have a rule of studying 30 hours every week. This way, if you miss a day, you can simply study more the next day or better yet, distribute that day’s curriculum throughout the week. 

Another option for a flexible curriculum is to have an adaptable plan. Decide beforehand what happens if a study session is missed. Perhaps, you can carry forward the remaining modules. Maybe, you can add extra study time in the next week to compensate for what was missed.

Find what works best for you and have a crystal clear plan of what happens after an unexpected delay occurs. This way, you can actively manage the study schedule without having to rush through the curriculum to catch up. 

Balance studying with co-curricular activities

You know all work and no play makes one a dull boy (or girl). Catchphrases aside, children need to participate in co-curricular activities for their all-round development. In schools, this process is nearly automatic with book clubs, sporting events, prom dances, etc. But when homeschooling, your child may miss out on these important opportunities to express their creative and athletic talent. 

To balance academics with arts and athletics, consider enrolling your children in local sports clubs, libraries, student’s meet groups and other community activities your town offers. It does not have to be a huge national event at a five hours drive. Local meet ups, art contests, town races, anything that will help your child step away from the books and into the world of activities, can be a huge boost to their social and psychological development. 

It may feel difficult in the beginning but with adaptable adjustments and a willingness to experiment, your efforts can go a long way in ensuring your child has an effective homeschooling experience. 

It is okay to feel stuck, nobody has it all figured out. If you find yourself running into problems, reach out to other homeschooling families for advice. 

That is why I suggested joining a homeschooling group in the beginning. Having a support system, a place where you can voice your concerns and get the help you need can profoundly shift your and your child’s educational experience. Sometimes having this network can be the difference between finishing the curriculum and having the child drop out of the program.

If, for whatever reason, you are unable to find and join these local groups, free online resources are just a click away. Today hundreds of blogs, videos and ebooks are available to answer your questions and enhance your rural homeschooling experience. 

Homeschooling is a precious, pivotal stage of a child’s life; make the most out of it. 

by Sakshi Udavant