How to Make Friends as a Homeschooler? 10+ Ways

This article is for you if you’re looking for new friendship-making strategies as a homeschooler.

There are a lot of people who homeschool. There were more than 2 million homeschooled children in the United States alone before the COVID19 Pandemic. There are likely many other homeschoolers who live close by if you’re looking to make new friends who also homeschool.

However, if you’re new to homeschooling, have recently moved, or live in a place without a vibrant homeschool community, you might have good reasons to wonder how to assist your homeschooler in making friends.

The best strategies for homeschoolers to meet people are listed below.

Join a Support Group

Joining a support group is a great way to interact with nearby homeschoolers. Field trips, play dates, co-ops, and holiday parties are just a few of the opportunities for gathering that are typically offered by organizations. Search for homeschool support groups by the state on

On the Home School Organizations page of the Homeschool Legal Defense Association, you can search for state-specific homeschool support groups. When you click on the link for your state, you can find a list of additional organizations organized by county.

You can also go directly to your statewide support group’s website to find local listings or try searching your state name plus the keywords “homeschool support group.”

Check Out Online Groups

A Yahoo-based email group served as my local resource for homeschool support for a long time. The first year we homeschooled, it started with a few friends. It quickly grew to be a sizable community and a fantastic place to meet people both offline and online.

Within a few years, it had reached this size. A few years ago, the group switched to Facebook, and as a result, I am now a member of several Facebook groups for local homeschoolers.

You can look for links to your local group’s social media accounts on their website or use Facebook to directly search for local groups. One advantage of an online support group is that participants can get to know one another beforehand, easing some of the awkwardness that can come with meeting someone for the first time in person.

While Most Kids Are at School, Visit Kid-friendly Places

Visit your neighborhood playground, library, indoor play area, children’s museum, or other kid-friendly locations. There’s a pretty good chance that any school-age kids present during regular school hours are homeschoolers. Ask questions without hesitation. That’s how we met some of our friends.

Join Classes Or Co-ops for Homeschoolers

There is always some time for children to talk before or after class, even though the focus in these settings may be on learning. Make plans with the parents of one or two other kids that your child gets along with to have a group playdate or another activity.

You might not need to do much if your children are older. My teenagers usually have a few new Facebook friends or some texting contacts when they get home from school.

Host a Get-together

If you invite them, they will usually show up—whether it’s to a playdate, an art exhibit, a nature club, or just a book club. Try a nearby park, a family-friendly eatery, a library, or even a bookstore if you don’t feel comfortable hosting an event there. Many bookstores are amenable to groups holding book club meetings there.

Go to Homeschool Events

At a homeschool dance put on by a nearby group, Megan made friends with her best friend. It wasn’t our support group; instead, it was a group that organizes annual social gatherings for homeschoolers. The girls ended up hanging out together during the dance because they had a few friends in common.

One of the early homeschool outings for our email-based group is where Josh first met his BFF. (Before they moved here from another state, his mom had established email relationships with some of the other mothers.)

Go to Church

Yes, I am aware that not everyone goes to church, and you shouldn’t go just to hang out with friends. We do, however, go to church, and ours has been a great place to make friends. There, Megan met her boyfriend and Josh met his other best friend. Their Sunday morning life groups and Sunday night youth groups both have a large number of additional friends.

We don’t have to deal with too much of the cliquishness that can develop when all the kids know each other from school because the church is large and has students from a variety of nearby schools (public, private, and home).

Pursue Hobbies

It can be a great way for your child to make friends if he pursues his hobbies. Your kids will have opportunities to meet others with common interests while enjoying activities such as:

• Sports
• Drama and community theater
• Dance
• Homeschool or community classes such as art, photography, music, or baking
• Volunteering

Be Bold

Although Megan and her BFF initially met at a dance, their friendship didn’t really take hold until Megan’s mother called and suggested a hang-out (or whatever you call it when you’re a teenager and too old for play dates). Through homeschooling communities, the mother and I became friends.

She called me and scheduled a meeting time for Megan and her daughter after learning that they had spoken and found some shared interests, and the rest is history. Since then, they have reportedly spent almost every weekend at one another’s homes.

Participate in Sports

There’s no need to kick a ball alone or practice tennis by yourself if you enjoy sports! Check with public schools and local homeschools to see if any of them offer sports programs.

You can join clubs at a few local parks and recreation facilities, so you might run into other homeschoolers or young people from various public schools!

Join a Debating Club

There’s no need to worry if you’re not a sports fan. You might thrive by joining a team and participating in a debating club! You can improve your social and communication skills by joining a debate club.

In a debate team, you must collaborate in groups of four or two to present convincing arguments against your opponents.

By doing this, you might run into other teenagers who share your beliefs and ideals, putting you that much nearer to finding a friend or even several.

Get a Job

You might think about working with teenagers and making friends with them if you are of legal working age in your state.

Getting a job would be one of the best ways to earn some well-deserved money and foster perseverance in this age where effort and consistency aren’t valued enough among our youth.

Why not build some connections and make friends along the way since getting a job will also teach you new skills and boost your confidence?

Make Plans With Old Friends

You can still maintain relationships with your friends from public school even if you no longer attend one.

Do not let some of your closest relationships deteriorate because you are no longer able to see each other daily at school. On the weekends, you can still get together with your old friends to hang out and talk on the phone!

Meet Other Homeschoolers

Why not find other homeschoolers your age to visit during the day if your friends from public school are at school and you’re bored?

You can look up local homeschooling groups online if you don’t already know of any in your neighborhood. Most teenagers your age are probably homeschooled, and many of them may be looking for friends to hang out with and participate in enjoyable activities.

Conclusion: Make Friends as a Homeschooler

Homeschooling has the potential to be more enjoyable, rewarding, and convenient than traditional education. Being educated privately comes with advantages such as avoiding the possibility of bullying, being rejected from friend groups, and avoiding peer pressure. As a result, it might be difficult to establish close friendships and relationships.

Children who are homeschooled do have friends. Homeschoolers meet people and form friendships in the same way that any adult does: by participating, going places, and mingling.