10 Ways to Find Homeschool Friends

Finding homeschool friends isn’t always easy. Whether you’ve been homeschooling from the start or have switched to homeschooling from a form of traditional school (private or public education), you and the kids will definitely want some friends for support, fun, and community. While making the change from public school to homeschool has been a positive experience for my family, it hasn’t always been easy to find homeschool friends…whether for my kids or myself.

As a former public school teacher, I never imagined I’d be homeschooling my kids. Not that I had anything against homeschooling, but it had never been a part of my life prior to 2020. If anything, I had only been exposed to the myths and stigma surrounding homeschooling. You see, we’re part of the “covid homeschooler” group.

Even though we weren’t having the best experience in public school prior to 2020, it had just been ingrained in our minds that our kids were supposed to be taught by someone else, in a building outside of our home, and for multiple hours a day kindergarten to graduation. Long story short, my husband and I decided it would be best for me to trade early morning school drop-offs for homeschool curriculum and comfy clothes after “all things 2020” happened.

A number of years later and, so far, we’ve homeschooled in two states: New Jersey & Georgia. I’m not gonna lie…finding homeschooling friends has been a challenge. We’ve had successes & we’ve had let downs. We’ve learned a lot about ourselves and others. There are some things that have worked better than others and, even though that will vary from family to family, I’m hoping that sharing our stories & experiences will help you to find and make some pretty awesome homeschool friends.

What about Public School Friends?

We need to get the elephant out of the room first. If you’re switching from public school to homeschooling, like we did, you & your kids likely already have friends from school. That’s to be expected! We did, too!

Everyone will have a different experience. In our situation, though? The friendships we had within the public school group tended to slowly disappear as time went on. And, you know what? As sad as it may have been, I really am not surprised.

Why?

Our kids no longer spent their days together in a classroom. We no longer had the school drop off and pickup time to chat. We no longer brought our kids to the playground after school when the weather was warm. We didn’t attend school functions together anymore and we couldn’t stress over upcoming school project deadlines anymore.

Yes, we may have lived within walking distance of each other, but we were living in completely different worlds.

No world seemingly better than the other. We were all doing what was best for our kids.

The friendships dwindled naturally.

This is certainly not to say that you can’t be friends with families utilizing the public school but, just know…once you make the change to homeschooling, your friendship may change as well.

Why Make Homeschool Friends?

In my experience as homeschooling mom & content creator, I’ve had the opportunity to chat with many homeschooling parents of varying homeschool “experience” levels. You know what each and every one has mentioned? It’s not easy. Homeschooling is not easy.

You know what can make the whole homeschooling experience easier and, perhaps, less stressful?

Friends.

Having experienced both ends of the homeschooling community spectrum, and everything in between, I can absolutely confirm this. Having a a group of awesome homeschool friends in your corner makes a world of difference when it comes to:

• support
• camaraderie
• shared experiences
• state of mind

Factors that Could Impact Finding Homeschool Friends

You know how there are cliques within school & work settings? It’s no surprise that such cliques also exist within the homeschooling space. Some are more polarizing than others, but they exist, they can be stressful, and they’re likely not going away any time soon.

I swear I’m not trying to dissuade you from finding your homeschool soulmates. I’m really not. I’m just trying to prepare you for anything and everything that can happen. I’ve made amazing homeschool friends…people that I hope to have in my life for years and years to come…and I’ve also had some really traumatic experiences within the homeschool community. Said homeschool experience actually inspired me to write this article about the pros & cons of joining a homeschool co-op as well as the article you’re currently reading.

Not gonna lie, it’s taken me days to write this article because past experiences have been haunting me. It doesn’t usually take me this long to write an article and that’s totally messing with me. Ugh.

That being said, just be aware that homeschooling communities of all sorts exist. Some are absolutely amazing and some are…not. Some factors that could impact finding homeschool friends within the homeschooling community could be:

• political affiliation
• religious affiliation…or lack thereof
• homeschooling style
• age of your children
• location
• viewpoints & beliefs regarding (fill in the blank)

As negative and frustrating as this may sound, please remember that navigating all this is all with the end goal of finding you some awesome homeschool friends and community!

Ways to Find Homeschool Friends

There are so many ways to find homeschool friends! Depending on the factors I just listed, your experience will vary. Rest assured, especially with homeschooling on the rise, it’s pretty much a guarantee that you’ll find “your” homeschool people before long.

Coming up, I’m sharing 10 ways to find homeschool friends. If you’ve had success finding homeschool friends in a manner I don’t mention, though, please leave a comment or email me because I’m more than happy to increase the number!

Find Friends in Local Homeschool Groups

Your area likely has a number of homeschool groups up and running! I’ve had luck finding local homeschool groups by searching specific keywords (City/County/State + Homeschool), but there are also homeschooling apps that specialize in finding local homeschool communities! Hohmey is one homeschool community app currently available for iOS users (Android access coming soon). Homeschool Hall also has a local directory alongside their homeschool record-keeping tool.

Find Friends in Online Homeschool Communities

Good friends don’t have to live locally! Look around social media to find some new online homeschool friends! That Homeschool Family Hangout is one of many options out there! Follow your favorite homeschool content creators, too! Many of them (myself included) will often tag their location so, a local friendship could even be possible.

Visit Local Libraries & Museums

Head to a local library or museum on a weekday, during school hours, and you’re likely to find many homeschooling families! My biggest tip on this, though? Avoid going during school vacations & such or it’ll likely be super crowded…and we don’t like crowds now, do we?

Visit the Playground

Similar to visiting libraries & museums, your local playgrounds could be a great place to find other homeschooling families. When the weather is nice, we’re all itching to get outside and have the kids explore the outdoors & use up energy. To encourage conversation, consider bringing along a box of chalk, some sports balls, or even a few bubble wands the kids can share.

Make Friends while Volunteering in your Community

Take advantage of local volunteering opportunities to encourage your kids to give back while opening the door to possible new homeschool friendships! Animal shelters, environmental non-profits, faith-based organizations, and food pantries, are just a few organizations that often offer volunteer opportunities. If you don’t see specific needs posted on their website or social media, consider calling them to inquire.

Attend Homeschooling Conventions & Expos

With over 100 homeschool conventions & expos happening in the US, there are plenty of opportunities to find homeschool friends both in-person and online (yes, there are even a number of online homeschool conventions!). The best part about going to a homeschool convention? It’s a given that every person attending is either considering homeschooling, is currently homeschooling, or is a homeschooling veteran!

Host Homeschool Meetups

True story: I met some of my best homeschooling friends after attending a homeschool meetup at a local playground. We clicked, our kids clicked…the rest is history.

If you’re not finding any existing homeschool meetups (typically scheduled within local homeschool groups), take control of the situation and plan one yourself. Post the location/date/time in local groups and encourage other homeschool parents to join. Other parents may be going through the same friend search as you and could be super thankful to see you organizing a homeschool meetup.

Find Friends within Faith-Based Organizations

Being a secular homeschooler myself, I know this option isn’t always optimal. You never know, though! Before we moved to Georgia, we actually participated in a secular homeschool co-op at a church!

Since a number of homeschooling families do follow a religion of some variety, faith-based organizations often host a number of events for homeschoolers. Check local social media pages, community pages, websites, and such for homeschool events being held at faith-based locations.

Join in on Field Trips & Educational Outings

Did you know there are business out there that solely plan field trips & outings for homeschooling families?! So cool, right? In an effort to find local spots and make some friends, we joined one membership after we moved to Georgia. It’s been very beneficial in learning about our new-to-us area.

In addition to the “field trip organizing” businesses, lots of educationally focused businesses will offer homeschool days and even homeschool classes for locals. Aquariums, zoos, science museums, nature centers, farms, historical sites, art museums, and local town/county recreational departments are just a few places providing homeschool field trips & outings we’ve attended.

Network in your Neighborhood

Reach out to your neighbors to see if they know of any homeschoolers in your area. You never know – you may even having homeschooling neighbors! Attend neighborhood gatherings, block parties, and other neighborhood events to meet other families homeschooling their children

Not sure how to reach out to your neighbors other than to walk from door to door? Many will have Facebook groups and/or pages. If your neighborhood has a community center, you may find events listed on a bulletin board.

Homeschool Friends for All!

I certainly hope you’re able to find some awesome homeschool friends with the suggestions I’ve shared. Finding your homeschool community isn’t always the easiest, but having like-minded people, who are going through a similar experience, has always proven to be beneficial. If anything, it’s nice to have a homeschool friend for mutual venting sessions (my long distance friends and I totally do this).

I wish you so much success in finding amazing homeschool friends for you and your kids. Having true friends can make a world of difference.

Until next time, stay safe and enjoy quality time with your family,