“Don’t forget to socialize them with kids their own age!” “Where else can they socialize with 25 other 7 year olds at once?” “How will they know how to act if they aren’t in a regular classroom with kids their own age?”
Do kids need to hang out with kids their own age? Sure! Why not? But what about older kids? Younger? Adults? Can they appropriately engage in play with children half their size without hurting them? Can they follow along with confidence with children much older? Can they adjust their speech when needed around young children? Can they join a conversation with an adult without interrupting or completely talking off-topic?
Since when do any of us as adults “socialize” strictly with people in our age group, socioeconomic status, and neighborhood? Can you imagine? Weird!
If a child’s only social experience in the world of “playmates” is with children their own age, I’m certain they are at a disadvantage.
I was chatting with another homeschool mom yesterday. Her 12 year old was sparring (MMA) with my tiny, less than half his size, 7 year old. She remarked that playing with my boys had been instrumental in her son learning how to regulate his body movements. He had to learn that if he went to hard/rough, his 7 year old buddy would get hurt. Yesterday, we watched the two of them spar, in complete control, and have so much fun together. If the older child had never experienced playing with the 7 year old, he never would’ve learned how to control his movements in that manner. How cool is that?
Homeschoolers often are in mixed aged groups. And honestly, I would never want to have it any other way! Sometimes older kids retreat to have a little time alone, and that is excellent, too, but often, they play with everyone. It’s a win-win for all!
So the next time the false belief creeps in that your 5 year old needs to hang out with 25 other 5 year olds each day, I challenge you to look at the friendships and interactions he is having each day with people across all developmental areas, all walks of life, and all ages. I think you’ll be surprised.