Does homeschooling lead to social dysfunction? Research’s resounding answer is: “No.” The myth of the socially inept homeschooled child is just that – a myth. In fact, in some studies, homeschooled children scored above average in relation to overall social skills, while public schooled children scored average. Other studies have concluded that “the concerns expressed by teachers, administrators, and legislators about socialization and home schooling might be unfounded.”
This is not to say that home schooled kids don’t need social interaction. Of course they do. It just means that a strong sense of self, a sense of belonging to a group, and the ability to acquire social skills don’t have to come from attending a traditional school.
3D homeschooling is a wonderful way to add social interaction to a homeschooled child’s day. Kids who attend a 3D online homeschool get to roam around the virtual school using highly personalized, expressive avatars. They use technology to interact with other students, they attend virtual classes and they work on collaborative projects. The give-and-take of human social interaction is there, with all its fun and complexity.
WiloStar3D’s virtual worlds provide students with highly creative ways to express themselves and interact with other students. Our students role-play historical characters, put on plays for other WiloStar3D students, create interactive games, and work on collaborative assignments.
Naturally, kids who attend an online homeschool will need physical, real-life interaction with other people. This is easily achieved through normal family life and by going to the library, to the playground or by performing any other “real-life” activity with your child.
