6 HONEST Reasons why we chose to Homeschool our children in New Zealand 

This is such a beautiful comment to read. We truly are so incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to spend our days with our children and I love hearing of such positive outcomes towards the end of schooling 💖 Thankyou 🙏

Yay! Congrats on being a homeschooling Mama. It's the best journey 👍 Yes we still love the elders and they love us ❤️

Thanks for your comment 👍 I too feel so fortunate to be able to homeschool. So many people think it's the harder road. But once you settle in, it feels so wonderful to be spending time with my children. I often think about how sad I would be if I had to send them to school and miss out on all those sweet moments we get during our days (in between the chaotic moments as well) 😉

Thanks for commenting Rachel. I feel like it's getting more normalized here. One of the first families we met was an American family who were living in Wellington, but have since moved back home. They were awesome examples of fostering their children's well being 👍

That is really fantastic 🎉 Real democracy allowing parents to choose. In EU there are strict rules and regulations. Also people don't even know this is an option.

@@anamagdalena8 Yes we are so lucky to have this option.

Millions of us do in the US, but it’s still VERY much taboo and against the grain. And we are judged very often.

It's a pretty inspiring thought when you think about the fact that we are teaching them 🥰 Imagine the good we can achieve 👍

Yes a few others have mentioned this as a reason. Luckily in New Zealand we don't have that added worry (yet) 😔 but as a parent it must be terrifying to consider that. Yes I love the slowness aspect. You can still pack your days with activities, but we choose to have a few slow days in the mix, it just works better for our family 💛

I am so sorry you had to experience this. But your child/ren will have a wonderful Mum who will not see bullying as a right of passage into Adulthood 💖 I wish you nothing but the best for your journey 👍

Thank you 👍

That's so great to hear. We too have friends from daycare who went to school, but my daughter is completely ok with it. More so than I ever thought she would be. I love how our children continue to surprise us with their resilience within situations 👍

Congratulations on thinking ahead👍 Bullying is such a cruel 'right of passage' that many people outside of the homeschooling community think is necessary to help children develop certain skills. I am sure you agree, when I say, it's a 'right of passage' that I'm comfortable in making sure my children never have to experience if I can help it.

Cyber school is another amazing option rather than brick and mortar schools. My kids cyber and we found an amazing school that caters to their students and there isn’t all that political mumble jumble involved.

@@nicolehuggler8152 that's Awesome. Thanks so much for sharing. I haven't come across this concept yet, so I will check it out. The thing I love most about the times we are in right now, is that the options are becoming plentiful. I truly believe that it's about finding the winning formula for your family and children and that will look different for everyone 👍

@homeschoolaims it is amazing and it is a fantastic option. I am very intrigued by traditional homeschool and I absolutely love watching everyone’s videos on curriculum picks and planning. It is something that I would be beyond interested in doing, however, my kiddos love their cyber school and they want to continue attending there. So I will just live my interest in homeschooling through you all and the videos and you post! I love them!

Amazing! Homeschooling is becoming more normalised here, but definitely harder in the smaller regions of NZ to find a tribe of homeschoolers. We are slowly building up our community here 💖 Kiwi husband, they are the best right!! 😀 NZ is a pretty special place to live 😀

That's beautiful. And it's life! She is teaching them wonderful and practical life skills. Thanks for sharing 👍

Yay! 3 years in is an amazing achievement. We are one and a half years here and I could never imagine not getting to do the day to day life with my children. We are all so lucky to have it available as an option in the countries we live in x

Thank you for your comment 👍 It's always lovely to know I've connected with homeschooling Mum 👍

That's wonderful. What an exciting adventure you have ahead 😀 Thanks so much for leaving a comment. I always love hearing from other like minded Homeschooling Mamas 🤗

@@homeschoolaims we're very excited! I'm a little nervous about some things, like "will I do a good job" and "will she miss out by not being in public school like her friends", but I'm trying to remember that while her friends are in school we'll be at the zoo! 🙂

@@kathrynbiglin3124 I think the very fact you are worried about these things make you perfect for the job. Remember you know your daughter best 🥰 and just know, I too have these worries every so often as well. All she will need is a few good friends that she will meet along the way, I am not rushing this part, instead focusing on building a wonderful relationship full.of happiness and adventure for my kids. Make sure you keep me posted on how you are getting on 👍

Thanks Olivia. I really appreciate the kind words 🙂

Thanks Julie. It's a great privilege that's for sure! Thanks for watching.and commenting 👍

Thank you so much for your kind words. I am very excited for you that you are heading into this journey 🤗 And thanks for subscribing 👍

Hello to another Kiwi Mama 😀 Welcome and thanks for subscribing. With regards to writing the exemption, I highly recommend getting Cynthia Hancox guide to writing the exemption. It provides a template and examples for about $20-$30. It made me feel so much more confident in creating my application. She is a whizz at this and at least by using her template you know you have the best shot and ticking the box with the MOE.

Welcome Priscilla. And a massive thanks for the support 👍 it means a lot to me.

Welcome Christine 💛 It's the most important work and we all should feel so proud to be 'just' a Mum, because we know the work that is required to do it ⭐

I see you've also checked out my video and commented on "How smart do you have to be to homeschool your children?" I hope this made you realise that you will be and there are options 👍 Also socialisation takes some effort. But you only need to find a couple of other families that you click with and you are away! As important as friendships are for your children. They are equally important for you, otherwise motherhood / homeschooling can feel lonely. All that being said. I am so happy we made this choice. There is NEVER a day I regret my choice. Instead I feel so thankful to have the opportunity to spend it with my children. Good luck with your decision. If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask 💛

Libraries, playgrounds, homeschooling group (if you can find one) and naturally the internet (supervised) has been helpful

All of these concerns are so valid. I never grew up in an environment where homeschooling was viewed as a great choice and so I had very limited support when we chose to head down this route. But after 6 months I am so incredibly happy I chose this for my daughter she is absolutely thriving 🥰 I do make sure we have social interaction and they still are exposed to kids who aren't that nice, but I work with them to navigate the situation. I personally think protecting them from the horrible aspects of society while they are young is the best gift we can give our children. They will have plenty of time throughout their adult life to experience it. I always struggle to understand why we experience such intense scrutiny for protecting our children ? 🫣 All the best with your decision, I truly hope you find a way to go on the journey of homeschooling with your son, it's such a rewarding and special one 🥰

Agreed, it is so different

Hi there. I would start off by saying that this is such a common concern, from so many parents, so you are not alone. I think it's important to remember that with our children being so young we only have to start off by teaching them how to read and write at a basic level. So as long as you have basic literacy skills, you will be fine for the first few years. Moving forward as a homeschooling parent we have the wonderful opportunity to learn alongside our children. And whilst you may not have done well (or felt smart enough at school) you now have the opportunity to find creative ways to help your children (and yourself) learn together. I truly believe this is the foundational mindset we must have as homeschooling parents. "Learning together!" My kids are teaching me new things everyday. I really hope to do a video on this topic in the next few weeks because I have a lot more thoughts around it. All the best with your decision to homeschool 👍 That being said if one of my children decides that they want to become a scientist, I may need to outsource. And equally I am ok with that too 😀😉

Hi Sam. We homeschool here in NZ. Once your child turns 6 years old, you need to obtain an exemption from the Ministry of Education in NZ. This is done by applying. It's just a process, but relatively easy to achieve. We have a wonderful woman here called Cynthia Hancox who is kind of like the Mother of Homeschooling 😉 and she offers assistance if you require it. Check out her website for more information. I am also really happy to speak further with you about it 👍 www.cynthiahancox.com/homeschooling.html

Yes it seems so sad that we have an expectation that Bullying is a "right of passage" for a child to grow up and learn from. Perhaps one of the world's weirdest (and saddest) thoughts on recent years. I am just so thankful my children are able to be removed from that and we can make a choice as to who we surround ourselves with 💖 You make great points around adults having the mobility and freedom to remove themselves, Thank you for that 🙏