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I used to work at a YMCA, and I taught PE for local homeschool kids. They would come every-other Thursday or something, and we did swimming, rock climbing, badminton, and a bunch of other stuff.

That's a start, but I'll say that homeschool kids are a bit off, socially. It's not always a bad thing, but it's noticeable. And, a few don't have that problem--I think it's the kids with a lot of interaction, like on sports teams etc. Honestly, a lot of the weirdness of those kids was often that they just seemed very grown up. They interacted a LOT more in 1-on-1 conversations with adults than most kids do. Nearly all of them seemed smart for their age.

Scouts, karate, MTG clubs are some ideas. Honestly, gaming? In our lives I'm sure a lot of social activity will move to some virtual spaces, maybe VR etc.

Anyway, just some thoughts. Good luck!

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> They interacted a LOT more in 1-on-1 conversations with adults than most kids do.

That's not really a surprising result, is it? Most kids spend all day at school being told not to talk unless called on; plenty even spend most of their day at home like that (at least with the adults in their lives, parents "I'm too busy" and such)...

> Scouts, karate, MTG clubs are some ideas

Yeah, there were definitely a lot of kids in cub and boy scouts who were home schooled when I was growing up. For the religious folks, church and church events had an outsize proportion of homeschool kids as well (I suspect cause and effect goes both ways there). It's likely the homeschool community in your area also coordinates social events (even if it's just going to a park).

No, not surprising at all. In my time at the YMCA (in non-homeschool areas), I often found that new kids were not used to talking with adults, like me--their "group leader." At home, mostly they ate dinner and went to bed. At school, you just don't get one-on-one time, especially just to chat about yourself or off-curriculum topics.

> I'll say that homeschool kids are a bit off, socially.

Nice anecdote. My experience is the exact opposite. The ~20 home schooled kids I know are the most socially adept kids I've ever met. They aren't shy. They hold nice conversations. They actually like talking to a mix of people.

> They aren't shy. They hold nice conversations

So they do seem very grown up

seem or are?

Social adeptness stands out too, though.

“Socially adjusted” means behaving like someone who spent twelve years in a public institution. No more or less.

I think highly of the homeschooled kids I’ve known, for the record.

I think they're the most socially adept kids when speaking with adults, and the most socially inept when hanging with other kids, particularly medium-to-large groups. On average. I knew plenty of them who didn't fit the mold.

I'll echo some of the other posters here in saying that homeschooled kids are usually shockingly good at holding conversations with adults for their age. Not being in an institutional environment where you only really talk to schoolteachers means they get a lot more practice having normal conversations with adults. That was a benefit for me in my later teenage years for sure as I transitioned into the grown-up world.

Homeschooled here, and I fully agree with all the above.

Described me to a tee.

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