When many people think of families who homeschool, they probably envision moms and kids wearing pajamas as they conduct school. And for some homeschooling families, this may be true. After all, part of the beauty of homeschooling is that teachers and students can be comfortable while they work. However, many homeschooling parents do require their children to be dressed in regular clothing for their school day. This can be just preference, or it can be because homeschooling families need to be dressed and ready to head off to the many education related activities that they take part in away from home. For most, it’s likely a combination of both.
School uniforms may not be something that crosses the mind of many homeschoolers, and to most non-homeschoolers, the idea of homeschooling kids wearing uniforms might seem completely unnecessary. The reality though, is that some homeschooling families really do consider incorporating school uniforms into their educational lifestyle. If you are a homeschooling parent who is searching for reasons that you may want to use school uniforms, here are a few reasons why other homeschooling parents have found them beneficial.
Uniforms can make field trips and outdoor excursions simpler – The truth is, that many homeschooling parents are very tired of the stares and questions that come their way when they happen to be on an educational outing with their kids. It can become disruptive to continually answer questions about why your children are “not in school”. Homeschoolers often have a lesson plan which corresponds to the field trip we’re conducting, and it’s easy to become weary of repeated interruptions caused by those questioning why our children are at that particular venue during school hours. However, if the kids are wearing uniforms (which can be as simple as T-shirts screen printed with your homeschool name on them), the uniforms answer everybody’s questions before they even have to ask them.
Uniforms can help separate school time from non-school time – Sometimes with homeschooling it can be difficult to help kids make the switch from non-school time, to school time. Uniforms can be useful in this situation, for obvious reasons. When the kids are wearing their school uniforms, there’s no question as to whether or not it’s school time.
Uniforms can make dressing in the morning a lot easier – This is my favorite aspect of using uniforms in homeschooling. It simplifies the task of all the kids getting dressed in the morning. There are no more arguments with my eight year old over the fact that she cannot wear her blue sundress when it’s 22 degrees outside, and my five year old can easily pick out which clothes he needs from his dresser all on his own. In our homeschool, our “uniforms” consist of many pieces of matching clothing, including shorts, t-shirts, and sweatpants. All of these items are navy blue, gray, or white. All three of my children also have matching navy blue zip-up hooded sweatshirts to wear if it’s chilly, and they are allowed to pick any combination of their uniform items as they want. We haven’t put our homeschool name on any of the items yet, although we plan to. The kids absolutely love their school uniforms, and the time spent getting dressed in the morning is cut in half simply by having specific clothes set apart for school days.
Homeschool uniforms obviously won’t be something that all homeschooling families feel the need to incorporate into their educational lives. However, for those who do decide to use them, homeschool uniforms can simplify several aspects of daily homeschooling life.
