Deciding to homeschool your children is a personal choice. Regardless of your reasons, you need to be sure you can help your children grow academically, socially, and physically. One thing you need to consider is how to get your children involved in extracurricular activities and sports. The state of Texas does not allow homeschoolers to participate in public school clubs and athletics. However, this does not mean you have to do it all at home yourself, which can be difficult with sports unless you have a very large family. Luckily, there are options available to you that will get your kids up and active.
Church Groups
Many church groups have teams for young children and adolescents. They will even have games and tournaments with other churches to allow for a bit of competition and learn esprit de corps. Check with local churches to find out if you need to be a regular member of the parish or not. The good thing about these groups is that there is often no cost to the families and they may even have equipment available for kids who need it.
Community Groups
If you do not want to become involved with a church group, there are community groups available too. Contact the local Parks and Recreation Department to find the different sports they offer during the different seasons. In most cases, these groups have a cost to participate. However, if you can prove need, they have scholarships available to help with this.
Local Club Teams
You can also choose to join a local club league. There are usually, basketball, baseball, and football leagues anyone can join. These leagues will cost you money to join and money to travel to play the other leagues. You may be able to find a sponsor to help offset the cost, but usually you will have to prove that your child plays well to do this. There may be multiple leagues and teams to chose from, so find out the requirements of each before signing up.
Participating in sports in leagues like basketball leagues teaches your children how to be part of a team, how to play fair, how to accept defeat and win graciously. It also is important they remain physically active to be healthy. Homeschooling can be great for your kids, but you still need to allow them to experience things outside the house and family. As an added bonus, you get to have some fun and cheer them on.
