Parental involvement in a child’s education is perhaps the biggest single factor for student success. Parents act as crucial role models, especially when it comes to helping their children develop better social skills and academic habits. They are their children’s first teachers, and they set the tone for future education.

Research shows that parent involvement has a significant positive impact on a child’s learning and development, including higher grades. In traditional schools, the role of parents may simply take the form of being involved in parent-teacher meetings and school events. In the homeschooling setup, where parent-teacher conferences aren’t necessary, parents play a much more crucial role in student achievement and academic success.

While it may seem obvious that parental involvement in student learning creates conditions for better academic performance, it’s not always that cut and dried, even for homeschoolers. Homeschooling parents often have an uneven split of involvement in their children’s education, which means much of the burden falls on one parent. Having open communication about each other’s needs and the needs of your student will help identify areas where additional support could be helpful. 

Fortunately, whether it’s taking an active role in a child’s activities, taking them to various school events, or simply serving as a role model, there is much a supporting parent can do to have a positive impact on their child’s development.

Are you a non-teaching homeschool parent who wants to be more involved in your student’s day-to-day education? Our “Supporting Role Check-In” worksheet can help you find where your time and talents most benefit your partner’s homeschooling efforts. Click here to download the worksheet!

Understanding the Dynamics of Parental Roles in Homeschooling

In many homeschooling families, one parent is more closely involved with teaching than the other. Often, the mother plays the key role, but not always. Although societal expectations in this regard have shifted significantly in recent decades, it is still more common for fathers to be the primary family breadwinners and consequently be too busy with their work or careers to dedicate as much time to homeschooling as mothers. In fact, research shows that only about one in five stay-at-home parents today are fathers.

That said, social roles are certainly more interchangeable now than they have been traditionally, and even parents who do not serve as the family’s primary instructor are much more likely to support learning by taking a backup role in their child’s education. While they may not spend as much time in the homeschool as their parental counterpart, their level of involvement can still be significant by helping with extracurricular activities, volunteering in the community, or helping them build skills outside the classroom.

When it comes to day-to-day instruction, the importance of the primary home educator cannot be overstated. They are, after all, the architect of their children’s education. However, when it comes to supporting the primary educators’ work and creating an environment of family involvement, the engagement and participation of the supporting parent is critical.

Active Engagement in the Students’ Educational Journey

For supporting parents, “involvement” is the key word here because it provides the foundation for active family engagement. While just serving as a sounding board is often enough to help the primary instructing parent feel appreciated, going the extra mile can make an enormous difference in the effectiveness of the teacher as well as the educational outcome of the child.

Helping out with basic, day-to-day tasks like grading tests or providing school resources not only demonstrates your commitment as a supporting parent, it also sends a powerful message to your children and shows them how every member of the family plays an important role in the homeschool environment.

Beyond the practical benefits of physically participating in their students’ education, supporting parents also serve as role models for their kids. Even if they can’t be present as frequently as they would like, their active support illustrates what it means to be a responsible adult inside and outside the home.

Providing emotional support and feedback for the primary teaching parent can be a vital contribution all on its own. Home educators might want to bounce lesson plan ideas off someone who understands what they’re trying to achieve. They may want constructive criticism on a particular issue that only a fellow parent can provide. Perhaps most importantly, they are looking for open and honest communication from their partner about their children’s educational priorities and goals.

By encouraging, supporting, and assisting the main homeschooling parent, you are not only helping them succeed, you are also staying tuned in to the academic progress of your child. It’s important both parties know and understand where their students are in their educational journeys, so you can better plan the path ahead together.

Identifying Individual Strengths and Contributions as a Homeschooling Dad

In any homeschooling environment, the parents’ role in education is crucial for creating a supportive and enriching learning experience. While mothers often take on the primary educational responsibilities, the contribution of homeschool dads, who often work away from home, is equally valuable. One way fathers can support their children’s homeschooling is by identifying the unique strengths they can bring to their role in the process.

For many homeschooling dads, time is the single biggest limiting factor. Many fathers spend the majority of their waking hours at work and work typically takes place during the school day. While the trend in recent years toward remote work and flextime has eased this burden somewhat, these arrangements aren’t available for everyone.

This challenge can actually serve as a strength. Fathers who work during the day can still participate in a student’s learning by addressing transportation issues that might crop up in the evenings. For example, if their child is involved in sports in the evening, fathers can drop them off for practice and/or pick them up afterward. Whether a student is participating in a talent show, a spelling bee, or a science fair, dads can contribute by driving them to and fro–and giving mom a well-earned break for a few hours.

Expertise can also make a difference in homeschooling. The expertise of one parent may complement that of the other. For example, dad might have a stronger math background than mom. In that case, it might make sense for dad to provide additional help for math subjects when coming home from work in the evenings.

Regardless of availability or expertise, homeschooling dads need to be involved–and not just academically. According to a recent study, when fathers are involved in their kids’ lives–even if it’s just to have fun–those kids tend to earn better grades.

Balancing Responsibilities and Roles as a Homeschooling Dad

Being a supportive homeschooling parent means finding the right balance between work, personal life, and the classroom. Fathers in the supporting role can face many challenges in finding that balance.

Shifting work demands are perhaps the biggest of these challenges when it comes to consistently contributing to a child’s homeschool education. Seasonal rushes, business travel, and necessary overtime can all make focusing on your family involvement somewhat difficult. In these cases, communication helps tremendously. Ask questions about academic progress. Leave or send notes of encouragement. In other words, find ways to have a presence in your child’s education. Family engagement during these difficult times is not only appreciated but necessary.

Sometimes, mom is just awesome at homeschooling. As wonderful as that situation may be, it can also be difficult for a father to find a meaningful way to contribute. This is the paradox of success. The worst thing a dad can do in this situation is give up. Instead, consider how to provide support and encouragement indirectly. Maybe you offer to coach your child’s intramural sports team. Maybe you help them with a project that’s only loosely related to schoolwork, like building a birdhouse. You might even consider getting them involved in your own personal hobbies, like attending sports events or concerts.

Serving in a supporting role as the father of homeschoolers can be challenging, but taking an interest is easy. Help with homework. Talk about lessons. Encourage dialogue. Whatever you do, your involvement as a parent is what counts.

Finding Homeschool Success Through Parental Collaboration

From kindergarten to middle school to high school, parents are pivotal to their child’s success every step of the way. That means both parents should be involved whenever possible and as much as possible. While it’s common for one parent to be too busy to teach during the day, that doesn’t mean there’s no room for them in the educational process. There is usually ample room to make an active contribution to student learning.

Are you a non-teaching homeschool parent who wants to be more involved in your student’s day-to-day education? Our “Supporting Role Check-In” worksheet can help you find where your time and talents most benefit your partner’s homeschooling efforts. Click here to download the worksheet!