How do you make homeschool friends in the Kansas City area – whether you live in Kansas or Missouri? Maybe you’re new to homeschooling, or you just moved here from another state or region. Maybe your children span a wide variety of ages, and you’re looking for other families who are in the same life stage as you are.
Whatever the reason, we’re confident you can find homeschool friends quickly within our local area community and beyond. Check out these easy steps and great advice from longtime veterans!
Homeschool Friends in Kansas City
The Kansas City area is huge – roughly 8,000 square miles – and spans Kansas and Missouri. Even though our nonprofit started in Johnson County, we serve homeschoolers today in the greater Kansas City metro area.
That includes many homeschoolers from Johnson, Wyandotte, Miami, and Douglas counties in Kansas and Jackson, Cass, Clay, Platte, and Buchanan counties in Missouri.
We also have Kansas City suburbs with substantial populations such as Overland Park and Olathe on the Kansas side, along with Independence and Lee’s Summit on the Missouri side.
As you find homeschool-friendly events on both sides of the state line, you may be pleasantly surprised how quickly you can drive to most of them! Thanks to the interstate highway system, you can get to many Kansas City places within a 30-minute or hourlong drive.
Here are some tips to make homeschool friends within the Kansas City area:
- Join a local co-op, homeschool enrichment program, sports program, or other regular activity.
We have a growing list of homeschool co-ops, enrichment programs, athletics and sports programs, and more on our website.
It’s updated regularly throughout the year with many opportunities for socialization and interaction with other homeschoolers in the Kansas City area!
Not only does it offer academic opportunities, but it also features classes and programs in music, art, drama, and more.
As Andi Elliott said in one of the Kansas City area Facebook groups: “Show up! You can’t build a homeschool family unless you take part in a group. Find what suits your family, whether it’s a social group, field trip group, or co-op. There are so many great groups to choose from- find what suits your family and then take an active role in building that community! 
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Homeschool Friends in Kansas
Even if you don’t live in the Kansas City area, we probably know of homeschool resources close to you.
For example, one of our volunteers had a friend in Louisburg about 30 miles from Kansas City. She worked with her friend to host a free MPE homeschool workshop at the Louisburg Library in 2023.
Maybe you live further afield in a place several hours from Kansas City. If so, we may be able to help. One homeschool mom in our community has a heart for helping homeschoolers in rural areas. For example, Internet outages can be just one of many challenges if you don’t live in or near a major city!
Please contact our office if you’re living in a rural area and would like to know whether MPE has member families near you.
Additionally, if you want to start a homeschool support group in your current location, please let us know! We would love to serve in any way we can, whether that’s providing additional resources, hosting webinars, or explaining simple steps to start (or continue) homeschooling.
Homeschool Friends in Missouri
Many of our members live in Missouri, so we’re familiar with homeschool law in both states. (See this interview with HSLDA attorney Scott Woodruff about homeschool laws in Missouri.)
We try to locate our events in places where families from either side of the state line can access easily. For example, we’ve kept the location of our conference and curriculum fair for many years in the KCI Expo Center in Kansas City, MO.
This year our June 11 Used Curriculum Sale will be at Kansas City First Church of the Nazarene in Kansas City, MO. We did this after hearing feedback from our sellers who wanted a more central location.
Additionally, our GROW workshops for homeschool moms have both a Kansas location and a Missouri location this year. Come to the one that’s closest to you, and make friends who live in your area.
(The Missouri GROW workshop is specifically geared toward creating friendships and finding your mom tribe. Registration is limited to 24 attendees, so make sure you register as soon as possible!)
Homeschooling in Midwest region
Maybe you don’t live in Kansas or Missouri at all, but in the general Midwest region. If so, take heart – you’re in plenty of great company! Several of our members travel to our conference each year from states such as Arkansas, Iowa, Oklahoma and Nebraska.
Making homeschool friends and building community from farther afield may look different for each family, based on location. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Explore ongoing homeschool opportunities and resources.
We keep track of free and paid teaching resources, help for unique learners with special needs, and more on this webpage.
For example, museums and educational opportunities abound in places you may not even know existed – such as the Anatoly Karpov International School of Chess in Lindsborg!
- Plan field trips with other families.
Field trips are a great way to make homeschool friends and enrich your child’s learning experiences!
Recently we hosted our first School of Economics field trip, which was a huge success. You can also plan your own field trip with friends and family. For example, check out our list of suggested field trips not only in the Kansas City area, but also outside.
For more adventurous families, check out our list of 15 day trips within 1-4 hours’ drive of downtown Kansas City.
Other Ways To Make Friends
- Use Facebook.
Try searching for homeschool groups in your area and whether they have free or low-cost meetups scheduled. For example, some of our board members manage a Christian homeschool Facebook group in the Kansas City area, which spans Kansas and Missouri.
Use with caution, however. Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, some Facebook groups appeared with the word “homeschool” in them to advertise online programs or products. We recommend you exercise discretion when interacting in these groups.
- Attend a homeschool-related event.
Throughout the year, we host a number of events just for homeschoolers. Some of the most popular include our annual conference and curriculum fair and a Women’s Encouragement Day for homeschool moms.
Other major events include a Used Curriculum Sale in the summer, and a high school graduation ceremony in May.
Don’t forget our Great Wolf Lodge Homeschool Weeks in Kansas City, KS, and our How To Homeschool workshops in the summer. We hear all the time from families who attend these events, make connections, and form lifelong friendships!
- Volunteer at a homeschool event.
Some of the best homeschool friends we’ve made over the years have come to volunteer with us, then kept coming back! Here are some communities MPE has formed over the years:
- Hundreds of young adults, all homeschooled or homeschool graduates, keep our annual conferences running.
- Our dedicated team of mentor moms helps answer any questions from new or current homeschooling families.
- Our board of directors meets regularly to plan MPE’s strategy and mission to serve Kansas City homeschoolers.
- Event coordinators manage our Encouragement Days, Used Curriculum Sales, Homeschool Workshops, Graduation Ceremonies, and more.
More advice from local Facebook groups
- “The growth of homeschool sports has truly been remarkable, offering a wonderful opportunity for athletes and parents alike to form meaningful bonds. As someone deeply involved in athletics, I’ve witnessed firsthand how sports can bring people together, teaching invaluable lessons in teamwork, accountability, leadership, and effective communication. These experiences not only shape young athletes but also create lasting connections among coaches, parents, and players, fostering a strong sense of community and shared purpose.” Jeremiah Fisher, Volleyball Coach at Lee’s Summit Outlaws
- “Just go to parks, museums and zoos during school hours. If you see another family with school aged kids, go talk to them! Join a church and/or co-op, then you can do life together! Everything from shared lessons to field trips makes the homecoming experience richer for kids and parents alike!”
- “Homeschooling is so different for each family! Often families have a curriculum or maybe they do some sort of program like CC or a co-op and I hear them telling people ‘you have to do X’ vs ‘we do X and maybe you guys would like that, but maybe not.’ Each home school is so different just like every family in a brick and mortar is so different!” Emily Goodwin
Looking to make homeschool friends in a state other than Kansas or Missouri? Check out HomeschoolFreedom.com’s blog post from homeschool organizations nationwide!
What are some ways you’ve found to make homeschool friends? Let us know in a comment below!
