Creating a Homeschool Portfolio

Required by some states, portfolios also offer several benefits

A homeschool portfolio chronicles the student's progress throughout the year (Iren_Geo/Shutterstock)

Even though my two kids are grown and have long since graduated from our humble homeschool, the memories and experiences play vividly in my mind like cherished home movies. That’s why I’m so thankful we created portfolios for our kids each year.

Whether or not you live in a state or region that requires a portfolio to be submitted for every home-educated child, these unique, scrapbook-like school records satisfy that requirement, while also serving as wonderful keepsakes for both you and your kids.

A homeschool portfolio is a visual record chronicling a child’s entire homeschool year. There are basically two types of portfolios. The first, an academic-focused portfolio, serves as part of an annual assessment per your state homeschool law, and its primary purpose is to show that academic progress has been achieved. The second is meant to be a personal keepsake.

There are several benefits to creating homeschool portfolios. They can be powerful motivators and self-esteem boosters for your child. The simple act of seeing how far he or she has come in a single year can encourage your child to persevere, work harder, or consider setting more challenging goals next year. Invite your kids to join you in the assembly process and have fun reminiscing together as you look back over the school year.

The simple act of looking through your kids’ portfolios can also serve to validate your role as a teacher, especially in the first few years when you may be feeling stressed and unqualified to teach your kids.

Whether academic or personal, portfolios are a wonderful way to share your homeschooling journey with others, including family, friends, neighbors, and even potential employers if your child is seeking a part-time job. 

Putting It Together

For the annual assessment, be sure to include every item required by your state homeschool law—documents including your letter of intent to homeschool, parent credentials or degree, immunization records, pertinent standardized test scores, and a notarized affidavit if applicable.

It’s also helpful to add a brief introduction, with the name of the child, the child’s age and grade level, and a brief description of your homeschool program for that child. For example, you might want to describe your approach or style of homeschooling and list the subjects or courses your child studied, accompanied by short descriptions of each. This is a good place to insert a list of your educational objectives for the school year.

If your child is willing and able, he or she might want to write a short biography and share some highlights of the school year.

Include a dated log showing number of days or the hours of instruction. I recommend using a teacher lesson plan book because you can easily refer to previous lessons and assignments, see the number of days or hours you’ve worked, and keep track of field trips and extracurriculars. 

Next, you’ll need to include a variety of completed work samples from all the subjects your child studied during the past school year. Choose work samples throughout the year because it can be stressful to do this at the end of the school year, especially if you are homeschooling multiple kids. Be sure to choose work samples that show academic progress.

You’ll also need to include a list of all books your child has read, field trips, extracurricular activities and clubs, volunteer hours, films and documentaries watched, concerts and plays attended, and photos of artwork and larger projects.

To assemble your academic portfolio, all you need is a binder or an accordion file. We always chose binders that had a clear pocket on the front so we could insert a personalized cover page highlighting our school name, Countryside Academy, accompanied by original artwork.

If you need help or inspiration, both Homeschool.com and HomeschoolGiveaways.com offer free downloadable printables to help guide you, and A2ZHomeschooling.com has a free homeschool portfolio checklist, video tutorials, and tips. Tools such as Evernote, Instagram, the Seesaw App, Google Drive, and Microsoft OneNote can also help you create portfolios with impressive graphics. 

If you need help, veteran homeschool moms and founders of websites TheWaldockWay.com and ForgetfulMomma.com walk you through the process step by step.

Creating a Keepsake Portfolio

Celebrate the end of the homeschool year with a heaping tablespoon of creative flair—host a design-your-own keepsake portfolio party. Beforehand, help your kids gather photos and schoolwork samples and set everyone up at the table with binders or scrapbooks and art supplies.

Your kids will no doubt inspire each other during the creative process, while also honing important skills such as organization, creative writing, spelling and vocabulary, design and layout, and editing.