Homeschooling With Student-Led Electives

Foster your high schooler's strengths and skillsets by creating personalized electives based on their interests and future career paths

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One of the perks of homeschooling your high school students is the freedom to give them a high school experience like no other; you can be creative and design personalized electives based on their interests and future career paths.

Landscape gardening, dog training, ornithology, library science, home maintenance and repair, crop science, early childhood development, and horse care and nutrition are just some of the electives that appeared on our kids’ homeschool high school transcripts.

Now is the perfect time to begin planning for the new spring semester in January 2023. Don’t know where to start? Let me offer you some guidance. Here are some of the ways my two kids and I approached designing personalized electives.

A More In-Depth Exploration of a New, Fascinating Topic

This is the perfect option for your inquisitive student.

The desire to expand the study can stem from anywhere such as a newspaper article or a book your teen recently read, a conversation, an event, or a family tradition, etc.

We adopted our dog, Pip, when our two kids were 11 and 13 years old. I taught him basic obedience skills, and once he mastered those, we focused on the fun stuff like shaking hands, playing pat-a-cake, jumping through a hula hoop, and more. Soon, my kids wanted in on all the fun. So we read books and watched videos on dog training and put that new-found knowledge to work.

Stewardship and Volunteer Work

Perhaps your daughter is a gifted musician or singer who has a heart for helping people. Nursing homes and assisted living facilities, children’s wards at local hospitals, and preschools and day care centers in your area will undoubtedly welcome her with open arms.

She can extend her experience by reading about dementia and speaking with the staff. The activities director can help her plan specific musical activities that will serve to soothe and delight the residents while also arousing joy-filled reminiscence.

For instance, our teenage son developed an interest in horses and began volunteering at Flint Hill Farm Educational Center. He fed and cared for the horses as well as the other livestock on the farm. With a little research, I added in several books about horse care and nutrition, the different breeds, and some basic anatomy.

Our daughter loved being with children; young neighbors and friends adored her, so it was only natural that she began volunteering at our church’s preschool. So we took the logical next step and created a child development course, which included all the hours of practical experience in the classroom, a reading list, and research projects.

Interest-Led Electives

With a little ingenuity, practically any interest can be made into an elective. Brainstorm with your children and make a list of their primary interests, choose one, and save the list for future reference.

I love languages, and once borrowed a book on sign language from the library. My daughter and I eagerly delved into it, and soon we were practicing finger-spelling our names and the names of common objects. She continued to flourish, and eventually enrolled in an American Sign Language course at the local community college. She is fluent today.

Our son has an affinity for all things technical and electronic. He was a computer whiz, and whenever I had a computer glitch, he came to my aid. I wanted to tap into his analytical potential, so he and I designed a computer-building course. He also took a computer game design course online and learned some basic computer language.

Part-Time Jobs and Entrepreneurship

A part-time job is a great stepping stone to an elective course. In high school, our daughter babysat and dog sat (fed, played with, and walked dogs) for family and friends. This experience of caring for children of all ages complemented her preschool volunteer work and developed into a first aid course.

Young entrepreneurship is on the rise. Although my kids didn’t go this route, it’s an invaluable experience that, should your teen show interest, is worth exploring. Then, as your high schooler embarks on this path, courses can include financial literacy, marketing, fundraising, and more.

For guidance, visit the Small Business Administration’s Young Entrepreneurs section in the learning center or read helpful articles about teen entrepreneurship on the Biz Kids blog.

Dual-Enrollment Options

Many four-year colleges and community colleges offer dual-enrollment programs. These popular programs allow students to take college courses and receive both high school and college credits.

Our daughter took advantage of this option and enrolled in a literature class at the college she planned to attend following high school graduation, as well as a few classes at the local community college. It was a positive and insightful experience that enabled her to get a better sense of what is expected in college.

Visit your local college website or speak with an admissions officer to determine eligibility and available courses.

Resources

Small Business Administration Learning Center: Youth Entrepreneurs

Biz Kids Blog: Entrpreneurship

Downloadable Sample Business Plan Booklet