The Ins & Outs of Homeschool Electives for High School

In your homeschool, high school electives are a time to explore new things, strengthen skills, and learn those pesky adulting skills.

When it came time to choose homeschool electives for high school, I was pretty excited. After listing off the ones I knew she’d need (Spanish) and ones she’d want (guitar, art), I started brainstorming. I made a list of creative ideas, scoured the internet for interesting online courses, and basically became the very stereotype of an excited homeschool mom.

As it turned out, my daughter’s high school electives were pretty traditional in topic & semi-traditional in approach. But kiddo #2? He’s my dreamer and, boy, is he busy dreaming up ideas!!

(Current big idea? A cooking elective this year to include mocktails! He’s used the idea of writing a recipe book to sell on Etsy & a home business where he can deliver mocktails in our neighborhood as selling points!

He’s offered up an alternative business plan that is ice cream-based. That seems a little more appropriate!)

The Importance of Electives for High Schoolers

In the US, we put a lot of pressure on teens to fill up their records with things to impress the college admissions counselor. And then? What happens to volunteer work, the fine arts, and sports?

We busy ourselves with college/trade school, then a professional life, starting families, and those outlets fall away. As a culture, I believe we don’t value hobbies, adult sports, or interest-led learning nearly enough.

I don’t want that for my kiddos.

Yes, really cool electives may provide intrigue to an admissions counselor. A well-rounded one can boost the rest of the transcript. And a transcript heavy in one type of electives can help demonstrate a passion.

But my eyes aren’t on the admissions counselor, they’re on the big picture. I want kids who become adults who are willing to try new things, learn new things, and keep up their interests.

And that starts now.

How do you choose electives for your high schooler?

Electives round out your high schooler’s education. For my daughter, electives were often a mental break in the midst of a heavy course load of core courses. As we chose electives each year, we kept that in mind.

We also considered…

1. Are there any skills or hobbies they want to continue?
2. What jobs are out there?
3. What do they WANT to learn about? Are there any ideas or interests that perk their ears?
4. When they are on their own, what adulting skills are they going to need?

How long should a high school elective class last?

A single credit for high school equals 120-180 hours of school work. Divided up over a typical 36-week school year, that means your kiddo only needs to spend about 3.5 hours/week on a full-credit course.

But your kiddo doesn’t have to do a full credit for their electives. Consider taking a half-credit elective or even combining a couple of 0.25 credit courses into a larger one.

I loved half-credit courses for kiddo #1 because it allowed her time to explore more interests.

For example…

If your kiddo wants to learn about digital art, they could take classes on using Procreate and Adobe Illustrator.

A cooking elective could include kitchen science + a cake decorating class + a class on nutrition.

Your little fashionista may love an elective that includes history of fashion + basic sewing techniques + fashion sketching.

How do I design electives?? (a.k.a. Throw The Books Out! )

Let me be clear. Electives absolutely need an academic element. They need to learn from someone knowledgeable. They need to demonstrate what they’ve learned. And they need to do it with the same effort they give the rest of their subjects.

But that doesn’t eliminate learning from a video course instead of a textbook. And what better way to demonstrate your learning than hands-on, real-life projects?

As many ideas of classes you can think of, there are an equal number of ways to design these classes.  Think beyond the traditional book approach!  

• Horticulture-type classes can include caring for the gardens of elderly neighbors or volunteering at the local botanical gardens. 

• Art classes could include volunteering to paint faces at neighborhood birthday parties or leading simple art classes for siblings or neighborhood kids. 

• The continuing education department or local photography store may have classes in photography & editing skills.

• A career exploration class could include shadowing close friends/family at their jobs for a day. Or interviewing them via Zoom.

• A kiddo who loves to bake or cook could explore the legal side of setting up a cottage food business.  If they’re motivated, they could actually set one up.  Or practice their skills and donate their delicious results to others.

• At home, piece together online classes from experts through sites like Udemy. Head to the library and read every book in a section. 

• One elective for my daughter, The History of Monotheistic Religions, included a trip to Israel with her grandparents & Educational Opportunities Tours, history topics chosen from Khan Academy, lectures from Great Courses Plus, and readings from religious texts. 
• That fashionista I mentioned above? I guarantee they’d gather up mounds of learning by helping a local theater company’s costume department.

26 Ideas for Homeschool Electives for High School

Fine Arts

• Animation
• Architecture
• Cake Decorating
• Cosmetology
• Fashion Design
• Film Production
• Graphic Design
• Interior Design
• Jewelry Design/Production
• Pastry Art
• Photography & Editing

Computers & Tech

• App Development
• Computer Repair
• Digital Marketing
• Robotics
• Video Game Design
• Web Design

Life Skills

• Auto Repair
• Carpentry
• Entrepreneurship
• First Aid & Survival Skills
• Horticulture
• Personal Finance
• Logic & Critical Thinking
• Public Speaking
• Study Skills