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Beyond Academics
There is more to life than algebra! You're preparing your children for life. They're developing enduring friendships, making memories, and building skills and hobbies that will last them for years. You want to make sure your child has the right
opportunities and experiences to become a well-rounded adult. What are some of the resources available to homeschoolers?
You can help your teens obtain a well-rounded education throughout the high school years by involving them in extracurricular activities. Planning these activities at the beginning of the high school years will maximize possibilities for students to demonstrate leadership in positions of responsibility.
Employers, recruiters, internships, apprenticeships, colleges, and scholarship organizations want to know your teen’s interests and passions outside of the classroom, so choose extracurricular activities wisely to maintain a healthy balance of academics and outside interests. College admission and scholarship organizations prefer that students be involved wholeheartedly in several activities rather than minimally in a host of activities.
- Awards & Honors: Boy Scouts, Competitions, Civil Air Patrol, County fairs, 4-H clubs, Girl Scouts, JROTC, National Honor Societies, Science fairs, Tournaments, Volunteer work, etc.
- Work Experience (both employment and entrepreneurial endeavors)
- Volunteer Service: Audio/visual, Children’s programs, Church ministries, Community organizations, Mentorship programs, Mission trips, Praise band, etc.
- Competitive Activities (solo or team): Sports, Speech, Robotics, Music Festivals, Debate, Chess, etc.
- Certifications & Training: CPR, Babysitting, First-aid, Life-guarding, etc.
- Scholarships and Financial Aid: Covering the Basics
- Financial Aid Information and Scholarship Search engines
- Awards and Honors: Showcase Your Teens’ Specialties
- “Where the Scholarships Are: How to Develop a Scholarship Strategy” provides helpful information as you begin to research scholarships.
- Educational
- Leadership
- Military Academies High School Camps
- Worldview
- For Homeschool Sports Opportunities in specific states, see the State Resources page
- Etiquette
- First Aid
- Local Cooperative Extension Courses
- Personal Financial Management
- Resume Writing & Interviews
- Field Work Savvy: A Handbook for Students in Internship, Co-Operative Education, Service Learning, and Other Forms of Experiential Education
- Resources
- Sewing and Fashion Design Resources
- Visual Art Resources
- Romancing Your Child’s Heart
- Organizing from the Inside Out for parents
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens for teens
Check out your local support groups and state homeschooling organizations to investigate extracurricular activity opportunities currently available. If you don’t find an area of interest, your teen can initiate an activity that others may want to join!
Many contests and competitions are open to homeschool students. Each competition has its own eligibility requirements, so carefully comply with the stated rules and deadlines. Contests can motivate your student to write an essay, create art, or even build a robot! With most contests offering monetary rewards to finalists, these are well worth the effort and offer an opportunity for your teen to earn scholarship money.
The key is to start your search in the right places, and the resources listed above will help you. You’ll be amazed at what you might find—there are scholarships for just about every conceivable category. One HSLDA member family had a daughter who was a swimmer and had asthma. They actually found a scholarship for asthmatic swimmers. You just never know what’s out there. Try checking your local public school’s website for financial aid information. It may include information on local, state, and national scholarships. Happy hunting!
It’s understandable for parents to worry that homeschooling might limit their child’s friendships. But ask yourself, “What kinds of friends do I want my kids to have?” Attending school with several hundred other children
rarely results in deep, lasting relationships. Homeschooling gives teenagers the freedom to make many friends, and the chance to cultivate those friendships in a mature way. Even families living in rural, less-populated areas quickly discover
that homeschooling actually allows more time to get involved in community and social activities than attending traditional school does.
Preparing your teen for adult life includes training in basic skills beyond the academics. For ideas, browse the following:
Cross-cultural experiences will stretch your student physically, mentally, and emotionally and broaden his/her perspective of the world.
Help! My teenager doesn’t want to do his schoolwork. He won’t help around the house. He’s so uncooperative. What can I do?
How do I squeeze into 24 hours all my high schooler’s subjects, her extracurricular activities, time with my other children, attention for my husband, making dinner, and doing laundry? And how do I teach my teenager to manage her
time more efficiently?
When children begin working outside of the home, many parents are confused by employers’ requests for permits, especially when told that the work permits must be issued by a public school official. Any homeschooler can go to his or her local school district to get a work permit in any state. Some private schools are issuing officers as well, and in some states a homeschooler can get the permit from the state (Michigan is one of those states). Hourly work restrictions and occupation prohibitions can also be confusing. Most states do not have an exemption for students who graduate early. For more information and details on work permits, see “Getting Permits Might Take Work” by J. Michael Smith, HSLDA President.
Also, see the summary for each of the 50 states’ child labor and work permit laws through the Forms and Other Resources page or through the State Laws page. (These pages are a members-only resources.)
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