Homeschool Electives: An Easy Plan You Can Use Today

Homeschool electives are the cherry on top of the sundae! They are meant to make your homeschool extra sweet! Read more for an easy plan to help you.

Homeschool electives should be the cherry on top of the sundae. They are the sweetest part of your homeschool, yet they often end up being the cog in the wheel. It shouldn’t be this way.

The purpose of homeschool electives is to help kids explore the talents and calling God has given them. But without a plan, electives can quickly spiral out of control and create stress rather than joy. Let’s dive into my proven plan for teaching homeschool electives as I share some of the game-changing tips I’ve learned over the last 22+ years of homeschooling my four kids. My goal is for you to walk away with a plan that you can implement in your home school. Are you ready?

What Are Homeschool Electives?

Electives are simply things we ELECT to take. They are classes or activities we get to choose. In the traditional school setting, electives are a very limited choice and primarily offered to high schoolers only. Don’t settle for that definition.

Electives are the cherry on top of the sundae, remember? Every age level should have a choice in what they want to learn and pursue. Every age level has a distinct purpose for electives. (You can read about those below each age division at the end of this post.)

To get high school credit for an elective, it should take about 120 hours to complete. That’s about half an hour per school day or 3.5 hours per week. Most high schoolers who participate in music or sports find 3.5 hours to be easy because we usually put even more time into our activities.

I separate electives into four main categories: Life Skills, Fine Arts, Physical Education, and Discipline (or core) electives. Let’s look at each type.

Life Skills Electives

It’s sad to see how little value life skills are given in our society. Schools are not teaching any of these things (not that I think it’s their job), and parents feel as though they must push academics.

Young people today are graduating with lots of head knowledge, but they can’t cook their own food. Think about how crazy that is. What’s the point of a successful career if you can’t even feed yourself? (Sorry, I’ll get off the soapbox.)

Life skills were the heartbeat of our homeschool, and I’m thankful my kids have the opportunity. When my kids were ages 15, 14, 12, and 9, they could all do laundry from start to finish. Three out of four could cook a complete meal. They could sew a button, make their bed, and manage money.

These are some age-appropriate life skills.

• Preschool–1st graders should focus on self-care. Brush your teeth, button your pants, pick out appropriate clothes, etc.
• 2nd–6th graders should work on the care of their space. Make your bed, tidy your room, empty the dishwasher, make simple breakfasts, etc.
• Middle schoolers need to start working on food prep, cooking, managing finances, and doing large jobs like mowing the lawn.
• High schoolers should go deep with cooking for the whole family, creating and staying within a budget, going on a grocery shopping trip, etc.

Fine Arts Electives

These electives are my favorite, and that shows when you look at the ones my family frequents. Fine arts includes all kinds of music, from piano to choir. It includes theater, drawing, painting, etc. You might also lump things like graphic design into this category too.

Physical Education Electives

Physical education electives would obviously be PE classes, health and wellness, and fitness classes (Pilates, aerobics, spinning). It would also be any kind of sport: gymnastics, soccer, basketball, swimming, horseback riding, etc.

Discipline or Core Electives

Discipline or core electives are things related to an academic subject but studied on a topic not typically required in your core classes. This might include a personal finance class, microbiology, computer classes, foreign languages, a deep dive into Civil War history, etc. Typically, you see these electives in high school where the state requires specific things, but the student wishes to go outside of those things.

This area also includes Bible classes. My kids take Bible classes from elementary on, which include in-depth study, memorization, and discussion. In high school, we make sure to count these classes as an elective that will go on their transcript.

Homeschool Electives Need a Plan

The worst thing you can do is go at this without a plan. Haven’t you heard? Those who fail to plan, plan to fail! You aren’t going to be the exception to the rule.

Let me tell you a story. Many years ago, my kids were invited to audition for a very prestigious community choir. It’s challenging to get into this choir, so it was an honor just to be considered. They were accepted, and we began attending rehearsals.

Within a few weeks, just the thought of “choir” made everyone stressed. Everything about the choir put stress on our family, from location to practice time to performance attire.

One day, we were frantically rushing out the door to said choir when I grumbled a bit about it. One of my kids quickly answered my grumble with a rather convicting statement. “You know, we don’t even like this choir at all.”

His statement was really meant to help a tense situation, but it immediately poured salt into a wound I hadn’t acknowledged was there. The choir was a thorn in everyone’s side. It was a cog in the wheel. The choir was making everyone unhappy.

I realized I had made the #1 mistake parents make when it comes to homeschool electives or extra-curricular activities. An opportunity was presented, and I ran with it. I didn’t take the time to pray about it. And I didn’t take the time to plan it into our schedule. All I did was make sure those afternoons were free, and then I assumed the rest would fall into place. HUGE mistake!

Just because your schedule isn’t blocked off for something doesn’t mean your schedule is free. That year I vowed always to make sure electives and activities were planned into our school day in a very intentional way.

Plan for Homeschool Electives in 3 quick steps:

Step 1: Create a Long-Range Plan

You need to consider what you want your kids to be like when they graduate. Think about life skills, talents, and spiritual goals. Write this down into four categories: early elementary, late elementary, middle school, and high school.

Focus on your big WHY. What’s your purpose for the things you’re choosing? How will they lay the groundwork for where you want your kids to be when they graduate?

Step 2: Make an Annual Plan

List the specific classes you’ll teach this year, along with the electives. Note the curriculum you plan to use or other necessary information. For example, I’ve listed the name of our piano teacher here.

Step 3: List All the Extras

Write down all the extras like sports, music lessons, and anything else your child does regularly. Record the number of hours spent on each one. This helps you plan your schedule and see what extras can become official electives.

Then, all these elements come together in your daily plan. Block out time for things that take you away from home or occur on a regular schedule. List the particular subjects your child will complete each day to make sure everything fits together nicely.

Some days will have a heavier academic load and lighter electives, while other days are the opposite. This balance is key!

Homeschool Electives Need a Record

We put a lot of time into electives. They should count! But they won’t unless you record them. If your child is involved in a regular activity, consider keeping a journal and having them record the days and times they participate. They can also record special awards or accomplishments. You could also keep one giant notebook for multiple electives and just divide it by section. 

We like to keep everything we do for one year wrapped up into one 3-ring binder (notebook). So we use “field study write-ups” to record the big things like week-long camps, competitions, or special trainings. We use a simple time log to record the rest. 

This form can be found in our Back to School pack at the bottom of this post.

Homeschool Electives for Elementary

Elementary electives are generally disguised as “extracurricular activities.” Families often do music lessons, sports, or similar opportunities. This is GREAT! Just be sure you keep your purpose in focus. At this age, it’s less about perfecting a skill and more about dabbling in things your children might want to pursue when they get older. 

Try to expose them to all of the fine arts (music, art, and drama) through homeschool classes, museums, and shows. You never know how God has gifted them! Exposing elementary kids to sports tends to be easier because there are so many teams to choose from.

My youngest, Luke, took piano, like all my kids. He also took an art class using the Artistic Pursuits curriculum, which is one of my favorites. In addition, he did Still Singing, our hymn study curriculum that actually fits multiple categories – not just electives but language arts and history too.

Still Singing covers 33 different hymns where you learn the story behind the hymn, the writer’s life, Bible lessons that connect to the hymn’s message, music theory, copywork, and fun activities. It’s an all-encompassing curriculum that works beautifully as an elective.

When it comes to electives at this age, remember to keep your purpose in focus. I always remind myself that Michael Jordan didn’t even start playing basketball until he was in junior high. Forcing a four-year-old to play soccer against his desires won’t create a prodigy. 

Use the elementary years to dabble and explore. Take field trips. Participate in one-day classes. Work hard on life skills. You’ll be thankful you took this approach.

Homeschool Electives for Middle School

In the middle school years, electives become more purposeful. This is a good time to put some serious money and effort into something your child is passionate about. They need the opportunity to explore these things in-depth to determine if it’s a good fit for a career, more of a hobby, or something they really don’t care to put the effort into.

Whatever your young person is into, be their advocate. Find opportunities to help them get more of it. Look for ways for them to sharpen their skills and deepen their knowledge. This means allowing them to QUIT the things that don’t really interest them. Obviously, we want them to honor their word and keep a commitment, but if the season is finished and they don’t want to play anymore, don’t make them. 

When Nathan was in middle school, he took piano but really wanted to learn ukulele that year. He was part of our Bible Quiz club at church where they competed answering Bible questions. He was super excited about his computer programming class through Bits Box, where he got monthly coding cards with instructions for creating apps.

High School Electives for Homeschool

In high school, electives have a dual purpose. First, we have to meet those pesky state requirements. Be sure you find out what yours are and follow those guidelines. Most states require very little, thankfully.

Typically, it’s a PE credit, maybe something in the arts, and a computer science credit. You may also need to meet the suggested college electives if your child is interested in college. Remember, while you have to meet requirements, you can still think outside the box. 

When it comes to physical education, we have an informative yet engaging high school curriculum that fulfills that PE requirement while also laying a Biblical foundation for health and wellness, not just how to play a sport. In this one-credit course, Thrive teaches your students about the amazing body God has given them and inspires them to take care of it through healthy habits, nutrition, and exercise. Students will come away with practical strategies and activities to implement these concepts while building life-long habits that can help them for many years to come. We have a video showing you what Thrive is all about here.

When it comes to thinking outside of the box, let’s look at some examples. A physical education class doesn’t have to be the way the school system does it. Your child could take a swimming class at the YMCA or a spinning class at the gym. My daughter rides horses. You could also count time playing a traditional sport.

Enjoying music doesn’t require you to be able to play an instrument! As with so many things in life, learning about music can increase our appreciation and enjoyment of it without having to learn how to read music or play an instrument ourselves. That is why we offer Sounds of the Masters, a brand new music appreciation curriculum that will allow your high schooler to earn one Fine Arts credit.

Want a variety of fine arts? Consider mixing it up with a few weeks of drama, music, and art over the course of a school year. The opportunities are endless!

Computer requirements tend to be pretty easy. There are keyboarding classes, coding classes, and everything in between.

Once you get the required things out of the way, you will still probably have some credits to fill. This is your chance to have a LOT of fun. But I would strongly suggest you steer your fun in the direction of your child’s interests, particularly regarding a career. 

Rachel, when she was in 9th grade, took Artistic Pursuits because art was her passion. She was also in her second year of sign language, took piano and voice lessons, and was heavily involved in theater through our local Academy of the Arts ministries. We used those field study write-up pages to calculate all her theater hours and document what she was learning.

Leah, when she was a junior, did piano, got credit for horseback riding (where she not only rode but helped teach and care for the horses), participated in Bible Quiz club, and was in her third year of Latin.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with curriculum choices and all the different activities your kids could do. Remember, God has trusted you with the amazing job of raising and educating your children. He will equip you, and He is faithful to help you choose and teach all these things.

This is going to be an amazing year! I’m rooting for you and am excited to see how your homeschool electives bring joy to your family’s learning journey.

More Christian Homeschool Curriculum

Need guidance on curriculum for other subjects? Read more about our Christian homeschool curriculum tips and favorites.

Free Homeschool Planning Boot Camp

Feeling overwhelmed and need some help? Remember, you are not alone! It’s pretty easy to get lost in all the details, but our FREE Homeschool Planning Boot Camp will show you how to put a plan together in just 5 days!

What kinds of electives do your children take? Share your ideas with us in the comments!