The Truth About Extracurricular Activities In High School

Have you ever wondered how you could extend extracurricular activities into your homeschool, let alone high school? It can be both challenging and rewarding at the same time. Extracurricular activities can also pull your family out of your comfort zones. Today, I am exposing the truth about extracurricular activities, including how to engage and balance them.

The Truth

First, extracurricular activities are fun, at least they should be since they account for another 5-10 high school credits on the transcript. Activities can be as easy as a unit study of a desired “extra” subject of interest, taking a sewing class, art class, or learning to code from Code Academy. They can be more challenging and altering when they involve horseback riding, sports, clubs, farming, Spelling Bees, internships, or part-time jobs.

Depending on how your family is structured, there is something for every student! However, over doing the extracurricular activities can lead to serious burnout.

Engaging In Extracurricular Activities

There is no doubt that extracurricular activities look good on your high school students transcripts. However, to get the most enrichment and joy out of them, here are some common approaches:

Try Your Community and Local Programs

Don’t worry about paying high prices for extracurricular activities, there are many things your students can get involved in without the high fees. In fact, many families homeschool so that their students can learn and focus on their gifts and talents. Extracurricular activities are a great way to do this.

Park and Community Centers:

Many community centers offer classes and activities such as sports, arts, and music.

Local Sports Leagues:

Homeschoolers can join local sports teams or leagues, such as soccer, baseball, or swimming. Many public schools might offer opportunities to homeschoolers as well. Do your research and participate only if your homeschool freedoms will not be hindered or restricted.

Libraries and Museums:

These often host educational programs, workshops, and clubs that homeschoolers can join. There might be Lego clubs, book clubs, and more.

Try Your Local Homeschool Groups and Co-ops

Homeschool Co-ops:

These are groups of homeschooling families that come together to share resources and organize group activities, such as field trips, science fairs, and art classes. They can be fun but demanding on

the family, as most ask the parents to volunteer teaching classes or watch little children of the parents teaching.

You might be able to find one that allows parents to drop off their students without parent involvement, these are rare, and you will pay the cost to do so since this isn’t the nature of co-ops.

Support Groups:

Local or online homeschool support groups can provide information about extracurricular opportunities and organize group activities. These can be beneficial when opportunities are local. However, be sure to research and investigate before attending.

Use Online Resources

Virtual Clubs and Classes:

There are many online platforms offering virtual clubs, classes, and extracurricular activities, such as coding, chess, and foreign languages.

Online Competitions:

Homeschoolers can participate in online competitions in areas like math, science, writing, and more.

Always use extreme caution and care when using online resources, especially as Christians. It’s our duty to make sure that our children are safe online. With the rise of technology, apps, pornography, and online bullying we need to research, investigate, and monitor online clubs, classes, and competitions.

Use Volunteering and Community Service

Community Service:

Homeschool students can volunteer at local organizations, such as animal shelters, food banks, and community gardens. These look excellent on high school transcripts.

Service Projects:

Participating in or organizing service projects can provide valuable experience and help build a sense of community, encourage your child to participate in church events and sign up for projects that interest them.

Enjoy Arts and Music

One of the reasons why we enjoy homeschooling so much is the advantages of private lessons. Homeschoolers can take private lessons in music, dance, or art.

Students who enjoy theater and acting can join a local theater group that can provide opportunities for acting, stage management, and other theater-related activities.

Find Academic and Special Interest Clubs

If your students have specific hobbies, they can join or form clubs focused on specific academic interests, such as science, literature, history, or a specific book club.

Special Interest Groups like those focused on hobbies: STEAM, photography, gardening, or robotics can be a great way to explore new interests.

Experience Dual Enrollment:

Dual Enrollment is a great opportunity for high school students who want to attend college. But also, it is just as good for the elementary and middle School student for opportunities.

Some public schools allow homeschool students to participate in extracurricular activities, such as sports teams or clubs. However, as stated earlier, never give up your homeschool freedoms to participate. Know every requirement before you sign, and if in doubt, contact the HSLDA for questions. Our homeschool freedom is everything!

How To Balance Extracurricular Activities

For younger students, balancing extracurricular activities are the parents’ sole responsibility. But for high school students, balancing academics and extracurricular activities can be challenging but very rewarding. Here are some tips to help homeschool students manage both effectively:

Prioritize and Set Goals

Identify Priorities: Determine which academic subjects and extracurricular activities are most important to your student. Focus on excelling in these areas and you won’t face burnout.

Set Clear Goals: Establish both short-term and long-term goals for your students academics and extracurriculars. This helps them stay focused and motivated.

Create a Schedule And Practice Time Management

I have an article called How to make a schedule for anything📆. Having a schedule is very important to maintain the peace in your home both mentally and spiritually. If your student doesn’t know how to keep and maintain a schedule, take some time to teach them. This is especially useful in high school, as students are expected to be independent learners.

Plan ahead and Use a planner or digital calendar to schedule your study time, extracurricular activities, and free time.

Use Block Time to allocate specific time blocks for different activities to ensure you dedicate enough time to each. There is a helpful article on this and video.

Practice time management by breaking your students tasks into smaller steps, then divide larger tasks into manageable steps to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

I also find that timers are effective for students who tend to become distracted and veer off task. I have one such student, and timers help. Set timers for study sessions and breaks to maintain focus and productivity.

Try To Stay Organized

Maintain a list of important deadlines for assignments, projects, and extracurricular commitments. I find that keeping my students study materials and extracurricular equipment organized saves me time, and reduces my stress.

Be Flexible

Be prepared to adjust your schedule if unexpected events arise. Unfortunately, this happens often in my home, as my youngest child is a toddler. I like to keep our schedules flexible just in case we can’t do or be somewhere.  Flexibility is key to maintaining balance.

Periodically review your schedule and commitments to ensure they align with the academic goals and priorities of your students.

In Conclusion

Extracurricular activities can be both challenging and rewarding at the same time. The truth about extracurricular activities, is that they can be fun and there’s something for everyone that desires to try something different. By implementing the strategies in this article, homeschool students can effectively balance their academic responsibilities with their extracurricular interests, leading to a well-rounded and fulfilling educational experience! If you have questions, visit us here!

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