Here is a big list of electives for homeschool high school.
Big List of Electives for Homeschool High School
When my homeschoolers were in high school, their electives were some of the most meaningful and life-changing courses. To this day, they can reflect back to their years and notice how electives prepared them for their career choices and for adulting.
Electives, therefore, in our opinion, are awesome!
There are SO many to choose from that can help your teens explore and grow. How can you figure out which are the best electives for your teens. After all, they can only fit a certain number on their transcripts.
BTW- if you need an in-depth explanation of how electives work in homeschool high school, check out our Authoritative Guide to Electives.
Here are the types of electives
You can break the types of high school electives into five categories:
Cover a basic need for graduation
In some states, teens need certain types of electives on their transcripts. In other states, these courses may not be required but they are helpful. Some examples:
- Drivers Education
- Career Exploration (We, of course, recommend 7Sisters’ popular Career Exploration bundle)
- In some states, Career Exploration is part of the Career Pathways requirement.
- Here is a practical list of a Career Exploration elective ideas
- Financial Literacy
Develop a life skill
Our teens need to prepare for adulting. The cool things is that we can capture what they are learning on their transcripts! Remember: all of life is education! Here are some examples:
- Home Economics
- Home Maintenance
- Public Speaking
- Self Defense and Safety
- First Aid
- Human Development
Help teens discover interests or skills
Sometimes teens have no idea what they are interested in or what skills they may actually have. This is often embarrassing to them because they feel pressure to know more about their interests and skills.
I always tell them not to worry! They simply have not found their interests yet. They simply need explore a bit and try new things. Each year, they should try some completely different courses than they have experienced before.
Electives for homeschool high school that explore interests
Once teens have discovered some interests, they can earn homeschool high school elective credits by learning more about that interest.
Steward a gift
As homeschool high schoolers learn about their interests, some of those interests will help them discover their giftings, they would be wise to steward them/grow those gifts. This gift may lead them to a career or college major choice. (Here are some tips from our friend, Betsy, on how to use electives on college applications.)
So, as often as you can, choose electives that will help your teens grow in each of these areas.
With that in mind, here is that list of electives for homeschool high school
This is not an exhaustive list. For more ideas, check out these posts from our friends:
- 100 High School Electives from BJ’s Homeschool
- Affordable High School Electives from Freedom Homeschooling
- Choosing Electives from FundaFunda Academy
Agriculture
- 4H Activities
- Introduction to Agriculture
- Animal Husbandry
- Horticulture
Arts and Creative Subjects
- Art (even non-artsy teens can earn a “discover an interest” credit)
- Fine Arts Appreciation
- Drawing
- Painting
- 3D
- Blogging
- Creative Writing
- Dance
- Drama (check out 7Sisters Drama resources)
- Fashion Design
- Filmmaking
- Graphic Arts
- Interior Decorating
- Music (Vocals, Instruments, Theory)
- Quilting
- Podcasting
- Sewing
- Woodworking
- Young Arts competitions and events
Business
- Barber training
- Barista training
- Business Math
- Culinary Arts
- Early Childhood Education
- Entrepreneurship
- Leadership
History
Any topic of interest above and beyond the normal History credits. Here is a post to help with History electives.
Here are some History electives that our teens have earned:
- Histories of a country of their choice
- History of Fashion
- Native Americans
- Presidents and Their Families
- World Wars
Military
- Army Split Training
- Civil Air Patrol
Religion
- Apologetics (Check out 7Sisters’ FREE Apologetics curriculum)
- Bible Studies
- Missions Trips
- Theology
Social Sciences
- Psychology
- Sociology
Sports
Any Phys Ed or Fitness credits above those needed for graduation, such as:
- Baseball
- Equestrian
- General Fitness Training
- Gymnastics
- Hockey
- Karate
- Yoga
Stem
- Advanced Biology
- Advanced Chemistry
- Animal Anatomy and Care
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Any math beyond basic Calculus (for example, Statistics)
- Botany
- Computer and other Technology (for example: Coding, Programming, Game Design)
- Environmental Studies
- Introduction to Engineering
- Marine Science
- Web Design
Thinking and Reasoning
- Debate
- Philosophy (We are partial to 7Sisters’ Philosophy in Four Questions– a favorite of several 7Sisters’ teens.)
- Logic
- Critical Thinking
Vocational Training
- Teens can begin training for trades with several resources such as their community college or local unions. Some trades that our local homeschool high schoolers have included:
- Carpentry
- Electrical
- Painting
- Plumbing
- Apprenticeships
World Languages
Some teens like World Languages so much that they want to learn languages above and beyond the basic requirements. Thus, any other languages that are studies can be electives. Some additional languages that our teens have explored are:
- Cherokee
- Chinese
- Korean
- Latin
- Norwegian
What would you add to this list? What are some elective credits your homeschool high schoolers have earned?
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