Make the most of the season with holiday writing projects for homeschool high schoolers.
Holiday Writing Projects for Homeschool High Schoolers
Christmas often comes with lots of family gatherings but there’s never a wasted moment when you are homeschooling high school. That’s because all of life is education. And because all of life is education, teens can be logging homeschool hours surreptitiously even during family get-togethers.
How do they do that?
- They do family observations and listening while the folks share stories and “you remember whens?”
- Also, they can ask questions about family history, genealogy or traditions.
Showing interest in family stories is a good way to practice holiday social skills. Not only that, the information teens gather during family events can become the basis of a meaningful holiday writing project. (Hey, that can count as one of their required papers for ELA!)
Why not use family gatherings for some fun AND educational time?
Casually interviewing relatives at family gatherings, then use this as the basis for holiday writing projects in:
- research writing
- creative writing
- career exploration
These important elements of high school get attention with a fun flavor when added to a holiday gathering.
Here are some ideas for making great use of family gatherings and homeschooling:
Use Family Interviews for Research Writing
Is your teen unsure of the topic for his research paper this year? Then, maybe your teen can find out a bit of family genealogy:
- What countries are the ancestors from?
- Does the family still practice some holiday traditions from “the old country”?
- In which states has each person lived?
- Are there any famous ancestors?
These can be a launching place for an APA-style research paper. Teens can do follow up research on the geography, history and holiday traditions of countries or states. Or they could write a research-paper biography of the famous ancestor.
It is wise for homeschool high schoolers to write some sort of research paper each year. Family interviews can provide good information to start a research paper on family history, check this post for instructions.
Use Family Interviews for Creative Writing
Every family has stories that are well-known by all, but often several family members will have a slightly different take on the details. Your teen can take quick notes while the family debates the finer points of a piece of your family history…the sillier, the better!
Reminisce about the year the Christmas tree fell over at Grandma’s house in the middle of Christmas dinner. Ask people to offer their unique perspectives on the time the heater went out in the middle of the coldest January on record. Your teen can use those notes later to write a fun, colorful family narrative.
(Need help with the structure for Family Narrative writing? This guide takes your teen through the steps with an easy, conversational tone. Click here for an excerpt.)
Also, there is a holiday family narrative writing guide that teens are really enjoying. Here’s how they capture the family legacy at the holiday season by writing a story.
Capture favorite traditions with Creative Chronicling
An unusual but delightful holiday writing project is creating a Creative Chronicle. This is a wonderful project that combines creative writing and creative digital work. Teens end up with a valuable keepsake.
Use Family Interviews for Career Exploration
Is your teen open to considering some of the fields that are careers for any of your family members? Have her make a list of some smart questions for each (7Sisters Career Exploration textbook is a good tool to use in conjunction with this interviewing process). By finding out a few simple things from each person, a lot of insight can be gained with no cost and without great effort.
Consider questions like these:
- What kind of training did you get to enter your field?
- How demanding is your career? What types of things have you had to sacrifice to have this job?
- Tell about some of the most rewarding things that have come to you in your career. What do you love about it?
- Describe some of the most intimidating obstacles you encountered as you got established in your field?
- What advice would you give to someone who was considering a career similar to yours?
Combining fun and family with education is what homeschooling is all about, anyway! Try getting some true academic work done in a relaxed way during holiday gatherings this year.
This year, let your teens have fun and inspiration with a holiday writing project. Remember, all of life is education!
