Over the years, local homeschooling high schoolers have been learning about Human Development in co-op classes. This is a fun subject to study as a group because there are so many group activities that can be enjoyed. I wanted to share 15 practical group activities that can bring learning and fun to your Human Development students in a homeschool co op high school elective class. (Check out this episode of Homeschool Highschool Podcast episode on why and how to teach Human Development.)
Homeschool Co Op High School Elective
Here are a few human development activities our local co-ops have experienced:
1. At the first class, ask each homeschooler what he/she believes are the best ages in a person’s life. Ask how old a person must be to be “old”.
2. Using videos from my Pinterest board or your own explorations, show the teens life before birth.
3. Have some mothers visit the class to describe their pregnancies, labors and deliveries (the boys might be grossed out but it is good stuff to discuss).
4. Invite a mother with a baby to visit class. Have her discuss her baby’s personality, reflexes, habits and her opinions about motherhood.
5. Invite some toddlers to class. Give them Play-Dough, chalk, crayons, and balls and observe their play.
6. Ask the toddlers’ mothers about parenting and their child’s personality and habits.
7. Invite some preschoolers to class. Do Piaget’s conservation games with them. Play Follow the Leader using the physical activities they have gained (listed in text).
8. Ask the preschoolers’ mothers about parenting, education, personalities, habits, and speech.
9. Ask some elementary aged children to class. Do Piaget’s conservation games with them. Allow them to lead your high schoolers in some games like Tag, Simon Says, or Hopscotch.
10. As the elementary aged children’s mothers about parenting, education, personalities, developmental differences between kids, etc.
11. Allow the homeschool high schoolers to discuss their lives and various things they have learned about themselves since they hit adolescence.
12. Invite some 20-somethings to attend class and share about their lives: relationships, college, career, interests, challenges.
13. Have the high schoolers do “life maps” (timelines of their own lives with important events listed, past, present and future).
14. Interview some middle-aged parents and senior-aged grandparents, ask about their lives, families, careers, successes, challenges, and faith.
15. Twice during the year, have the homeschoolers present projects (with one-page summary) based on research they have done to expand on a topic covered in that semester (powerpoints, posters, hands-on activities, etc).
There are more activities listed in Human Development from a Christian Worldview.
How about you? Have your homeschooling high schoolers earned their Human Development credit yet?
If so, what are some cool activities they have done?
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Homeschool Co Op High School Elective
