Adding Extracurriculars to Home School

How do you add extracurriculars to home school? Here are tips to find the balance. 

Here's what you'll learn in this article: 

• Including extracurriculars in home school creates a well-rounded learning experience.
• Four tips for adding extracurriculars to your home school experience.
• Answers to commonly asked questions about adding extracurriculars to homeschooling.
• Key takeaways for balanced inclusion of extracurriculars in home school.
• Where to learn more about managing all the parts of home school.

Extracurriculars in Home School are a Great way to Add Variety to the Day and Create a Well-Rounded Learning Experience

Extracurriculars are the extras in the school day. More recently, it is common in traditional school for physical education or art to be considered extracurriculars that are no longer part of the daily curriculum. Homeschooling allows the space to retain various daily subjects and think expansively with extracurriculars.

With learning at the center, the challenge is finding balance between breadth and depth, without stretching yourself too thin or burning out your child. Extracurriculars are great when they complement learning and add enough variety to the day that they keep motivation for learning high.

4 Tips for Including Extracurriculars in Homeschooling

There are a lot of extracurriculars available,whether virtual or in-person. Sorting through what is available and finding the right fit for your home school needs can be a challenge. Here are 4 tips to get started:

1. Know Your Goals

Extracurriculars are not required. What do you want out of including extracurriculars in your home school week? Do you need extra space for yourself to work with your other child or on your work? Do you want your child to be able to go deeper on a topic? Jot down your motives for extracurriculars.

No matter your child's age, you will also want to engage them about their goals for extracurriculars. Start with open ended questions to ask your child how they feel about the week, and if they want to explore extracurriculars. Once you've explored your own goals, then raise the conversation again and use questions that align with your goals too. For example, if your child is ambivalent about extracurriculars, but you have decided to add one, then find a couple of options that work and let your child choose.

2. Know Your Budget

Extracurriculars can come at a significant cost, but they don't have to be cost prohibitive. Consider your goals and your budget. Extracurriculars can range from private in-person or virtual lessons to ongoing or time-limited classes to community gatherings. Each of these types of extracurriculars will come at a different price point and meet different needs.

If your child doesn't need additional social time and excels at a topic, then private extracurriculars might provide the best overall investment. Alternatively, if your child is young and navigating being part of a group, then a free community gathering once a week to hike and examine nature might be the best option.

3. Get Creative

If your goals and budget don't align, then get creative. Extracurriculars don't have to be confined by budget, time, or location. A creative solution can likely get you most of the benefit of the extracurricular.

If budget is the limiting factor, is there an opportunity to swap talents with other home school parents? For example, a caregiver-educator with art talents hosts an art extracurricular for a few weeks, then a caregiver-educator with cooking skills hosts the extracurricular for a few weeks. Another option might be a neighbor who can give music lessons instead of the studio in town.

If time is a limiting factor, is there an opportunity for virtual extracurriculars that have more scheduling flexibility? It may also make sense to flex the home school schedule for that one day to accommodate the extracurricular.

If location is a limiting factor, then virtual extracurriculars might be the best option. Alternatively, can you create your own extracurricular plan using available library and internet resources? For example, if you get a practical how to book and give your child the support and materials to work through the activities. If you create a special space in your home or are able to invite a home school peer to join, that can add to the extracurricular feel.

4. Keep It Flexible

Since extracurriculars are not required, you have the flexibility to do them or not. That flexibility is empowering because the extracurricular can be an experiment for a short-time; it does not have to be something that happens every week for the next five years. 

Being open to the experience as a time-limited experiment is a great way to help your child build confidence to try new things. It isn't as scary to know that it is only a handful of visits. If the goal is to try it out, then a lot of extracurriculars feel much more possible.

FAQs: Extracurriculars in Homeschooling Complement Your Other Learning Activities

What is the right amount of extracurriculars? 

It depends. It will largely depend on the energy and stamina level of your child and your own constraints--there are only so many hours in each day. If you have a child who likes all the extracurriculars, then aim to keep a recurring extracurricular in each quarter. You can also look to supplement with one-off events or field trips. If your child is less interested in extracurriculars, then avoid committing to ones with many sessions. You can also look to varied formats to see if something resonates better for your child.

What if the extracurricular isn't a fit?

Not all extracurriculars will be a fit. If the goal was just to try it out, then that immediately takes the pressure off because there will be other opportunities for exploring the topic (or not). From there it depends on what isn't a fit about the extracurricular. If it is the topic, then consider ways to make the last sessions more engaging and fulfill the commitment. If it is something about the people or logistics, then use your judgment on whether there are ways to adapt or if quitting before the session ends is really the best option.

Key Takeaways

• Extracurriculars provide variety. Incorporating extracurriculars into your home school week offer another opportunity to explore and discover interests.
• Know your goals to stay balanced. If you know what you and your child want from extracurriculars that will help your decision-making and help you avoid taking on too much.
• Stay creative and flexible. Be open to creating an extracurricular that works for your family by trading skills or leaning on community.
  

Where to Learn More