Homeschool High School: 5 Tips To Help You Know You Can Do It 

It’s time to homeschool high school and all of a sudden you question whether you can do it. We know you can, and we’re sharing five tips to help you do it with confidence and focus on the most important things. 

Elementary… no problem.

Middle School… I’ve got that. 

High School… Wait a minute. I’m not sure I can do that! I don’t remember algebra, we don’t have a lab in our house. Do homeschool kids even get into college???

It’s funny how many of us as homeschool moms seem to regress when it comes to the confidence to homeschool our children. 

It may seem a bit intimidating, but to homeschool high school, there are just a few things to keep in mind—and none of them are about being an expert in any of the subjects. 

5 Tips for Homeschooling High School

Keep these five tips in mind so you can homeschool your high school students with confidence. 

#1 Keep your relationship a priority.

You only have four short years with your high schoolers. Remember that long after their formal education is over, you’ll still be their mom. Don’t think making your relationships a priority doesn’t have anything to do with “school” either! Your students learn an important life skill—building and maintaining relationships. 

#2 Give your students responsibilities along with freedom. 

They have to have both. During their high school years, your students may learn to drive, get a job, and take classes outside of your home. They have a lot more freedom as they get older which is great as they transition into adulthood.

When it comes to their education, help them to learn to be more independent by allowing them to choose and maintain a schedule that will work for their unique personality. By having to do it themselves, they’ll also be learning time management skills. Which brings us to the next tip…

 

#3 Teach them to be lifelong learners. 

News alert: You can’t teach your kids everything! No one can. I hope that actually makes you feel better. Why do we worry about something that’s not even possible? 

What you can do is to help them learn skills that will allow them to continue their education long after you are done homeschooling them. Teaching them time management and study skills, as well as how to do good research, will equip them with the tools to continue to learn the rest of their lives.

#4 Don’t be afraid to outsource. 

As you enter the high school years, think of yourself as a facilitator. A facilitator is someone who makes progress easier. To help your kids progress, there may be times that you simply need to do something different. Online courses, community college classes (dual-enrollment), and ones offered in your community can help take the load of you. And your student will learn how to adapt to different teachers and teaching methods. It’s a win-win. 

 

#5 Help them explore their post-graduate options.

As homeschoolers, students have the time to explore. 

It’s no wonder so many students end up changing their major multiple times considering how few of them even know their options or have any experience. 

Create opportunities for your teens to talk to people in different jobs to find out what they like and don’t like about their work. See if they can shadow a variety of people for a day. Go on career field trips. 

A few parents in our town create a course together to do this. We had different people come talk to the students about their jobs. We took the group of teens to the newspaper in town, a television station, and the police offices. 

After they have an idea of what they might want to do, help them figure out their next steps. That may mean researching colleges, finding apprenticeships, or designing their own training. 

You Can Homeschool High School

With the abundance of resources available today, there really are good options for everyone—and that includes YOU. Homeschooling high school may look different than the early years, but the essence of it remains the same. You are free to teach your kids in the way that is best for both them and for you. 

By focusing on these five things, you’ll lay a foundation for teaching all of the high school subjects whether you personally teach some of them, outsource a course, or have your teens teach themselves.