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Gauge Homeschool Progress

A Homeschool Beginner’s Guide to Figuring Grades and Saving Time

March 28, 2022 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

In this homeschool beginner’s guide to figuring grades, I’m sharing tips I didn’t know when I began. Also, look at my page The Dynamics of How to Homeschool Easily and Smarter.

Although I live in Texas where grade keeping is not required by state law, I started keeping grades before high school for two reasons.

One reason is that my teen wanted feedback.

The second reason is that I wanted to know how to figure grades sooner instead of tackling it on top of learning how to homeschool high school.

Having homeschooled twenty-five years now, I see how figuring grades has changed in the public-school world.

It’s not that we want to keep up with public-school changes, but eventually our kids may be graded by those same standards. It’s important to be somewhat familiar with how to figure grades.

Figuring Grades

In addition, understanding how the public-school world decides grading gives us reason to not follow them because we don’t have a classroom of 30 kids.

It’s a conundrum to somewhat follow a similar pattern of grading with widely acceptable ways of determining grades while meeting our unique circumstances at home.

Look at these tried-and-true tips and pointers.

  1. First, I didn’t realize that public school teachers aren’t really taught how to grade. Sure, there are some exceptions to this. But several public-school teachers turned homeschool mom who took my workshops revealed that they didn’t really learn how to grade. It’s a skill they’re supposed to pick up while in training. You can do the same while homeschooling.
  2. Second, grading needs to be purposeful. It’s one thing for me to show you various grading scales, but another for you to wield the tool of grading effectively.

A Homeschool Beginner’s Guide to Figuring Grades and Saving Time

Reasons to Grade

So, beyond your state requiring it, grades should give valuable feedback to your children.

Grades serve other reasons:

  • they communicate what your children have learned,
  • they give valuable feedback where your children are along the learning continuum, identify skills mastered and identify skills which need practice, 
  • and motivates students to grow and advance in proficiency.

Besides, if the grading tool is not created and wielded correctly, it can also have the reverse effect.

Homeschool Grades for Elementary Children

Once I realized balance was needed, I moved forward with these distinctions.

  • In the elementary grades, a check system like satisfactory or unsatisfactory is perfectly acceptable.
  • Trying to not follow public school standards in the early grades is important. Kids at that age are building their foundation of knowledge. To constantly test, quiz, and drill can be harmful to their confidence.

However, you may need a guide at this age.

Below I will give you various grading scales to use for both elementary and middle and high school students.

Be sure you’re following me on my YouTube channel How to Homeschool EZ for awesome tips.

Look at my video How to Gauge Your Homeschooled Child’s Progress.

In addition, high school is the time when grades become important.

A lot of states have relaxed laws which means you create your own high school transcript and grading system.

It’s important to become familiar now with easy ways to grade. I have a free editable transcript and helps for high school too at the bottom of this post.

Homeschool Grades for Middle and High School Teens

Next look at these two different, but easy ways to figure grades.

ONE.

Whatever subject your child is covering, convert all grades and numbers to 100. That system is understood by us because a lot of us were graded on this system.

It’s also an easy way to quickly create grading standards. Letter grades are converted to numerical value or percentages.

This system is based on the thought that 100% means all answers are correct.

Afterwards, decide how to grade assignments based on a 100 percent.

Two Easy Ways to Figure Grades For Different Subjects

Look at these various examples of how categories of assignments are divided to see what I’m talking about:

  • daily work 50%, quizzes 20%, projects 10%, and final test 10% = 100
  • assessments 75%, practice 20%, and extra practice 5% = 100
  • project 25%, quizzes 25%, test 50% = 100

From this you can tell grading is very subjective.

You can apply equal percentages to types of assignments or different percentages like above.

Too, if you want a guide of what to teach your kid when, you’ll love my online self-paced course Teaching the Stages of Homeschool. From PreK to High School, Learn at a Bird’s-Eye View of What Subjects to Teach & When to Teach Them.

I am your coach as I take you though the ages and stages of homeschooling.

A Homeschool Beginner’s Guide to Figuring Grades and Saving Time

Furthermore, your grading form can list under each category the objectives or assignments.

Look at this sample below where I used Assessments, Practice, and Extra Practice breakdown from above.

Assessments – 75%Practice – 20%Extra Practice – 5%
daily assignmentsdaily handwritingtyping
essayscreate a lapbookspelling game
book reportsscience experimentwatching videos

This is how I kept things easy. I decided what I wanted to grade (not grading everything) and which type of assignments or activities were more important to the subject we’re studying at the time.

It can feel a bit complicated in the beginning.

While some subjects are easier to grade than others, once you have the hang of it, just repeat the same percentages.

6 Easy Steps to Calculate Grades on Numbered Assignments

Also, look at my video How to Successfully Begin Homeschooling Middle & High School.

Additionally, some assignments are more straightforward to grade. Math is one type of subject which is easier to grade.

TWO.

Look below at these 6 easy steps to determine grades on numbered assignments like math. One of the best tips is to have a calculator handy or your phone calculator.

Here is how to easily grade an assignment like math which normally has a set number of problems like 20 or 30 problems.

  1. Correct any wrong answers on your child’s assignment.
  2. Look at the total number of problems on the assignment.
  3. Calculate the total number of problems correct.
  4. Divide the total number of correct answers by the total number of problems in the assignment.
  5. When you get that answer, multiply it by 100.
  6. Consult your grading scale to determine a letter grade if you want one. (I’ve shared grading scales below.)

Look at this real-life example from our math. The math assignment had 30 problems. My son missed 5 of the problems; he got 25 correct.

I divided 25 correct answers by 30 total number of problems which equals .83.

Next, multiply .83 x 100 or 83%. Finally, look for the percentage grading scale and find the corresponding letter grade if you’re keeping letter grades. Too, you’ll love this free EZ grader tool online tool.

A Homeschool Beginner’s Guide to Figuring Grades and Saving Time

As I mentioned, grading scales are subjective, but these are the two most common I’ve used in my homeschool. These grading scales can easily work for any grade level.

Easy Grading Scales For Homeschool

90–100% = A93–100% = A
80–89% = B86–92% = B
70–79% = C78–85% = C
60–69% = D70–77% = D
below 59% = Fbelow 69% = F

Noting the easy 6 steps above and based on my example about math, you can see that my student can make two different letter grades, namely a B or a C, depending on which grading scale I choose.

Now, let’s switch back to understanding the basics of percentages or the first method I mentioned.

In addition, look at my video How to Choose the BEST Middle School Literature for Your Homeschooled Child.

It’s important to understand how to categorize assignments using the 100 based system because some subjects or assignments especially like writing have very different objectives.

Grading essays is an art and is subjective.

In addition to the different genres of writing, there are many skills to learn as your student demonstrates writing.

Art is another subject that can be tough to grade.

Those types of assignments do not have a set number of problems.

Because you have specific goals for your children to meet, the best method to grade those types of subjects are percentage based.

Tina’s Time -Tested EASY Grade Figuring Tips

You can literally get overwhelmed with all this information and I’m going to keep it easy for you.

I have used these three easy grading tips and recommend them to you.

  1. choose one grading scale and stick to it
  2. use third percentages (more on this in a minute) on writing and other subjects which are hard to grade like art, writing, hands-on projects, and life skills.
  3. use both grading systems to keep grading uncomplicated.

My own opinion is that the grading scale of 90 to 100%= A is more reflective of a wider range of skills and it’s the one I’ve used more often.

Also, when grading essays, writing, or any other type of subjective assignment I keep my percentages divided by thirds only.

Having only 3 broad categories with assigned percentages kept grading easier for me.

Under each of those broad categories I created objectives.

Of course, you can use any combination of 100 to create your unique goals based on the needs of your children.

Back to mentioning thirds.

I understand that 100 can be divided different ways and it has great flexibility. Again, I prefer easy segmenting and having objectives within those sections.

For example, with the free form below for descriptive writing, I have 3 segments. One section is Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics 30%, Content and Style 35%, and Organization 35%.

However, you will notice I have objectives within each of those 3 categories.

Look below at my sample of the free form Middle School Descriptive Writing Grade Record which I created for you.

The grading record is for middle school, and it is to be used for a descriptive essay. Thank you to Kimberley, my follower, for allowing me to create it for her and for you.

Free Middle School Descriptive Writing Grade Record

A Homeschool Beginner’s Guide to Figuring Grades and Saving Time

The Middle School Descriptive Writing Grade Record is a subscriber only freebie.

That means when you sign up to follow me, you get access to my Exclusive Subscriber’s Only Library which has this form in the library.

This is how you get access to this form quickly.
 1) Sign up on my list.
 2) Download the freebie.
3) Happy to have you following me by email. Look for my future emails in your inbox.

Exploring Space and Astronomy Free Unit Study for Multiple Ages

Rubric Versus Grading Scales

Another term which can make grading hard is understanding what is a rubric. A grading scale is a way to convert checkmarks to letter grades or to a number grade.

Although in the educational world now that has somewhat changed to a 1-to-4 point system. However, that still would have to convert to a letter grade for purposes of a report card. Don’t let me lose you.

A rubric is a term used more in the educational world and not as much in the homeschool world. A simpler term to understand is checklist.

Some homeschool evaluators with a teacher background prefer the term rubric. Whatever term you use checklist or rubric, it can be used different ways.

A rubric is a tool used by a student as a guide to view assignment expectations and objectives set by the teacher. It is a way to encourage students to self-check and can be used as a grading tool. Many rubrics exist on the internet and a lot of them are based on a 1-to-4 point system. Rubrics can be complex or simple.

Four is the highest and can mean achieve, accomplished, or even mastery. Three can be interpreted to mean proficient or practiced. Two can mean developing and one can signify incomplete.

Right away you see that a rubric or self-checking list may be more beneficial to a student of any age. We homeschool for mastery, not just a letter grade.

In addition, a checklist or rubric can encourage children to be challenged and show what they know instead of always measuring what they don’t know.

I think it’s important that if you use a rubric with young kids to assign positive terms to each number one through 4.

You’re encouraging growth at every age, but it’s especially important in the early grades that your children value practice and progress.

More Homeschool High School Teen Elective Resources

  • 14 Fun and (maybe Frugal) Homeschool High School Electives
  • A to Z List: Middle and High School Homeschool Electives
  • Best High School Homeschool Curriculum Packages (Accredited and Not Accredited)
  • A Homeschool Beginner’s Guide to Figuring Grades and Saving Time
  • 25 Great Homeschool High School Science Curriculum

How to Calculate Homeschool Grades Using Rubrics

Here are a few more terms to describe each 1-to-4 point level; they can be mixed and matched based on the ages of your learners, subject type or project.

  • Needs Improvement, Satisfactory, Good and Well Done
  • Just Beginning, Getting There, Right On and Wow
  • Poor Effort, OK, Great, and Exceptional
  • Novice, Intermediate, Proficient and Distinguished
  • Beginning, Developing, Experienced and Exceptional
  • Beginning, Developing, Accomplished and Exemplary
  • Novice, Approaching, Proficient and Advanced Understanding
  • Not So Much, I Tried a Bit, I Did a Good Job and I Did My Best Ever is a cute one for art by Art Projects for Kids.

One thing I did when my children were teens was to show them my grading record, objectives, and goals. Can you see from that morphs a checklist or rubric?

A Homeschool Beginner’s Guide to Figuring Grades and Saving Time

Whether you use a checklist or orally convey your expectations to your children, I hope this information about figuring grades helps to simplify the process for you.

Look at these other helps.

  • Free Homeschool Community Service Planning Record
  • Helpful Read Aloud Tracking Time Homeschool Form
  • How to Grade a Homeschool Unit Study for an Older Child (& high school assessment)
  • Homeschool High School How To Prepare THE Transcript + Free Editable Transcript
  • Homeschool High School–How to Log Hours for High School?

2 CommentsFiled Under: 2. My FREE Organizing Printables {Any topic}, Be an Exceptional Homeschool Teacher, Begin Homeschooling, Curriculum Planner, Free Homeschool Resources, Gauge Homeschool Progress, Graduate a Homeschooler, Homeschool Planner, Homeschool Simply, Homeschool Teens _ From Teen to Graduation, Homeschooling Tagged With: curriculum planner, freeprintables, grading, homeschool curriculum planner, homeschool grades, homeschoolgrades, homeschoolplanner, middle school, planner

7 Simple Fitness Tips for Busy Homeschooling Moms

April 25, 2019 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Do you have fitness goals you’re struggling to achieve? Have you started that workout plan over for the 7th time this week? Maybe you’re kicking yourself because you’ve let another month’s gym membership go to waste? You are not alone! You’ll love these 7 simple fitness tips for busy homeschooling moms.

Finding time to meet your fitness goals can be a challenge, but you are worth it!

Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor or professional. Just a busy wife and mom who used to be a lot lazier. I’ve run three half marathons, love yoga, running, and paddle boarding. I’m happier when I’m focused on my personal fitness goals, but that’s all the expertise I have. Please speak to your doctor about your plans and goals. These are some ways I’ve been able to meet my own fitness goals and I hope they help you too!

Here are some practical tips to help get your fitness goals off to a fabulous start.

ONE/ Make workouts a priority.

When you think about your family’s schedule, which seems more realistic:

• Early for morning workouts before the day begins.
• Mid-day slump-busting workouts.
• Evening/night-time sessions after the daily grind of the day.

Find your sweet spot. For me, it was waking up early and getting in my runs before the family even woke up.

I’m naturally a morning person and do better knowing I started the day right. I’m also more motivated to make better food choices throughout the day after having busted my tail working out.

Maybe you’re kicking yourself because you’ve let another month’s gym membership go to waste?  You are not alone! You'll love these 7 simple fitness tips for busy homeschooling moms.

TWO/ Start small.

You want your fitness goals to be a challenge, but don’t set yourself up for failure. Set attainable goals that you know you can achieve. Don’t run out and sign your life away to a gym or spend a bunch of money on a subscription to workouts you’ll never use.

Let’s all have a moment of silence for DVDs workouts of years past.

Find a workout plan different than what you’ve tried in the past and just get moving with a simple goal to workout three times a week. For someone who is starting from zero, it’s going to take time getting used to sticking to a workout schedule and prioritizing.

THREE/ Set goals.

Once you have found the workout plan that best fits your needs, set goals. What is the best part of setting a goal and achieving it? The Rewards! Don’t forget to treat yourself when you meet your goal.

What are your fitness goals? Write them down. Take a “before” picture of yourself so you can see your progress off the scale as the weeks progress. You’ll be surprised how much difference you can see in the mirror before the scale even cares about your workouts!

Fitness Tips for Homeschooling Moms

FOUR/ Create a schedule.

You’ve got the plan, commitment, and motivation. Now let’s make it happen!

Sit down with your calendar and pencil in your workouts when you plan to get them in. Each week is different especially if you’re a homeschooling family.

That flexibility of schedule gets too flexible sometimes! Our schedule is often all over the place, so I begin the week by creating a plan with specific times I plan to get to my workout each day.

Saying I plan to workout on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday is all good until Monday comes and I forgot I had to drive to three appointments.

Having a schedule with actual times of the day in the margin helps me so much when carving out time for workouts.


FIVE/ Be accountable to a friend or group.

Find a friend who’s willing to go on this fitness journey with you.

I’m positive I would not have made it through training for my first half marathon if it weren’t for the daily encouragement from a dear friend who shared the same goal. We wanted to run a half marathon; we found a training plan online and trained “together”.

We planned some days for long runs together, but for the most part we encouraged each other by text messages throughout the week, reminding each other to get our miles in.

A little competition never killed anyone. Some days it was a simple screenshot of her run results to motivate me to get off my lazy butt and get my run in too.

You can also find encouragement and accountability through joining a gym, yoga studio, finding a meetup, or event online.

You’d be surprised how many free fitness classes you can find in your area simply by searching through Facebook events. There are also endless options of online fitness programs with active communities.

SIX/ Let go of guilt.

A healthy mom is a happy mom. The time you put in to invest in your health will trickle down to your family in ways you might not expect.

There will be times when focusing on yourself and making your workouts a priority will feel selfish. There will inevitably be a time when you will have to choose your fitness goals over something else.

Don’t let mom guilt get in the way of where you want to go!

SEVEN/ Involve the family.

Do you know a great cure for feeling guilty? Invite the family along!

One of two things will happen. They will turn you down immediately and laugh at your invitation to go running and you will be able to enjoy the time alone guilt free or they will join you and get excited about getting fit too. It happens!

If you’re doing home workouts, the whole family will see you sweating your buns off in the living room. It’s quite the mood booster when my boys are laughing at me trying to work out without dying.

I’ll never forget my Brazil Butt Lift DVD days. Those were comical workouts! Lord, help those boys.

Speaking of home workouts…

Homeschool Fitness Tips

Home workouts vs. Gym memberships or in-person classes.

It’s hard to know what your magic fitness formula will be, but expect some trial and error. In the beginning just focus on the basics: routine, exercise, and healthier habits.

Finding the right workouts will be key! You want to enjoy your workouts and not dread getting out the door or up off the couch to do them.

What works best for you? Working out at home or joining a gym or club? There are pros and cons to both. Play around with each. Most gyms and yoga studios have a visitor and new member specials.

I don’t think I’ve ever been to a yoga studio that didn’t offer some type of first-month rate at an extremely low price.

Home Workouts for Homeschool Families

Pros
• Convenient-You can find just about any workout online. Home workouts can be done at any time of day, any day of the week, so it’s easy to fit them into your schedule.
• Low cost (often free)-there are so many apps and online programs to choose from and many are very inexpensive. Even the most popular of fitness apps don’t compare to in-person memberships.
• You can work out in PJs-you don’t have to get ready or worry about having cute workout clothes.
• Easy for kids to join. (YAY for PE credit!)

Cons
• Easily interrupted-Nothing is more frustrating than carving out the time, getting dressed, or lacing up those shoes only to be interrupted by kids, a phone call, pets, etc. Being home makes it a little more challenging to fully focus on your workouts.
• Low accountability-there are no set times and anyone to motivate you. It’s all on you!
• Less mental break-Some days, pushing the coffee table out of the way and sweating in my living room just isn’t motivating enough.

Gym memberships & in-person classes for Homeschoooling Families

Pros
• Training-This is a big one for me. You get what you pay for. In most cases, membership is going to give you access to the professional training of some kind. Having someone instruct your positions or teach how to properly use equipment makes a huge difference in your work out and your results.

• Accountability
• Firm schedule
• More mental break – change of environment, getting out

Cons
• Must leave kids, often a challenge
• Cost is usually higher
• Time constraint-not only do you have to make class times, but travel time to and from the class adds to the constraint as well.
• Stress hanging over your head when you can’t make it. UGH! I’m guilty of paying for memberships and yoga passes only to let them go to waste. That is a big downer and makes you feel like a failure.

At home or away, you need to find the workouts that are the perfect fit for you! I do best when I mix things up with a little of both worlds.

Homeschool Fitness: Nutrition, Vitamins and Doctors.

I can’t stress enough how it important it is to take care of yourself behind the scenes. Drink the water. Take your vitamins. Get your physicals, mammograms, and annual exams! What’s the point of taking the time to get fit, if we’re not going to get healthy on the inside too?

Deal with anxiety and depression. Those two will really mess up your goals! Don’t be afraid to talk to your doctor about medication if needed.

There is NO shame in that! Your fitness journey will be so much easier with a clear mindset when it comes to your health.

Get to those doctor appointments you’ve been procrastinating and find a healthy meal plan that matches your goals and needs.

Maybe you’re kicking yourself because you’ve let another month’s gym membership go to waste?  You are not alone! You'll love these 7 simple fitness tips for busy homeschooling moms.

What fitness tips would you add to the list?

Let’s make this year count!

You’ll love these other reads:

  • Essential Life Skills – A Homeschooler’s Other Curriculum
  • 100 Easy Ways Kids Can Fight Boredom & Celebrate Childhood
  • How to Survive Homeschool Sick Days
  • How to Cope Successfully With Homeschool Mental Stress
  • 3 Ways to Instantly Gain More Time in Your Homeschool Day
  • 3 Foolproof Ways I Cope When I Can’t Homeschool (or Blog)
  • 10 Biggest Homeschool Burnout Triggers (and how to cope)

2 CommentsFiled Under: Be an Exceptional Homeschool Teacher, Begin Homeschooling, Gauge Homeschool Progress, Homeschool Simply Tagged With: fitness, healthy mom, homeschool challenges, homeschool crisis, homeschool joy, homeschool joys, homeschool lifestyle, homeschool stress

How to Determine an EZ Homeschool Grading System

March 25, 2019 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Are grading systems really necessary for homeschool families? How can you accurately demonstrate progress and comprehension without using grades? How do you determine a homeschool grading system?

Let’s take a look at some alternatives to the standard letter grading systems used in traditional schools.

Age and ability obviously can make a difference and factor into our homeschool evaluations. For that reason, these ideas are categorized by age level.

Early Years Homeschool Grading System

When talking to homeschool moms, the consensus on grades for the early years is — no grades at all! It’s not really necessary for the littlest learners to be graded on any kind of formal scale.

The most important thing to keep in mind during the early years is to instill that love of learning, encourage curiosity, and cover the basics.

Ideas for tracking progress include:

  • Use tests when necessary, but only as a means to see areas that need work, not as a measurement of success or failure
  • Review work, such as math and spelling, until they achieve mastery
  • Incentives such as stickers earned or recording number of books read in a reading log

Grade System for Homeschooling Middle Years

Many homeschool families use these middle years as a time of transition to more independent work for their kids so they begin using a grading system as a means of feedback.

Ideas for tracking progress include:

  • 4 point rubric (satisfactory, needs improvement, unsatisfactory, excellent)
  • Percentage points grading scale, especially for spelling and math
  • No grades, but reviewing and correcting work until it is 100% understood and accurate

Look here at Step 5b. Choose MORE Unique Forms JUST for You on my 7 Step Homeschool Planner to find my free grading charts and grading keepers.

High School Years: Homeschool Grades Matter

Whether your child is choosing a career or college track can make a difference in the grading system for the high school years.

If you’re preparing a transcript for college admission, sometimes standard grades are the only choice.

Most of the ideas that work for the middle years also work in the high school years, so bear that in mind.

There are a few others that can be used as your kids demonstrate their maturity and ability to handle the responsibility.

How to Determine an EZ Homeschool Grading System. Are grading systems really necessary for homeschool families? How can you accurately demonstrate progress and comprehension without using grades? How do you determine a homeschool grading system?

Ideas for tracking progress include:

  • Allow the teen to grade themselves so they take responsibility for their education and their work
  • Take online courses with built-in review and grading
  • Standardized tests such as the ACT and SAT

Of course, it’s perfectly acceptable to enjoy the freedom of homeschooling and forgo any kind of grading system.

Once again, it’s always best to do what works for your family and what is required by the state you live in.

You’ll love these other tips

  • How to Grade Hands-on Homeschool Activities and Projects (Free Rubric for Grading)
  • How to Grade a Homeschool Unit Study for an Older Child (& high school assessment)
  • Should we Give Grades to Our Middle and High School Homeschooled Kids?
  • 3 Risks of Not Tracking Your Homeschool Lessons (Even If They’re Laid-Out).
  • Wipe Out Self-Doubt: 13 Ways to Show Homeschool Progress (And How I Know My Sons Got It).

Hugs and love ya,

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Be an Exceptional Homeschool Teacher, Gauge Homeschool Progress, Homeschool Simply Tagged With: gradelevels, grading, homeschool grades

Essential Life Skills – A Homeschooler’s Other Curriculum

March 2, 2019 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

More and more parents these days are dropping their kids off at the front door of public school and are expecting teachers to do it all — teach the three Rs and life skills necessary for kids to live as functioning adults in society. As homeschoolers we have an advantage; we know that essential life skills are a crucial part of our curriculum.

With the growing concept of adulting – when young adults are learning life skills for the first time as they move out on their own – it would seem that the formula public school tends to use which is an academic approach isn’t working. And homeschoolers aren’t immune to this problem.

Essential Life Skills a Homeschoolers Other Curriculum @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

No matter in what form they educate their children, parents who try to do and be all things for their kids are doing them a great disservice. Additionally, if parents are trusting (aka hoping) that life skills will be caught, rather than taught that only seems to work out when they pick up something we don’t want them to, right?

As homeschooling families we have not only the privilege, but the responsibility to teach our kids these all-important life skill sets that make for a well-rounded and capable grown-up.

Too, we all know that skills taught like this should begin early. I focus on the teen part of life in this article because really it’s the time to maximize what we’ve been teaching them all throughout the years.

From the mouths of homeschoolin’ mommas who have been traditionally schooled comes this list of skills they didn’t learn in school. The teen years are a great time to make sure your kiddo gets these skills down while still living under your roof. And even if they’re in high school, it’s never too late for a crash course.

And they will thank you for it down the road!

And if you’re looking for curriculum to help you teach life skills, you’ll love Skill Trekker. There are 500+ skills (and counting) in the program.

Domestic Life Skills for Homeschooled Kids

  • basic cooking and cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming, grocery shopping (online and in real life)
  • how to sort laundry properly
  • basic and advance home maintenance
  • basics of human anatomy and well-being
  • how to access home services
  • how to garden or at least grow and care for one plant
  • how to care for pets, their health and animal CPR
  • how to sew is not a lost skill about homeschoolers and basic alterations
  • how tos of basic couponing
  • how to change a diaper
  • lawn maintenance
  • simple electrical and plumbing know how
  • how to menu plan

Auto Care Skills for Homeschooled Kids

  • how to buy a car and basic car care (oil and filter changes, how to check oil, change a tire, etc)
  • determining the value of a car using the Kelley Blue Book
  • how to keep an auto compliant with local law
  • how to pump gas

Workplace Skills For Homeschooled Kids

  • learn how to fill out a job application
  • learn how to prepare a resume
  • prepare for a job interview
  • understand how to work with others in a workplace environment
  • how to be on time for a job

Small business management, which is so relevant to many of today’s entrepreneurial homeschoolers, was and still is often reserved for college, or at least specialized trade school programs.

Your entrepreneurial kids may enjoy the boxes from Boss Club which teach kids how to be entrepreneurs. You can click on the picture below to see how they build skills for helping your kids.

Health Care Skills for Homeschooled Kids

  • basic hygiene
  • understand how to take care of their basic health
  • understand differences in how food is grown or processed
  • how to give consent for procedures
  • CPR and basic first aid
  • understand how to use medicine versus natural remedies
  • how to notice and be caring when others have special needs like dementia, seizures, or panic attacks
  • how to give basic elder care

Financial Education for Homeschooled Kids

Last, but certainly not least, many homeschool moms failed to receive an adequate, or sometimes any, financial education while in school.

  • how to handle and maintain a checking account how to prepare and file taxes
  • how to create and stick to a budget
  • how credit works
  • the basics of a mortgage and how it works
  • value of saving and preparing for retirement
  • how to apply for insurance and discern what’s necessary

So there you have it, skills that haven’t been taught in school in the past, and most likely aren’t today.

As homeschoolers we have an advantage; we know that essential life skills are a crucial part of our curriculum. Click here to grab this list!

These aren’t fluff topics; these are concepts and abilities that will enable your teen to be a fully functioning adult and even perhaps put him ahead of many of his peers.

Don’t make your teen fumble with adulting when you can arm him with these basic essentials!

You’ll also love these other tips:

  • A to Z List: Middle and High School Homeschool Electives
  • When It’s Your Fault that Your Homeschooled Kids Don’t Do Chores
  • Successful Entrepreneur-3 Best Homeschooled Teen Resources
  • 14 Fun and (maybe Frugal) Homeschool High School Electives
  • 45 Ways to Define Homeschool Curriculum – Is Your Definition Holding You Back?

Hugs and love ya

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Build Character in Homeschooled Kids, Gauge Homeschool Progress, Graduate a Homeschooler, Homeschool Boys, Homeschool Multiple Ages of Children, Homeschool Simply, Homeschool Teens _ From Teen to Graduation, How To - - -, Teach/Which Subjects to Teach/Cover EVERYTHING Tagged With: homeschool challenges, homeschool lifestyle, homeschoolcurriculum, homeschoolhighschool, life skills, middleschool, teens

Screen-Free Educational Activities for Kids Who Love Video Games

January 31, 2019 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Do your kids love playing video games?

Most parents seem to shudder at the thought of video games and screen-time, but I’ll be honest and say that setting limits in this area wasn’t my strong suit in parenting.

How to get your gamers interested in other subjects or activities! You’ll love the SOLUTIONS. CLICK here to grab these tips for Screen-Free Educational Activities for Kids Who Love Video Games

My boys are gamers.

Compared to most standards, I was always lenient about screen time with my kids. Of course, I’ve done my fair share of harping about it, but for the most part I never won the battle. (For the record, I also never really fought that hard.)

Everyone says to pick and choose your battles, and video games weren’t on the list of battles I chose. If they weren’t playing anything inappropriate, I was okay with them.  

Video games have always been something my boys enjoyed doing together, and with six years between them, those opportunities were few and far between. Even with an age gap, they both enjoy some of the same games and they’ve done a lot of bonding over video games throughout the years.

Ironically, my oldest is now a full-time college student majoring in Computer Science with a goal to enter the master’s program for Interpretive Entertainment. That’s a fancy name for video games.

In the end, I guess all the games I let them play weren’t so bad.

Even though I failed the screen-time thing, I have spent my fair share of time aggravated that I couldn’t get them interested in other things. It’s hard to compete with technology!

How do you get your gamers interested in other subjects or activities?

Screen-Free Educational Activities

Art for Kids Who Love Gaming

Video game characters (and their artists) have sparked interest in both of kids over the years. My kids didn’t just have favorite characters, they had favorite artists. Still do! Just like we throw around celebrity names-my boys toss around the names of artists and game designers like it’s common knowledge.

Although, I never recognize any of the names, there’s an entire industry and market of people who would know exactly who they’re talking about. That’s awesome!

  • Design a video game character. 
  • Take an online digital art class. 
  • Design the setting for a video game.
  • Look for drawing classes in your community.
  • Visit museums, colleges, or universities with exhibits of digital artwork.
  • Learn to draw anime

Reading for Kids Who Love Gaming

Good news!

If your kids are playing video games, chances are-they’re reading!

When my kids were little, I was always shocked by the amount of reading they’d have to do to get through the game. Thank goodness for all that reading/

My boys loved games like Pokémon, Animal Crossing, and Mario Party. Getting around in any of those worlds required a novel’s worth of conversation between characters. I remember my youngest learned some mad counting skills from counting all his coins while playing Mario Party ten years ago.

Obviously, our kids can’t sit in front of the screen all day, but these were some positive take-aways from allowing them to play. Luckily, video game companies like to make money in other markets too and I was always able to find books based on the games they loved growing up.

The way I see it, words on a page + my kid’s willingness to read them = happy mom.

Books for Kids Who Love Video Games

  • Pokémon books by Scholastic
  • Vintage Mario Bros. comic books
  • Minecraft Modding For Kids
  • Strategy guides
  • Coding projects
  • Game On! 2019: All the Best Games: Awesome Facts and Coolest Secrets

Writing for Kids Who Love Video Games

Write a game review.

Let others know why you think your favorite game is so awesome.

Sometimes it’s even more fun to write about what we don’t like! Write a review of your least favorite game! Be the critic. What you would change? How would you improve the game experience?

Write a story for a game.

Guess what video games have?

  • Plot
  • Setting
  • Theme
  • Characters
  • Conflict
  • Point of View
  • Symbolism.

What a great way to teach the aspects of writing needed for a great story! I’m not sure if we realize how much we can incorporate the things our kids love to inspire them to do the things the things they think they hate.

Next time your kid is going on and on about his game, have him write down some of the things he loves most about it and use those ideas and momentum to spark his next writing assignment.

Career Research for Homeschooled Kids

Who knew you could grow up and play video games for a living? It’s true! Do a research project on the types of careers available to someone in the gaming industry.

How much do they make?

What would your kid love about these jobs?

What colleges and universities have programs in these fields?

The career research in this field will lead you and your gamer down one fun rabbit trail! You’d be shocked to see some of the annual salaries reported for these jobs.

  • Lead designer
  • Programmer
  • Animator
  • Artist
  • Software engineer
  • Software Developer
  • Game Writer

This book, The Art of Game Design is a great read full of information for anyone wanting to get started in game design!

How to get your gamers interested in other subjects or activities! You’ll love the SOLUTIONS. CLICK here to grab these tips for Screen-Free Educational Activities for Kids Who Love Video Games

Other screen-free activities gamers love:

  • Puzzles
  • Build a bird feeder.
  • Learn to play chess.
  • Strategic board games such as Risk and Battleship
  • Lego
  • Gundam figures
  • Sculpt figures out of clay.
  • The Unofficial Minecraft STEM Lab for Kids

You’ll love these other activities:

  • Winter Nature Craft: How to Make Easy DIY Bird Feeders
  • 100 Brilliant STEM Activities Using Everyday Items
  • Amazing Hands-on History Activities for 14 Ancient Empires (free notebook cover too)
  • 21 Hands-On Math Activities for Elementary and Middle School
  • Ultimate Guide to Learning Activities in a Jar or Bottle
  • 100 Easy Ways Kids Can Fight Boredom & Celebrate Childhood

What screen-free educational activities would you add to the list?

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Be an Exceptional Homeschool Teacher, Build Character in Homeschooled Kids, Gauge Homeschool Progress, Graduate a Homeschooler, Homeschool Boys, Homeschool Multiple Ages of Children, Homeschool Simply, Homeschool Teens _ From Teen to Graduation, Uncategorized Tagged With: coding, screen-free

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