High School Homeschool Curriculum for the Large Family

Large family homeschooling high school curriculum ideas from a mom of 10. These are actual products we have used in our homeschool.

This year, I have 2 high schoolers – both boys, aged 14 & 16. While the 16 year old is well into his high school career, I am using this year to transition our 14 year old into learning how to take on the workload of high school. He is not a fast reader like the 2 brothers on either side of him, so it’s been a difficult transition because in our high school there is a lot of reading. That said, when I’ve had children who struggle more with reading, I have used audiobooks to help them along, and I imagine as this year progresses that will be a good way to get him up to speed.

It is imperative that your high schoolers be working on their own by this point, so if they are not, read through this post to help you lead them toward independent learning:

READ >> Independent Learning – Teaching Kids to Homeschool Themselves

OK, let’s start at the top of the day…

Morning Time for High Schoolers in a Large Family

Our Morning Time has always been done first thing in the morning with everyone altogether, and I tend to “teach to the middle,” meaning I choose curriculum, topics, and information that are most relevant to the child or children who are in middle of the ages I am currently teaching. From there, I extend lessons, by assigning literature and videos to the older grades.

In order to do this more effectively, I will often have lunch with my older students where we can do the deeper-dive discussion questions from Tapestry of Grace or watch a History Channel documentary that might not be super engaging for the younger crowd. I have come to relish this special time with my high schoolers!

READ >> Morning Time with Multiple Ages

By the way, if you are unfamiliar with the concept of Morning Time, let me begin by explaining that Morning Time can be ANYTHING you want it to be. You can use the time to do something simple like Bible and a Read Aloud (Read >> Making Morning Time Easy) or buy a full-blown Charlotte Mason Morning Time curriculum like:

• Morning Virtues from Gentle + Classical.

In our homeschool, we start with Bible (more on this in a moment). After Bible, we do History and Geography lessons from Tapestry of Grace, with lots of extras mixed in from Music in Our Homeschool and You ARE An Artist.

To learn more about how we use Tapestry of Grace, visit THIS PAGE:

NOTE: To use TOG the way we do, you will need Integrated Tapestry of Grace.

Rather than get into the details in this post of how we put all of this together, I have a post where I share exactly what our Morning Time currently looks like, so you can get an idea of how I incorporate all of these curricula into one Morning Time setting!

READ >> What Our Homeschool Morning Time Currently Looks Like

However, I will share each of these components one by one below:

Bible Study for High School Homeschoolers

If you are looking for a Bible Study for your middle schoolers and high schoolers that can be done together and separately, I high recommend the studies from Not Consumed. Below you’ll find a more in-depth discussion of these studies.

READ >> Not Consumed Bible Studies Review

Last year, we read through The Child’s Story Bible because we were studying Year 1 of Tapestry of Grace that begins with Creation and goes through the Resurrection. I mention it here because it really sets the stage for all other Bible study and I really love homeschooling with this book – even in the high school years!

And remember, our Morning Time consists of “teaching to the middle and expanding to the edges,” so for Morning Time with everyone – including the high schoolers – we are doing Training Hearts, Teaching Minds by Starr Meade.

The children bring their Bibles to Morning Time and I read 2-3 of the devotionals (they are very short!) and assign the Bible verses for them to read aloud. We often take the time discuss the concepts further, so they are really understanding what we are reading.

At this age, they are also expected to read their Bibles on their own. Our high schoolers are currently reading in the Prophets.

History for the Large Family Homeschool

I have always preferred to do History as a group and in chronological order. Thanks to Tapestry of Grace, this has been possible for many, many years because it teaches history chronologically to all ages at their own level. I have tried other curricula over the years, and nothing compares to TOG for a robust education!

You can see it in action if you read my Large Family Homeschool Life posts!

Science for High School

Last year, we tried something new with our high schooler because he was simply not enjoying Science, and I wondered if we needed something a little more interactive. I had a friend who had used Guest Hollow Science with her older kids and liked it, so that’s what we switched to toward the end of last year.

Our 16 year old is about halfway through Biology and our 14 year old join him there once he’s finished reading Joy Hakim’s The Story of Science.

NOTE: This is NOT from a Creationist viewpoint, but by this age my children have been steeped in Creation Science, so I’m willing to let them venture out a bit.

Homeschool High School Government

If you are looking for a very hands-on approach to teaching Government, I highly recommend sending your child to TeenPact.  This DOES count as a Government class and I also use it to teach essay writing.  For those of you unfamiliar with TeenPact, it is a predominantly homeschooled “camp,” hosted near your state’s capital that has your child learning to present bills, use parliamentary procedure, understand what it means to be a Christian statesman in this day and age, and look at politics and government from a biblical worldview.  

For many years, this is how we taught Government (a required class in our state), but when our state decided to start making it a camp where the families were unable to attend the evening activities with the kids, we decided to go another route.

Tapestry of Grace has a very in-depth Government portion, so we are using it as a guideline to teach this class to our high schoolers.

English and Composition for Homeschooled High Schoolers

Until late jr. high – early high school, writing is fun!  We write stories, notebook, make posters, keep diaries, etc.  All of this carries on into high school as well.

In high school, we transition to learning what it will take to make it in college and communicate effectively as an adult.  This boils down to three different types writing assignments – essays, research papers (essays on steroids!), and reflection papers (something I added after realizing how many of these my college-aged kids were being required to write!).

While I have yet to find a writing program I absolutely love, my degree is in English, so this isn’t a difficult task for me to take on by myself. 

One resource I will mention that has been phenomenal is Grammar for Writers from Compass Classroom:

This class helps with mechanics of writing well, and the professor for the class is quite engaging.

Fine Arts for High School Homeschoolers

I really like to supplement Morning Time lessons with Music in Our Homeschool! These music-based lessons are so wonderful and so easy to use. Everything is online and works well with a variety of ages. And there are so many topics to choose from!

They also have classes that follow chronological history, so this year, we will be using the Music Appreciation that goes along with the Middle Ages:

We will also end up doing the Shakespeare class as well (my older kids LOVED this class when we did it last time!)

Read my review here:

These 2 classes are really just the tip of the iceberg! Take a look at the website and start dreaming up ways to incorporate music into YOUR homeschool! So easy!

Art for High Schoolers

Once or twice a month, we do art projects during Morning Time as a family. I usually do this toward the end of Morning Time and usually on a Thursday (the last day of the week we homeschool since we do a 4 Day a Week Homeschool Schedule).

My philosophy on art in homeschooling is that it needs to be:

1. Simple with few supplies.
2. Integrates with what we are already learning.
3. Something I can do with the entire family.

Many of our art lessons come from You ARE An Artist chalk art lessons. Chalk is a very forgiving medium and everyone can participate

READ >> You ARE An Artist Clubhouse Review

But, this year, several of my children asked if they could do some watercolor and I wanted to work on my watercolor skills as well, and I had the perfect class for it! Back in 2020 during COVID, I had grandiose plans to learn to watercolor in all my spare time, but didn’t get very far. I purchased the lifetime Watercolor School membership to Lily & Thistle and bought the supplies and that was as far as I got.

But, this year we are going to use it as our homeschool art and I am so excited! Our plan is to start with Modern Watercolor Basics and then this Fall go to the Autumn Watercolor Bundle.

Independent Schoolwork

Once Morning Time is finished, I send everyone off to do their independent school work; however, I have found that my high schoolers actually like to get up early and start their work before Morning Time, so it doesn’t drag on much into the afternoon.

By high school, my kids are working completely on their own. I simply check in on their work periodically to make sure they are still on track.

Individual work for this age includes Individual Bible Study, Math, Literature assignments from Tapestry of Grace, and Electives to round our their high school education. Some of them also continue with Piano or Guitar lessons.

Scheduling Your High Schooler’s Homeschool Day

Before I get into the specifics of my high schooler’s individual school work, I would highly recommend you get my ecourse Creating a Homeschool Schedule You Love! This ecourse will help you put your entire homeschool day on autopilot, including your children’s individual school subjects. GET IT HERE >>

Homeschool Math for High Schoolers

We use Teaching Textbooks for 3rd grade math and above. My high schoolers generally take Algebra I & II and Geometry from TT; however, I have also supplemented with Khan Academy when it seems like they just aren’t getting it.

Math is not a strong subject for me, so I am of the mindset that you have to do what works for you, and that may mean trying several different products and sites, and even getting help from tutors (which Teaching Textbooks has – see my review below!).

READ >> Teaching Textbooks 4.0 Review

I also believe ALL high schoolers need to take Consumer or Business Math in some form. A recent poll showed that college graduates say they wish they had been taught LIFE SKILLS – things like balancing a checkbook and figuring taxes. Consumer Math covers things like this and is incredibly important for high schoolers to know before graduating from your homeschool.

I tried a free online Consumer Math, but it just wasn’t working very well. Then, I purchased Abeka’s Consumer Math textbook, but it was incredibly outdated. Needless to say, I was super excited when Not Consumed released their Consumer Math! Hooray! Something relevant and affordable!

So…my 14 year old just started Geometry (yes, he’s ahead in Math), and once my 16 year old finishes his Geometry, he will be taking this class.

Electives for High Schoolers

When I work out my high schooler’s academic plan, I start with our state requirements, and then add in things that reflect their interests and aptitudes, but I also consider what I believe they need to know before venturing out on their own.

Our boys have done a lot of Computer classes, from Graphic Design to Video Editing to Coding, so this year, we’ll be focusing more on things *I* think are important to be a well-rounded individual.

Our 14 year old is taking Typing from Typesy. I feel it is important for my kids to leave high school knowing how to type.

My 16 year old is taking Economics because everyone ought to know how the economy works and how our finances fit into that puzzle. The class we prefer for this is Economics for Everybody from Compass Classroom.

READ >> How We Teach Homeschool Economics

Other posts on homeschooling high school:

• Homeschooling High School in a Large Family
• A Simple Plan for Homeschool Graduation Requirements
• Preparing Your Homeschooled Child for College (even if they don’t go!)

Also listen to this podcast:

You can find all of our Homeschool Curriculum Choices HERE >>