Homeschooling to College - It's Not that Hard!




Are you thinking about homeschooling high school and college, too?
Going from homeschool to college is really not that hard! Really! I thought that it would be, at first, too.

When my daughter was starting high school, I wondered how we would deal with college, too. Would she have a harder time getting into college as a homeschooler?

Would that involve a lot of extra work on my part?

But when I helped her apply, I found the colleges to be much more approachable and homeschool friendly than I thought they would be.
And I worried A LOT more than I needed to.
I’d like to share 6 key points for planning to go from homeschool to college, including....................Click here to read the rest of this article and be encouraged.
Good news: Our ebook will become downloadable starting on January 20th. Tell your friends.

After helping my homeschooled high schooler get into each of the colleges she applied to, I wrote this guide below.

To share our most important tips on getting into college. It's on Amazon, and now also is available as an Audio book.
What are people saying about it?

"This book guides the reader step by step through the maze of requirements for college AND gives the gift of comparing requirements for various types of colleges. I am beyond grateful for this book." Hannah, a homeschool mom

Plus a certified college counselor, Lessa, wrote:  

"Betsy has a wealth of understanding and knowledge to share with the parents of college bound homeschoolers.  She provides support, encouragement and step-by-step advice on all aspects of the homeschool high school and college application process.."

I invite you to take a look at our book on Amazon. 

Would you like to get a free download of a Chapter of our book? 


Our First Chapter 
FREEBIE 

Thanks for stopping by BJ's Homeschool,


 Betsy

Betsy is mom to her college grad whom she homeschooled from preK through high school.  She blogs at BJ's Homeschool about the early years, high school, college, and is the author of "Homeschooling High School with College in Mind".  She offers homeschool help through messages at BJ's Consulting.

What to stay in touch?



This post was shared on my favorite link-ups here.
Copyright 2026 @ BJ's Homeschool

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Top Picks for Aiming Towards College -




Summary and Note - Our frugal homeschool high school curriculum choices for science, math, English, social studies and more.  This post may included affiliate links to products that we love and have used or would use in our  own homeschool. Please see my disclosure policy.
Early spring is my favorite time of year.  I especially love how things are still slowed down at this time in our home.  
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The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling High School



 This post may included affiliate links to products that we love and have used or would use in our  own homeschool. Please see my disclosure policy.
Are you thinking about homeschooling your teens through high school?

Or are you already doing that at your house?

I am delighted to be given the opportunity to put together an ultimate guide for you, all about homeschooling high school.  Besides preschool, being home with my daughter through the high school years was my most favorite time in our homeschool.  Not that it was all rainbows and roses, but it was so worth it!

101 Reasons to Homeschool High School
Homeschooling our teens gives us so many benefits, not the least of which is how it builds up family relationships.  

It also gives us a chance to be there, side by side, which our teens are reaching out, exploring the world as almost young adults, and beginning to find their own paths.

Homeschooling high school is so much easier with all the resources that we now have on the web!

All it takes is an understanding of the special requirements of high school, such as making transcripts, doing regular record keeping, and figuring out how to assign our teens their high school credit.
Once the particulars are figured out, then it is all about encouraging our teens, choosing their curricula with them, and helping them get going with their studies, which is what we homeschoolers are already so familiar
with.

So today, let's start with the particulars, including: planning, record keeping, assigning credits, choosing curricula, and making homeschool transcripts.

The nitty gritty of high school.

Then we are free to look at the fun of the high school years, by discussing things like;
 - making our own courses
- doing high school electives
- and celebrating graduations.

Then, at the end of this guide, I saved space for encouragement for us mamas, and also some for our teens, as they work to develop their self esteem.

And for those who have college bound teens, the last section of this guide is for you.

So let's get started with some tips for planning, from myself and many other veteran homeschool moms with tons of experience in the high school years.


1.  PLANNING to HOMESCHOOLING HIGH SCHOOL


Knowing a few key tips will make your high school planning easy!  Here are a number of posts that will help you in your planning.

 4 Steps to Planning High School at Home
Abundant Life Archives/ 10 Day Series on High School  by Marianne, mom to 7 teens with dyslexia

Curriculum Choice High School Board  by Curriculum Choice Authors

Homeschooling High School with Confidence by BJ's Homeschool

My book - Homeschooling High School with College in Mind - is great for planning and includes 13 planning printables, to make it easy,
Next, let's talk about record keeping and high school credits....


2.  RECORD KEEPING AND HIGH SCHOOL CREDITS


3 Ways to High School Credit
3 Ways to High School Credit.

In high school, recording those activities is important, as they then become high school credits.

It is not hard to do!  There are 3 SIMPLE ways to assign high school credit.

How to Tackle Grading by Heidi

How a Homeschool Mom Grades a High School Essay by Tina

How to Prepare Your Student for College Writing - by Betsy, in my book Homeschooling High School with College in Mind below.  Now let's look at resources for choosing curricula...



3.  CHOOSING YOUR HOMESCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM
BJ's Curriculum Choices for High School 
BJ's Frugal Choices for High School Curriculum

101 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum by Annie Kate

Choosing High School Curriculum - High School Resources - Curriculum Choice a

High School Homeschool Video Courses
by Tricia

Geography Resources 
by Heidi

Of course, there are those transcripts to make, but doing that doesn't have to be daunting.....and here is some help for doing them... 


4.  HOMESCHOOL TRANSCRIPTS
BJ's Guide to Transcripts 
BJ's Guide to Transcripts 
by BJ's Homeschool
Including guidelines from HSLDA
website

Now that we've talked about the important details for planning high school at home, let's look at some of the fun things that can be a part of it too, for sure.  Another great option for high school courses is to make some of your own!


 5.  MAKING YOUR OWN HOMEMADE COURSES


One of the most fun memories I have are when we created our own homemade courses.

Making your own High School
English Course
Making your own High School English Course

Have you seen all the resources from 7 Sisters Homeschool?  They offer frugal NO busywork ebook curricula from 20 + veteran homeschool moms.

 They have high school courses in 
English
History
High School Electives 
Career Exploration
Health
Consumer Math
Literature Guides, and more.


 Do you have a teen who is interested in art?  Or one who just wants to try their hand at it for an elective?

"Video Art Course -
Semester 2."  

 Tricia Hodges, a veteran homeschooler also, at You Are An Artist, offers a large variety of art courses, taught by a professional artist, including video courses as well.  

 This year, she has released two semester long courses, perfect for an art elective.

Most colleges require a fine arts credit, and here's an easy way to get that done, while having lots of fun, too!
Last year, she released two semester long courses, perfect for an art elective. 

She also offers Semester 1 set up for fall subjects, like autumn leaves, holiday scenes, etc, plus lots of art books, on a variety of subjects, like historical sites, etc.

Now that we are talking about art, that leads right into looking at more high school electives....


7.    HIGH SCHOOL ELECTIVES


Homeschool High School Creatively -
 100 Electives 
Homeschool High School Creatively - with Electives (100 Electives List)


Photography As A High School Elective by Heidi

Homeschooling a Horse Lover by Cindy

High School Electives and College by Betsy - Included in my book -



But what does high school really look like at home?


8.  A DAY IN THE LIFE - HIGH SCHOOL


High School Homeschool Parent Teacher Conference by Tricia

The Usual Hayhem by Middle Way Mom

A Day In the Life at Hodgepodge by Tricia

A Day in the Life by Shelly, family of 9 kiddos




Awe, the fun of looking back on  my daughter's senior year, and all the fun of watching her graduate at our state homeschool graduation ceremony.

Below is more on that, and also a bunch of ideas for ways to mark this important milestone in your high schooler's life.


9.  CELEBRATING GRADUATION


10.  ENCOURAGEMENT




What about college?  Can your homeschool grad go to college?  Yes, of course!


11.  THE COLLEGE OPTION 


Do you have a teen who is thinking about college?

I did and you probably know that mine is in college now.

Boy, did I worry way too much about that, when she was in high school.  But I needn't have!

The colleges are getting more homeschool friendly each year.  That is the trend.



Here's more about our story, going from homeschool to college, with updates from my daughter's college experiences there.

 How First Quarter Went at College  What was is really like?

The Scoop on Earning AP Credit in High School by Heidi

Homeschooling High School with College in Mind - Review by Heidi 


Have you seen our book yet?



eBook is on SALE


Create your own unique and nurturing high school program for your teen and help them get into college, if that is where they are headed. 
 
"This book provides support, encouragement and step-by-step advice on all aspects of the homeschool high school and college application process, if your teen is heading there."

"Betsy has a wealth of understanding and knowledge to share with the parents of college bound homeschoolers."


Thanks for stopping by BJ's Homeschool,


 Betsy

Betsy is mom to her college grad whom she homeschooled through high school.  She blogs at BJ's Homeschool about the early years, high school, college and she offers homeschool help through messages at BJ's Consulting.


What to stay in touch?





 Copyright 2019 @ BJ's Homeschool
Updated 2025
 All Right's Reserved
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9 Playful Ways to a Mature Grasp



Summary:  How to help your child develop a comfortable mature grasp of their pencil for handwriting.  Tips for the homeschool mom for teaching homeschool handwriting skills to their children and help for those who struggle with grasp, based on my O.T. background.  Games and fun approaches to handwriting.



Does your child struggle with handwriting?  Do they hold their pencil with their whole hand, or tend to hold it in an awkward manner?  
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Our Favorite Frugal Homeschool High School English Curriculum



#highschooliterature,#highschoolhomeschoolcurrriculum. Some affiliate links may be included.  Please see my disclosure policy.


Are you looking for a quality homeschool high school English course for your teen?  Or would you prefer to put your own course together, with the help of a well put together literature guide or two?

How about having a choice of more than 40 frugal homeschool high school literature guides?  7 Sisters Homeschool offers both, plus great courses to help your teen develop strong writing skills as well.

We started off using Oak Meadow for our homeschool high school English until we found 7 Sisters Homeschool.

Oak Meadow offered lots of courses in literature and composition for high schoolers, which were well out together.  They taught literary analysis as well.  Here is a review of Oak Meadow English.  We used Oak Meadow for a few years until we found 7 Sisters Homeschool.

When we found 7 Sisters English, we were pleasantly surprised.  It also was well put together, but was way more frugal.  And we liked that it was written by homeschool moms.

7 Sisters Homeschool offers a variety of frugal PDF high school curriculum, with a focus on English studies.

 It is written by veteran homeschool moms who developed their own courses for high schoolers in their own co-op.  So all of their resources and courses are tried and true.

The 7 Sisters approach is based on over 20 years of homeschooling.

These veteran homeschool authors know how to capture a student's interest and then lead them into a solid study of literature all while avoiding any busywork.

And they offer English resources in a variety of ways, such as year long courses, or Literature Guides for just one particular novel that your teen wants to read. 

Here's the super frugal way to make your own English course for your teen. 


Let's take a look at their frugal homeschool high school Literature Guides. 


------Lit Guides: Chronicles of Narnia 

They offer over 40 of them, frugally priced, including:
  • A Separate Peace
  • A Raisin in the Sun
  • The Scarlet Letter
  • To Kill A Mockingbird
  • The Hobbit
  • British Poetry Selections
  • A Tale of Two Cities
  • Joni
  • Anne of Green Gables
  • Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats
  • The Invisible Man
  • The Three Musketeers and more.

The Chronicles of Narnia Lit Guides is a complete set of literature guides, for digging in completely to all of CS Lewis' beloved chronicles. 

Choose the lit guides for your teen wants based on their interests and create your own English course from that. Click Literature Guides to reach all of them.  

 Add in one of their writing courses, below, if your teen could use some guidance with their writing skills. Or, are you looking for a complete year long course in Literature?   7 Sisters offer those, too.


My friends at 7 Sisters Homeschool put together frugal year long homeschool English courses, for grades 9 through 12, including:
  • Cinema Studies for Literature Studies and Composition
  • American Literature
  • British Literature
  • World and Ancient Literature
  • And more
What a nice variety of English courses to choose from! Picking between them can be so fun for you and your teen together. Imagine using movies to learn literature composition!


To reach any of these PDF courses, click Complete Year Long 7 Sisters English Courses.

Each course includes approximately 5 - 8 novels to read and analyze, with guides to help you and your teen for each lit book. Below is a description of one of these courses, to give you an idea of what's included.

American Literature

The American Literature course consists of a 125 page downloadable ebook text, which is a complete college prep one year course, centered around nine classics.

 Students usually read one book a month and then work through the corresponding study guide included in the course.

There is also a table to refer to, that helps you to adjust the course so that students can earn extra advanced credit or honors if desired.

Each of these courses is helpful for teaching your teen literary analysis, which was crucial to my 2e daughter developing her critical thinking skills, for college readiness.



OR are you looking for a stand alone writing course for your teen? Here at 7 Sisters, you have lots of choices.



7 Sisters Homeschool offers essay writing courses at 3 levels:

- Introduction to Essay Writing
- Intermediate
- Advanced. 

Each writing course is frugal, at less than $12.00. There is also a bundle option, if you like.

They also have one for senior year and another one for writing research papers.

If you teen is headed to college, 7 Sisters even has a course for writing the college essay. 

Do you have a reluctant writer in your house?

7 Sisters also has help for teens who are reluctant to write, or prefer creative writing to essay writing.  I invite you to check out the Short Story Writing - Family Narrative

For more info, just click here: Writing Courses from 7 Sisters.

Do you have a teen who is headed to college, or just thinking about that option?

Have you seen my book yet for homeschoolers called Homeschooling High School with College in Mind, 2nd Edition?
 
Google made us a Review:

"Homeschooling High School with College in Mind, is a well-laid-out how-to guide for setting up a high school homeschool so teens wind up having knowledge and skills that colleges expect in their students."

Coming: January 20th, our ebook will become downloadable, as a PDF.

The price of our PDF book will be $5.99, compared to our paperback, which was recently raised due to papaerback printing costs.

That way, you could get all our best tips for high school and getting into college if your teen is headed that way, as a PDF, saving you money compared with our paperback.

I invite you to click AMAZON for more information if you like.



Thanks for stopping by BJ's Homeschool,
Betsy


Betsy is mom to her now college grad, whom she homeschooled through high school.  She blogs at BJ's Homeschool, about the early years, highschool, 
college, gifted/2e and wrote -Homeschooling High School with College in Mind, 2nd Edition,   She offers homeschool help through messages at BJ's Consulting,  and has had some of her articles picked up by the Huffington Post.
Want to stay in touch?

No spam ever.  
Just encouragement for your homeschool 
in your inbox.

All Rights Reserved
Copyright, Updated 2026

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Homeschool High School English Curriculum from 7 Sisters



Sharing our favorite frugal high school homeschool English and writing curriculum.This post may included affiliate links to products that we love and have used or would use in our  own homeschool. Please see my disclosure policy.  #homeschoolhighschoolcurriculum #homeschoolhighschool #homeschoolEnglish



Are you looking for a quality homeschool high school English course for your teen?
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4 FUN and Easy Ways to Help Your Young Handwriter -




This article has moved. 

To reach 4 FUN Ways to Help Your Young Handwriter, including tons of fun activities for handwriting, just click below:
These activities will help build up the skills necessary for good handwriting.  Including fine motor coordination and other important things that will help your young handwriters or those who are struggling.

There are so many ways to help struggling or new handwriters and most of them don't involve handwriting at all!  These playful activities are from my OT days prior to coming home to homeschool our 2e daughter, with sensory issues and ADHD.



Thanks for stopping by BJ's Homeschool,
Betsy


Betsy is mom to her college grad, whom she homeschooled from preK through high school.  She blogs at BJ's Homeschool, about the early years, high school & college and wrote - Homeschooling High School with College in Mind.   She offers free homeschool help through messages at BJ's Consulting. 


Want to stay in touch?


This post was shared on my favorite linkups here.

Copyright, 2019, All Rights Reserved

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BJ's Guide to Homeschooling High School - It is Not that Hard! -


Summary:  How to plan your homeschool high school, including assigning high school credit, high school core studies, making your transcripts, and getting into college for homeschoolers.  



Are you homeschooling high school, or thinking about it for next year? 
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Our Favorites for Homeschool High School U S History -



Summary:  Our favorite homeschool high school curriculum for U S History.  How we used frugal homeschool high school curriculum to make our own course.  Sharing also free complete homeschool high school options for American History. Note - This post may included affiliate links to products that we love and have used or would use in our  own homeschool. Please see my disclosure policy.


Are you looking for frugal resources for U S History for your high schooler? 
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