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If there is anything that homeschoolers love, it is learning, creating, and having fun with a group of fellow homeschoolers. Doesn’t it just amplify the excitement?
As a local homeschool group leader, we have done a lot of different events over the years, and I am finally putting them all in writing. In addition to other ideas from some of my favorite bloggers!
I hope that this will be an excellent resource for families, homeschool groups, and co-ops. The ideas and options to learn together are truly endless, but here are…100 homeschool group activities to try with your group or co-op.
Make sure you scroll to the bottom and snag the PDF of all the homeschool group activities to keep!
Homeschool Group Activities For Serving Others & Your Community
1. Pack Operation Christmas Child Boxes Together. We have done this a few times, and it never gets old. You can fellowship together, create an entire event around this, and the best part is praying over your boxes together as a group.
2. Fill Blessing Bags. We enjoyed this and kept it as an annual event for our homeschool group. We set up an assembly line; and allow the kids to learn to work together while serving. Afterward, we divvy up all the bags and the children can pass them out through the holidays as they encounter the right opportunities, or some families like to take them directly to an area to pass them out and serve immediately in a small group. For a complete post on how to set this up – visit Homeschool Mastery Academy.
3. Creating Cards. Whenever we do a service project as a group, such as blessing bags or care packages we include cards with sweet encouragement from our group members. Not only does this ad a personal touch to our packages, it helps the kids to experience empathy and understanding toward who may be receiving the cards. We also pray over the recipients of the cards as a group before sending the bags or packages on their way.
4. Nursing Home Visits. We have done this one a few different ways, but one of our favorites was going around the holidays and signing carols, playing violin, or piano for them. We also brought a simple craft and let the kids pair up with residents to have some special one on one time while assisting a craft. The residents are always delighted to have children of any age visit.
5. Baked Goods to Local Service Responders. To show your appreciation to your local fire department, police department, or any other local government offices that have hosted us on a field trip have usually gotten a “thank you” of baked goods from us afterward. It makes their day to see families giving back to them after all they selflessly give up each day for the community
6. Service Workshop. If you have more than one nonprofit or charity, you want to contribute to, set up a workshop. I love hosting events workshop style; it gives you an advantage if you have multiple age groups too. You can set up tables with different age-appropriate options; make cards, a collection of various items or donations, and encourage team work.
7. Canned Food or Coat Drive. This is an extremely easy way to give back to the community. Host a park play date or play date at an indoor play scape and ask members to bring non-perishable food items or coats. Ask for 1-2 families volunteer to drop it all off at a food bank or appropriate donation facility for the group afterward.
8. Sewing or Crocheting. If you have a crafty bunch, sew some basic blankets and hand out to the homeless. Or crochet or knit hats for homeless, or baby clothes for a local pregnancy support facility.
9. Park Clean Up. We have gotten together as a group to pick up trash in our local parks. Give littles some water spray bottles and rags; they love it! Then we made bird feeders to hang at home afterward as a fun craft in the park.
Art Activities For Your Homeschool Group
10. Chalk Pastel Workshop. Set up a workshop and allow students to watch a tutorial all together while creating the same projects! This worked so well with a wide range of ages. Check out the link to see a step by step process of how to set up your own.
11. You Are an Artist Co-Op Program. Create a custom artistic event for your co-op, You Are an Artist will work directly with your group to customize an event.
12. How to Plan Art Appreciation for Home or Co-Op
Games For Your Homeschool Group
13. Games for the Classroom or Homeschool Co-op
14. Grab Your Tablet or Cell Phone, Let’s Kahoot!
15. Show & Tell. This can be all age friendly and organized by theme. Choose a monthly theme or book, and allow children to participate in a show and tell. They could bake a recipe, paint a picture, create a presentation to share, and so many other options to share what they learned personally with the group.
Homeschool Group and Co-op Classes
Sometimes taking a class or elective in a group creates a higher level of engagement, and responsibility to be involved. Here are a few posts with classes or electives that you can do as a group.
16. More Creative Homeschool Co-op Classes
17. Homeschool Co-op Class Ideas ~ The Ultimate List!
18. Homeschool Electives and Extracurricular for Multiple Ages
19. Boom Bags – A Fun Strategy to Review Material
20. Homeschooling High School: Planning a Course for Both High School & College Credit
21. Homeschooling High School: Curriculum That Works
22. Butterfly Class – One year we had a butterfly enthusiast give us a class all about the butterfly. She had visuals, each child received a kit full of information, and we learned a lot that day. Find individuals that are experts in their field and ask to collaborate somehow to make a class or presentation happen. She came to our local library, and we collected a monetary thank you gift for her time.
23. PE – Teach or join a physical education class, while also learning about nutrition and health.
24. Gardening
25. Food, Nutrition & Basic Cooking Skills
26. Finances. Budgeting, Money 101
27. Etiquette & Manners
28. Quilting, Sewing, or Knitting
29. CPR & First Aid
30. Sign Language
31. Nature Studies & Journaling
Projects and Activities For Homeschool Groups
32. Themed Workshops. Over the years we have hosted a lot of workshops. What worked well for us was choosing a theme; spring, ocean creatures, plant life, fall, basically ANY area of interest. Then build from that, we set up various tables with crafts, projects, or anything related to the theme. We also offered options for younger children and older children so that the entire family could come and participate. A fantastic way to keep the tables from crowding and organizing the flow was to group children into themed groups. (Ex. Ocean Theme – Create 4 Groups – Each One a Different Colored Fish – Red, Blue, Yellow, and Green) Then allow for a rotation, each group rotates from table to table in 15-20-minute increments. That allowed for everyone to participate and enjoy each activity without chaos.
33. STEM Workshop. You could get creative with this one, so many options. An easy one to do would be to have projects like snap circuits, and team kids up to read directions together, follow instructions, work as a team, and maybe even have a little healthy competition between groups to see who could assemble the fastest.
34. Simple Science Experiments: Simple Light Refraction Experiment
35. Ocean floor digging, search for the HL Hunley
36. Quick and easy archaeology dig to get your kids loving history
37. Cookie Fossil Dig
38. Science Fair. This one can be done relatively easy, and if you have a hard time finding a venue it can work at a local park. Often, families hear science project and think it will be too complicated, or don’t want to deal with the hassle. However, homeschoolers should experience a science fair at some point. It’s a great way for the student to take just an idea all the way to completion and project in hand. Problem- solving, presenting, and so much more can come from this.
39. Spelling Bee. I have seen these done in fun creative ways with co-ops or homeschool groups. Children can root their peers on, build their confidence up, and learn to get up in front of people to speak. With a small to medium sized group, it can be done in a decent amount of time too.
Party Ideas For Homeschool Groups and Co-ops
40. Host Traditional “Class” Parties. Host parties that happen in traditional class settings that we as homeschoolers don’t get to participate in. Our homeschool group has a Valentine party every year; we set up a line of homemade valentine boxes and children can go down the line and drop their valentines in. Much like a class party, but we also focus on God’s love. We have had musical guests, craft tables, and even instruction from our resident homeschool teacher on “how to” write a valentine. One year we filled a large mason jar with pink, red, and white gumballs, we let each child fill out a card with their guestimate of gumballs, and at the end of the event, the child who came closest went home with the jar.
41. Service Parties During the Holidays. Have a party with the goal to serve others.
42. Birthday Party for Jesus. Instead of the usual Christmas Party, celebrate the real reason for the holiday. You could read the story of the birth of Christ, enjoy some crafts, and have a birthday cake!
Music Ideas For Homeschool Groups or Co-op
43. Create a Music Theory Class for your Co-op.
44. Band. With a few participants, you could have an ensemble all the way up to a band of sorts. Practice reading and playing music together.
45. Choir. It doesn’t take but a handful of kiddos to enjoy choir or singing together, learn music or harmony.
46. Early Childhood Music & Movement. Grab some preschoolers, littles or early elementary children and a few simple instruments or songs and enjoy music & movement.
47. Musicals. If your co-op is large enough, you could enjoy the entire process of creating a musical.
48. Enjoy the Symphony Together. One year our group scored tickets to a Lemony Snickets Symphony for children, extremely memorable and entertaining.
49. Music Class. Recorders are an inexpensive and no fuss option to start a music class.
50. Music Memory. One of my favorite classes to take as a child was music memory. We had to listen to classical music and memorize the composer and the name of the piece of music. This began my love of classical education and music. I still have most of them memorized to this day.
51. Songwriting Class. This could be so fun for teen/tweens in a co-op or homeschool group setting. Such a wonderful creative outlet for children this age.
52. How to Add Music to Your Homeschool Co-op
Sports To Enjoy With Your Homeschool Group
53. Field Day. This one can be epic proportion sorts of fun! You will need to solicit parent volunteers, and maybe some borrowed materials. You can host this at a local park; set up various races, challenges, timed activities. This is also one that dads may want to join in and help too.
54. Team Sports. This is great for families who want to enjoy team sports but don’t want to sign up for a team all year or semester long. You may have a group that wants to learn or play soccer. Set up a weekly soccer game to learn more, or rotate different team sports. Each month a new sport theme.
Field Trips To Take With Your Homeschool Group
Field Trips are one of the most common options to enjoy with your co-op or group. The opportunities are endless, and there is always a way to add a new spin to a favorite trip. Plan creatively. Check out how to plan an event for maximum success!
55. Bakery
56. Grocery Store
57. Pet Store
58. Farms
59. Farmers Market
60. Horse Ranch
61. Fire Station
62. Ride a Train
63. Imax
64. Dinosaur Park
65. Police Station
66. Nature Hikes
67. Nature Centers
68. Post Office
69. Library Tour
70. Children’s Theatre
71. Zoo
72. Museums. Art, History, Science, Military and Music Museums are always a hit.
73. Pumpkin Patch
74. Wildlife Preserve
75. Christmas Tree Farm
76. Planetarium
77. Recycling Center
78. Historical Societies
79. Colonial Reenactments or “Pioneer” Trips. We have seen butter churned, blacksmithing, woodworking, candle making, basket weaving and all sorts of other demonstrations on trips like these.
80. Roller Skating Rink. Many roller skating rinks now offer STEM field trips.
81. Factory Tours. Ice cream factories & honey are huge hits with kiddos, but this list could be extensive. Think of any factory where things are made, created, or put together.
82. Aquariums
83. Fruit Picking. Apples, Strawberries, Peaches or whatever may be in season in your area.
84. Cemeteries & Memorials. Sounds weird, I know. But, we did this with the intent to locate things in the cemetery which led to interesting discussions and research. We created a worksheet; it asked each child to find the oldest dated tombstone, record the year and name. Record the condition of the tombstone itself. They located the largest tombstone, and other interesting markings or findings they came across.
85. Homeschooling- Fun Field Trips for FREE
Annual Events To Celebrate With Your Homeschool Group
86. Promotion Ceremony. Every year our homeschool group hosts an annual all age friendly graduation or “promotion” ceremony. This is our end of the year “send off” into summer, and our last event of the spring semester. We hand out completion certificates for each child with their name & grade completed, and they each get a goodie bag. Afterwards, we play in the park and enjoy a family pot luck. Parents are encouraged to bring their cameras, and dads & grandparents are invited as well. It’s a fantastic way to commemorate the end of another homeschool year.
87. High School Graduation
88. Family BBQ. In years past to kick off the new homeschool year we have hosted a family BBQ. This was a wonderful way to incorporate the entire family; even dads, and meet the other families we will be grouped with for the year.
89. Annual Back to Homeschool Bowling Party. We do this every August, and the kids love it! Bowling, meeting new friends, and cupcakes. It never gets old.
Teen & Tween Fellowship Events
90. Pizza & Pool Party
91. Escape Room Fun
92. Meet Up for Ice Cream or Starbucks
93. Bible Study
94. Game Night. Board games are such a great way to get kids this age to interact and have fun together.
95. Crafting, Sewing, or Cooking Clubs
96. Cupcake or Cookie Decorating
97. Ceramics. We did this years ago, and it was such a great time as a group. Contact your local ceramic or art studio; they usually have options for groups to keep it cost effective.
98. Self Defense. This was perfect for our teen/tween-aged girls specifically. We contacted a local martial arts studio who offered them a free class with basics of self-defense.
Book Club Ideas For Homeschool Groups
99. Book Club. Host a book club with classic literature, children’s favorites, or character building books the entire family can read together. Then host a book club for discussion, or dress up as your favorite character. You could have children come prepared with an oral or written book report to share with their peers. That is a fantastic way to get them comfortable with public speaking, presenting, and build confidence. The younger ones or siblings could share a drawing or piece of artwork as their presentation.
Support For Families In Your Homeschool Group
100. Support Meetings for Moms. We host monthly mom’s gatherings for our homeschool group, and each month we focus on a different theme. Here are some of our monthly topics.
• Creating a Holiday HeritageMeet with other homeschool moms and discuss how you can be intentional for the holidays and swap ideas.
• New to Homeschooling 101
• Choosing Curricula
• Service Events for Our Moms – Support a Local or Global Ministry/Charity
• Semester Mom’s Night Out – We eat at a restaurant without children, and just enjoy a meal and fellowship together.
• Curriculum Sale & Swap
Tips For Homeschool Group Volunteers
Handling the “Difficult” Student at Your Homeschool Co-op
Enhance the Quality of Your Homeschool This Year
Maybe you need some ideas on what to teach, even if you have no particular areas of expertise there are things you can teach your co-op!
The Best Classes to Teach at a Homeschool Co-op
GET ALL 100 IDEAS IN A PDF LIST NOW!
Tagged: Homeschool ActivitiesHomeschool Group ActivitiesHomeschool Groups
