By Lewis
While homeschooling your teens can be just the thing they need, some things they miss out on, such as team sports or clubs. However, there are ways to compensate for the lack of extracurricular activities. Consider the following tips to bring your homeschooled teen into sports.
Get in Touch With Your Local Recreation Center
Just about every town has a recreation center. Recreation centers are places where all members of a community can gather and participate in sports and other activities without having to worry about anything except registering for whatever activities they want to join. Most recreation centers have a whole list of sports for kids of all ages, teenagers included. What’s more, you won’t have to worry about the cost of equipment when it comes to getting your teens outfitted for their sport of choice. Recreation centers already have most if not all of the equipment that you need, whether you are looking for quality softball gloves or basketballs. The local community college may also offer recreational sports opportunities that homeschool students can sign up for.
Apply to Join the Local Public School Team
Some places have a program that will allow your teens to join your resident public school sports teams as long as they meet the requirements of the program. For instance, a lot of these programs require that your teen takes one course at the resident public school for each semester that they want to participate in sports. They will also have to register thirty days before the semester starts. Fortunately, there are a few ways that your teen can successfully participate in a course. There is the option of them physically going to the school and taking the course there. The course may also be taken virtually. If you are looking to register your senior teenager for sports, but also want them to have a little bit of college experience, there is the option for them to choose a dual enrollment class as their required course.
However, enrolling in a course is not the only requirement. Your teen must also try out for the sport and prove that they are maintaining their grades, just like their public school counterparts. If your teen does not meet the grade standards and has to drop out of the sport to study, they will not be able to get back on the team for a year. If you go with this option, you must make sure your teen is on top of their studying and gets good grades so they can keep playing the sport they love.
See if You Can Make a Homeschool Sports Team
While it is not incredibly common, you might be able to make a team strictly with homeschooled students, especially if you know that there are a lot of homeschooled teens in your community who all love the same sports. It will take a lot of organization, and you will have to obtain uniforms and equipment from somewhere, but it would give the homeschooled teens a chance to bond with each other and learn teamwork, especially if some of the teens cannot fulfill the requirements to join the public school teams, or if the opportunity is not offered in your area. If your team wants to play against other teams, you can look into registering them accordingly. However, if they just want to play amongst themselves and just have fun, the uniforms are not necessary and the scheduling can be a lot more flexible.
Sports help bring people together and teach children essential social skills as well as the importance of working as a team. Keep these tips in mind if your teen shows an interest in playing sports so you know your options.