How to Choose Activities for a Unit Study

Updated Sep. 6, 2019. Originally published Sep. 20, 2011.

If you’re new to unit studies, you might be wondering how to find activities, or how to choose which activities to use for a given unit. Here I’m going to “show” you a little bit of my own thought process behind coming up with unit activities.

1. Check for Skills Practice

The first piece, which takes place at the start of the year, is the only part that I really need to do ahead of time, but pretty important. (If you do a unit or two here or there, it won’t be essential. It was for me, when we were schooling this way year-round.) At the start of the year, when I know what our units are going to be, I go through the list of skills I want my children to learn/practice, determine if there are units they particularly match well with, and make myself notes.

For instance, if one of my girls is supposed to learn about graphs, what lends itself well to being graphed? We did favorite foods for a food unit, and high/low temperatures for a weather unit. If I hadn’t looked at these ahead of time, I never would have remembered we were supposed to be doing this! This year (2011-12) we’ll write letters for Early America (pretend ones!), Current Events/The Press, and Family History.

2. Choose Core Resources

As I come to each unit, I have to find resources. Of course, there are those overall resources, like the encyclopedia, and if we already have something, that’s an obvious start. But then what? For study, we all think to look for non-fiction. That’s the primary way our students learn about the subject they’re studying. If it’s a history unit, I try to also make sure there’s at least one primary source. (This is easier with older students, simply because of the reading level of the text, but you can often “sneak” a little bit in. We just used part of Columbus’ letter to Ferdinand and Isabella as handwriting practice.) Then I also look for fiction. On rare occasions, this will be difficult, but one can almost always find something.

3. Locate Other Resources

The essentials are now in place, but let’s round it out a little and make it more fun! Are there DVD’s on your topic? Audio CD’s? Games? For cultural studies, in particular, think about each aspect. Can you find a CD of the national anthem of a country you’re studying? Or a DVD about the dance popular during a particular period of history?

4. Use the opportunity to include humanities.

I think most of us like the idea of exposing our children to great art and great literature. But how? One way is to incorporate them when they fit into your units. The Renaissance is an obvious opportunity to look at art and listen to music, but think about the less obvious. When you’re putting together a unit, ask yourself if there are famous works of art, poems, plays, books, etc. that fit the current theme. Sometimes nothing will come to mind, but sometimes something will.

Are you studying Early America? What about Washington Crossing the Delaware? Are you studying Ancient Rome? How about Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar? Animals? How about The Bull, by Melchior D’Hondecoeter? (You can do a web search for art + your subject!) Check the Caldecott and Newbery lists, too.

Don’t forget related Scripture!

Up to this point of the process, if you want it already”done” for you, you can check out my unit study site. (Note that this is in need of updating, but most of the ideas there are pretty evergreen.)

5. Find activities.

I always do an internet search for activities when I’m planning a unit. There are several ways you do this. You can search for “_______ unit study,” and will often find some resources that way. You can also search for your subject and whatever type of activity you’re seeking – “craft,” “experiment,” etc. If there’s something specific you have in mind, of course look for that! You can check specific craft, experiment, or activity sites or lists, like CraftProjectIdeas.com, that let you search by theme. Pinterest is great for finding craft projects, activities, and themed foods.

I’m not so good at keeping up with it, because it’s hard to log in and out of accounts all the time, but I have a Pinterest account just for homeschooling topics.

The library is a big help here, too, though. Many topics have their own craft books or similar project books. Look for these! I can’t seem to find a specific example now of one we’ve used, ‘though I know there are many. But look for keywords like “hands-on,” “how to,” “activities”/”activity,” “projects,” or “crafts,” along with your unit theme.

Interesting products that cross your path can provide inspiration, as well. I don’t know that I’ve ever had success looking for products that fit a particular unit, but I have become relatively adept at recognizing that a product would jazz up an upcoming unit. A cheesemaking kit for Early America, a family tree puzzle for Family History, a brain-shaped Jell-O mold for The Brain & Nervous System – all of these are items that I have come across this year and identified as useful for upcoming units.

6. Pick and Choose

When you have found all these fantastic ideas, please keep in mind that you do not have to do every activity you find! Your children will appreciate this. 😉 (Well, they might not be wise enough to appreciate it now, but they will eventually.)