Home Ed: It Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated
When we decided to home educate our daughter, it wasn’t because we were anti-school.
Far from it.
We just wanted the freedom to teach her what we wanted to — and what she wanted to learn. We wanted to slow things down, explore the world together, and build a life that made learning part of everyday living.
Since starting our home education journey, we’ve kept a diary of everything we learn in a day — and honestly, it’s incredible. Once you start noticing it, you realise how many little snippets of learning appear naturally throughout a normal day.
We might start with a workbook (we love Twinkl and BBC Bitesize for more targeted sessions), then move on to baking, a nature walk, or a museum trip. We’ve recently started Spanish lessons in Newton Abbot, and they’ve been absolutely brilliant. The confidence, the conversation, the spark — it’s all there. These are opportunities she might never have had in school.
You don’t have to be a teacher to do this
That’s one of the biggest myths we hear — that you need a teaching background or a degree in child development to home educate. You really don’t.
If you can take a piece of information and break it down into small, bite-sized chunks that your child can understand, you’re already 80% there.
For example, the other day we sat down to work on big numbers in addition and subtraction — something I’ve always enjoyed (and I think that helped!). Because I was engaged, she was too. That’s the magic of it — your enthusiasm becomes contagious.
Learning through life
Some of our best learning happens away from the table.
We go on long walks, explore local areas, visit museums, and stop to chat with people wherever we go.
One of the biggest things we’ve noticed since home educating is how much her confidence has grown in real-world situations. At school, children are in the same environment every day — same teachers, same peers. They learn how to communicate effectively there, but sometimes that doesn’t translate into everyday life.
When it came to things like chatting with shopkeepers, asking questions, or ordering her own food — she used to freeze up. Now, she’s learning how to interact with people of all ages, in different settings, and it’s amazing to see how far she’s come.
The power of simply being together
Something else we didn’t expect was how powerful it would be to just spend time together.
We pick a series to watch as a family — at the moment, it’s The Great British Bake Off, and it’s honestly become one of our favourite things.
It sparks so many great conversations — measurements, countries of origin, different cultures, creativity, teamwork — and of course, a few baking experiments of our own! 🍰
Our biggest lesson?
Home education doesn’t have to be complicated.
You don’t need a rigid timetable or expensive curriculum. You don’t need to “prove” learning is happening every minute of the day.
You just need to be curious, open, and willing to learn with your child.
Some days will be structured, others spontaneous. Some days will feel wonderfully productive, others might just be about rest and connection — and that’s okay. It’s all part of it.
Because learning doesn’t only happen at a desk — it happens in the kitchen, on a walk, in a conversation, at the shop counter, or even on the sofa watching Bake Off together.
And that’s what makes it so special. ❤️
