Home Education: Top Tips and Resources
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Introduction
As home education is growing in popularity in the UK, and people are becoming more aware of it as an option, there’s a need for more information around how to go about it and what resources are available to use. Since we started in home education over 20 years ago it’s become much easier to access educational resources and of course there are lots more websites and apps available. This is good news for new home educators!
Table of Contents
- Home Education: Top Tips and Resources
- Introduction
- Understanding Home Education
- Ages and stages
- Subscribe to My Blog and Be The First to Read My Latest Posts!
Understanding Home Education
People often ask where to get resources from and what they need to teach – the short answer is that you don’t need to teach as such, you can facilitate, guide, arrange, support, and you also don’t need to follow the national curriculum. Given that the overall legal requirement is that education should be suitable to age ability and aptitude, and a suitable education is defined in case law as one which fits a child for a life in the community of which they are a part without foreclosing other options, there’s a lot of personal choice around how you approach home education and what you include. More on all of this in my introduction to home ed article
With that said, I’m building a list of resources we’ve used or I’ve found over the years, along with things recommended by other home educators, and even some things that have just come up in google ads and so on! I’m continually updating this page, so do sign up to the mailing list for updates. And in the meantime, I’ve a free resource you can download here to help you get started with some home education ideas.
Ages and stages
Home education allows you to approach your child as an individual and respond to their differing needs accordingly. Early years home education can be very play based and doesn’t need to be sit down or have lots of formal materials.
Early years
Resources written by or provided by home educators
- Picture Book Explorers – written by a long time friend of mine, this is a set of downloadable unit studies some based on picture books. Starting at around £3 Picture Book Explorers
- Chatty Zebra Curriculum – packs, downloads, box sets, kits – all sorts of goodies here, and they go up in age, I’m linking to the Early Years section, but it’s well worth a good explore of the site. Hoping to grab something and do a full review soon. Chatty Zebra Curriculum early years
- Exploring Nature with Children – this is a year round curriculum that I think is Charlotte Mason inspired, lots of scope to use over again, the facebook community is very active too. Exploring Nature with Children shop
Apps for Early Learning
- Teach Your Monster to Read – FREE Focuses on reading and phonics, matching letters and sounds through interactive games. Teach Your Monster to Read
- Khan Academy Kids – A FREE, comprehensive educational program that teaches reading, math, logic, and socio-emotional skills through thousands of activities. Khan Academy Kids
- Busy Things – Fun games aligned with the UK National Curriculum, suitable for early years up to Key Stage 2, covering phonics, math, science, and more. Busy Things (subscription model starting at £4.49 pm)
- Cbeebies Storytime – FREE Offers interactive stories to help with understanding emotions and social skills, supporting early learning goals. Cbeebies Storytime
Educational Websites
- BBC Bitesize – Early Years – FREE Interactive games and lessons across various subjects including math and science. BBC Bitesize
- Reading Eggs – introduction to reading, phonics based. Subscription model with free trial. Reading Eggs There’s also a maths app called Mathseeds
- Topmarks – Provides educational games focusing on early years mathematics and literacy. Topmarks
- Oxford Owl – Free activities and a vast eBook library covering phonics, reading, and math. Oxford Owl
- IXL – Maths and English curriculum based, goes from early years right the way through to year 13. Subscription model. IXL UK site
- National Geographic Kids – Engaging content on geography, science, and animals, suitable for primary education. National Geographic Kids
- Brilliant – maths and computer science free preview, monthly subscription Brilliant
- Edplace – English, maths and science from year 1 to GCSE FREE account with limited activities, upgrade for further access. Edplace.co.uk
Games and Physical Activities
- Orchard Toys Learning Games – Educational board games that make learning fun, covering a range of basic curriculum topics. Orchard Toys
- Melissa & Doug Puzzles – High-quality wooden puzzles which are great for developing fine motor skills and problem-solving. Melissa & Doug
- Thinkfun Roll and Play Board Game for Toddlers – Introduces basics of gameplay and strategy for toddlers. Thinkfun Games
- Learning Resources Coding Critters – Interactive pets that introduce coding concepts in a kid-friendly manner. Learning Resources
Books to Foster Literacy and Creativity
- “The Gruffalo” by Julia Donaldson – A captivating story that enhances vocabulary and introduces rhyming schemes.
- Usborne “That’s not my…” series – Interactive touch-feely books that engage young readers in sensory play. Usborne Books
- “Room on the Broom” by Julia Donaldson – Another fantastic story by Donaldson that encourages participation and prediction in reading.
- “Each Peach Pear Plum” by Allan Ahlberg – Enhances observation skills and introduces children to rhyming and rhythm.
Additional Online Resources
- Nature Detectives – Woodland Trust’s website offering activities to inspire outdoor exploration. Nature Detectives
- Twinkl – Extensive range of printable educational resources. Twinkl
- CBeebies Radio – Activities that develop listening skills and imagination. CBeebies Radio
- British Council’s LearnEnglish Kids – Resources for learning English, including games and songs. LearnEnglish Kids
Coming soon – resources for 8 and up including GCSE age. Subscribe to the newsletter in the form below for updates.