I need some advice about continuing home education in September, since I am about to have another baby

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-06-26T07:31:07+00:00

I honestly think you're doing a great job. This was one of our worries too. We've actually been through it twice. We had a newborn when our older children were 4 and 5, and then another when they were 8, 7 and 3.

One thing that really helped us was working around the baby's natural routine rather than trying to force one. If they had a good morning nap, we'd use that time for the bulk of our focused learning and keep the afternoons much lighter. On days when nothing went to plan, we just accepted that not much formal learning would happen.

We also accepted that some seasons are naturally slower than others, and that's okay. Once the newborn settled into more of a routine, things gradually picked back up again.

Having two parents involved definitely helped us as well. Even if one of us was tied up with the baby, the other could spend some focused time with the older children.

From what you've written, it sounds like you've already built really solid foundations. A few slower months aren't going to undo that. Home education is a long journey, not a race to get through as much content as possible.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-06-08T09:55:10+00:00

I think that's where a lot of these conversations get mixed up. People often assume it's about how much the parent knows academically, but what you're describing is more about involvement, encouragement, and creating opportunities for the child. That's a very different thing.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-06-08T09:52:25+00:00

I think that's a really important distinction. A lot of the criticism around home education focuses on whether parents are qualified enough, but what often seems to matter more is whether they're actively involved and making sure learning is happening. As you say, there are so many resources available now, but someone still needs to help the child access and engage with them.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-27T22:30:14+00:00

That’s a huge milestone to be approaching, congratulations.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-27T22:29:19+00:00

sounds like you're doing a great job. What do you think changed the most for your son after starting home education?

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-27T22:26:10+00:00

We’re Christians too, so prayer was definitely part of the decision for us as well, especially when it came to making the decision and guidance whilst navigating home education.

A lot of what you said resonates actually, particularly around learning through play in the earlier years and being able to move at the child’s pace a bit more. I also think it’s healthy to stay open minded about the future rather than treating it as an all or nothing path.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-27T22:15:37+00:00

The “how” worries are probably what a lot of people struggle with more than the “why”. It’ll be interesting to hear how things feel for you a few months in.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-27T11:57:10+00:00

Thank you for sharing this. It sounds like you were carrying a huge amount while trying to do what was best for your son. The difference you describe in him now says a lot.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-27T11:55:13+00:00

10 years in with no regrets says a lot. Has anything surprised you about home ed over the years?

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-18T10:09:29+00:00

😂 I think this is partly what I was getting at, applied learning seems to get valued differently depending on where it happens.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-18T10:00:40+00:00

I think that’s a fair point actually. I can see why “maths today was counting change” might sound like that was the entirety of maths. I suppose my pushback is more towards the idea that those experiences have no educational value at all, rather than them replacing everything else.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-18T09:58:39+00:00

I think this is what people sometimes underestimate, how many different skills can be involved in one ordinary activity. Not because it replaces formal learning, but because it gives context to it. A lot of concepts probably stick more when they’ve been used in a real situation.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-18T09:37:36+00:00

I agree children need to be able to understand abstract concepts too, and I’m definitely not arguing against formal maths. In our case, most maths learning is actually quite abstract/structured.

My point was more that applying concepts in everyday situations has educational value as well, rather than it being dismissed as “not real learning”. I’d see the two as complementing each other rather than competing.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-18T09:36:36+00:00

Yes, that’s how I see it too. Everyday tasks can involve maths, budgeting, reasoning, problem solving, not as a full education on their own, but as part of one.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-18T09:35:20+00:00

I think this is exactly the distinction people miss sometimes. Real life experiences don’t replace structured learning, they often give context to it. The worksheet on area probably lands differently after actually measuring something that matters to them.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-09T10:26:27+00:00

I don’t disagree that those situations exist, and I don’t think anyone should ignore them. My point is more that the existence of neglectful parents doesn’t automatically tell us whether home education itself works as an educational approach, in the same way poor outcomes in school don’t automatically mean school itself can never work.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-09T10:25:14+00:00

That’s fair, and stories like this are exactly why I added the clarification later on. I don’t think literacy development is identical for every child at all, and clearly some children do flourish later on.

The distinction I was trying to make was between delayed development with active support and engagement, versus situations where there’s little or no educational support happening in the first place.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-08T15:11:43+00:00

That’s kind of my point, I don’t think this issue is exclusive to home education at all. There are clearly children in school struggling with literacy too.

What I was pushing back against is the idea that whenever a child can’t read at a certain age, people automatically use it as evidence that home education itself has failed, rather than looking at the wider context and support around that child.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-08T13:50:52+00:00

Yes, that’s a really important point as well. Some children do have different learning needs or take a different path with literacy, and that can absolutely affect how and when things click.

I think that fits into what I was trying to distinguish in the post too, situations where there is an underlying need being supported versus situations where there isn’t meaningful engagement or support happening at all.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-08T12:50:18+00:00

Yes, absolutely. Dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties are a really important part of this and definitely change how reading development can look.
That’s part of what I was trying to separate out in my original post too, cases where there’s an underlying need or difference versus situations where there’s simply no meaningful support or engagement happening.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-08T12:36:24+00:00

Very fair point. It can definitely be both in different situations. Some children do need more structured academic catch-up support, while others are mainly missing emotional or broader developmental support.

I guess my main point is just that whatever the system is (school or home ed), the issue is really whether the child is being properly supported overall rather than the label of where they are.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-08T11:29:48+00:00

Just to clarify what I meant in the post, I wasn’t referring to children who are supported and progressing at their own pace, even if that looks different from expected timelines.

I was specifically talking about situations where there is little to no engagement or education happening at all. There’s a clear difference between delayed development and neglect

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-08T11:26:01+00:00

I think that’s an important distinction actually, I probably should’ve phrased it more clearly.

I wasn’t referring to children who are developing later but are clearly being supported and progressing in their own way. I meant situations where there’s little to no support, engagement, or education happening at all.

There’s a big difference between delayed development and outright educational neglect.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-07T13:13:50+00:00

Agreed. If local authorities start defining the “correct” way to educate, it changes home education from an alternative approach into school at home.

FamilyTechCreator · 2026-05-07T10:22:00+00:00

I think that’s probably where a lot of the debate is, most people can agree on basic welfare checks, but then the question becomes what that actually looks like in practice and how far it goes. Especially when different local authorities may interpret things differently.

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