Home education articles
Best poetry home education resources
Do you love poetry, or wish you had more time to explore it? Introduce your family to the delights of the spoken word with this selection of wonderful free poetry resources. Classic poems for children, performance poetry videos, interactive poetry games and kids' poetry podcasts: everything you need to encourage a love of verse is available at the click of a button.
How to make online tutoring work for your child
Is your child preparing for the 11+ or getting support with general studies? Two tutors share their advice on making the most of online tutoring.
6 of the best virtual museum adventures for families
Why not visit a museum from the comfort of home? Whether you are a history enthusiast or an art connoisseur-in-the-making, there is a virtual resource for you! Kaitlin Fritz, co-founder of Musemio, outlines 6 top virtual experiences from across the globe.
Supporting your child’s return to school
If your child is going back to school after a period of homeschooling, it’s natural for you both to be nervous. Read our top tips for easing the transition back to the classroom.
Best numeracy home education resources
Boost your child's confidence with all aspects of maths with our pick of the best home education numeracy resources: games, hands-on activities, video explanations, online lessons and downloadable workbooks, all available to access for free.
Best wildlife and nature home education resources
Watch wildlife webcams, construct habitats, grow seeds on a windowsill and make eco-friendly choices – we've rounded up the best nature and wildlife home education resources to help your child explore the world without straying from home.
Best science home education resources
You don't need a Bunsen burner, a chemistry set or a science degree to share these STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) activities with your child at home. Whether you want to try a hands-on experiment, ask an expert some questions via video chat or play some interactive games, you'll find lots of science home education options in this round-up of resources.
19 life skills you can teach your child at home
Learning isn't just about mastering spellings and times tables. A lot takes place outside the classroom, and spending some time teaching practical life skills at home will help set your child up for the future.
Easy outdoor learning adventures
Exploring the outside world is an important part of a child's learning experience, but it's not always easy when you have space and time limitations. We've compiled a list of fun, simple suggestions to keep families connected to nature without having to go far or break the bank.
Best kids' activity packs to download
Top up the resource bank and keep the kids busy at home with reading, puzzles, crafting, science and other screen-free activities. They're all available to download for free and you won't need any special equipment, so head off the "I'm bored!" moans and buy yourself a few moments of peace so you can get some of your own work done!
Best music home education resources
Spark a life-long love of music and rhythm with singing, listening, playing and exploring activities for all ages. Whether it's learning about different instruments or doing some digital composing, help encourage your child's interest in the world of sound with our pick of the best music home education resources.
Best geography home education resources
Criss-cross the globe, visit landmarks and even venture out into space with our pick of the best geography home education resources. Whether you want to chat to an explorer, take on a massive world colouring project or learn amazing facts about every nation on Earth, you'll find plenty of KS1 and KS2 geography activities on our list.
Best coding home education resources
From Minecraft modding to block coding, Python programming and robot building, your child's computing education doesn't need to stop during school closures. Whether they're new to coding or an experienced programmer, we've picked the best resources available online to keep them engaged and learning.
Best art home education resources
Whether you want to learn to doodle, draw flowers, illustrate Marvel comics or create a portrait of a Disney character, our pick of the best home education resources will bring the world of art to your kitchen table. Explore art history through videos and games or pick up a pencil to have a go yourself – the only limit is your imagination.
Best YouTube channels for home education
Whether you want your child to learn about maths, geography, science or history, they'll be happy to watch a video about it – and these YouTube channels introduce topics through songs, animations, experiments, skits and riddles. From phonics for new readers to physics for keen scientists, these are the educational channels to subscribe to.
Best design and technology home schooling resources
Make, build, code, construct, design, invent and engineer – each of these websites is packed with design and technology learning to keep your child learning, testing and creating at home.
4 things parents need to know about 'reading barriers' and how to overcome them
Learning to read is a complex task and it's common for children to come up against "reading barriers". Parent and teacher Alex Quigley, author of Closing the Reading Gap, suggests ways you can help your child overcome difficulties at home.
9 tips for helping your child learn online
As children’s learning becomes increasingly internet-based, we ask the experts for their advice on primary school online learning.
Best history home education resources
Don't be overwhelmed by the number of wonderful home education materials available to you as a parent – we've picked our favourite history-at-home resources to inspire young historians (and teach us parents a few new facts about the past, too!).
12 of the best home learning websites for kids
We've rounded up some of our favourite online resources to support your child's learning at home.
Hands-on science fun
Transform one substance into another and watch colours and textures change right in front of your eyes with our at-home, hands-on science activity suggestions from Dr Michelle Dickinson, prize-winning nanotechnologist, researcher and founder of Nanogirl's Lab.
The best child-friendly podcasts to pass the time
If you’re looking for new ways to keep your kids entertained and educated at home (without eyes on screens!) then look no further. Podcasts are this generation’s radio, except even better because you can be much more specific about what you want to listen to and when.
Interviewing to write a biography
Writing an in-depth profile of a grandparent or family friend will help your child develop interview skills, learn to write up notes and introduce them to family heritage, stories and legends that they might never have heard! Use our suggested questions to help set up a conversation to remember.
Become a board game family on a budget
Board game designer Ellie Dix, author of The Board Game Family: Reclaim your children from the screen, has tips to help you establish family game time on a budget.
Year 6 maths and English key topics for home education
If you've decided to home educate your Y6 child or spend more time supporting their learning from home, you might be feeling a little overwhelmed because your (not so) little person is set to start secondary school in September and you want to make sure they’re in a really good place academically. Don't panic! Phoebe Duffy (mum, teacher and education writer), shares her advice for home-schoolers.
50 of the best virtual trips and educational experiences for families
In this day and age, we may be spending more time indoors but thanks to our laptops and devices we can let the world come to us instead – take a trip round Frida Kahlo’s kitchen, share some chocolate cake with Michael Rosen and journey to the International Space Station with our pick of 50 of the best virtual trips and educational experiences. By Hetty Walton
Year 5 maths and English: how to support your child at home
Teacher and parent Phoebe Duffy highlights seven key maths and English skills to focus on with your Year 5 child, helping them have a successful year at school.
20 of the best live streams for kids
Help your primary-age child stay educated and entertained with our round-up of the best live streams for kids.
7 English and maths focus areas for Year 4 children
Teacher, education writer and mum Phoebe Duffy shares her tips about what to focus on with Year 4 children to support their learning at home.
Supporting your Year 3 child's learning at home
We all want to support our children's learning in the best way possible, so we asked mum-of-three Phoebe Duffy, an experienced primary school teacher and education writer, what to focus on with your Year 3 child to ensure that you're consolidating what they're working on at school.
6 key areas for supporting your Reception child's learning
Primary teacher and parent Jennifer Smith shares six key areas and skills to work on at home with your Reception child, supporting what they're learning at school.
7 key areas for supporting your Year 1 child with maths and English
Primary-school teacher, education writer and mum of three Phoebe Duffy highlights the key skills children learn in Year 1, and how you support their learning at home.
How to structure your day during homeschooling
Teacher Jennifer Smith shares her advice on how to help your child learn and structure your day when your child is temporarily out of school and learning from home.
10 home learning strategies from an experienced home educator
Whether you're supporting your child's learning outside of school hours or electively home educating your child, seasoned home educator and work-from-home mum Hazel Davis has top tips to making it work.
Best science board games for children
Have fun with chemistry, physics and biology with these family science games, designed to make STEM learning interactive and competitive, and introduce concepts like quantum physics, space exploration, evolution and ecology to KS1 and KS2 learners (and parent players, too!).
Best environmental books for kids
Empower your child to make a difference with our pick of the best children's books about the environment. From plastic pollution to climate change and the work of activists and campaigners, we highlight the best reads for young eco-warriors.
Best human body apps for kids
Help your child discover how the body works and how to keep it healthy with these anatomical apps.
Best kids' books about the moon landings and space exploration
Brilliant books to help kids find out about our fascination with the Moon and human beings' extraordinary journey to set foot on its surface in 1969. Whether your child is in Reception or Year 6, we've selected great non-fiction titles about the people who have influenced space history to feed their astronomical ambitions.
Best beginners’ algebra apps for kids
Help your child get to grips with the algebra concepts taught in primary school with apps that help to demystify mathematical equations.
Best fantasy adventure books for kids
Are you ready to enter some magical new worlds, exploring the depths of the sea, dark forests, ancient civilisations and weird and wonderful landscapes? On your travels you're sure to meet some strange characters, lots of brave heroes and heroines and a few sinister creatures wrecking havoc... It's time to head somewhere far, far away for roller-coaster adventures with our pick of the best fantasy world books for primary school children.