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How can I create a fun learning zone for home education?
There are lots of things you can do to ensure your home is a place where your child can have fun and learn at the same time, including:
- Have a dedicated ‘learn zone’ in the house, using posters or charts if you’re short on space.
- Create a cosy corner for reading, keeping children’s favourite books within reach. Curl up and chat about what you’ve read together.
- Be creative with crayons and paper, arts and crafts, even if it doesn’t come naturally!
Video - Creating a space at home for your child to have fun and learn
Adrianna is a working mum with children aged five and three. In this video she gives tips and advice for making your home a fun place to learn.
Adrianna:
Hi, my name is Adrianna and I am a working mum. I have two children, Kai, who is five years old and Jaylen who is three. Starting Primary school could be your child’s first experience of education, but you can ease the transition by combining fun and leaning at home and don’t worry, you don’t have to be a trained teacher. I’m not, so why don’t you give it a go?
Having dedicated learning spaces in the house shows your child you’re committed to their education. I don’t have a huge flat, so making use of the wall space is really important. I use a simple alphabet chart to help Kai to read and spell his own name, so they recognise and find their own coat peg and tray.
K, A, I… Kai. Well done!
I spend a lot of time reading with the children, so I made a cosy reading corner. At least once a day, we put our phones and tablets away, turn the TV off and sit down together to read.
Alex reached for the honey bowl… and Alex’s mum was doing her morning exercises. Hello Jaylen. Are you joining us for the story?
Jaylen:
Yeah!
Adrianna:
Okay.
We have a bookcase for the children’s favourite books and blankets to curl up on, so it’s a great way to get your children talking about different topics.
Kai:
I like that story, Mummy.
Adrianna:
Oh, I like it too Kai.
I’m not very arty, but I love being fun and creative with the kids.
Shall we look through our arts and crafts stuff?
Kai:
Yeah!
Adrianna:
For us, our dining table doubles up as an arts and crafts space. I keep a box with everything we need in it, such as paper, paints and crayons.
Kai:
We can tie it around the aeroplane and it’ll stay together.
Adrianna:
Wow, that’s a good idea.
Kai and I enjoy drawing pictures of him in his new school uniform. It’s a great way to find out how he’s feeling, what he’s enjoying, and what he might be finding tricky. So, create dedicated spaces in your home, create a cosy reading corner, and get out the arts and crafts.
This video was recorded during the Covid-19 pandemic. We hope the advice will remain relevant and helpful to parents educating their children at home.
Where can I find more support for home education and parenting?
The BBC Bitesize home education collection is designed to support you and your child’s learning at home with free resources for early years and foundation stage (EYFS), primary and secondary-age students.
Bitesize Parents’ Toolkit is the go-to place for the whole parenting community to find stories, expert advice and fun activities.
If your child has special educational needs and / or disabilities, be sure to check out the Parents’ Toolkit SEND collection.
For more information about home education, these BBC News articles cover the rise in families deciding to educate their children at home and, from 2021, the impact of Covid on home education.