10 Home Ed Dos and Don’ts for a Smooth Start

Starting home education can feel exciting, daunting and pretty overwhelming.

But you don’t have to get it all right at the start - in fact, you can’t. What you can do is give yourself and your kids time and space to grow into it. Here are a few tried-and-tested do’s and don’ts to make the early days smoother.

5 Things to Do

1. Be very realistic about your expectations. If you’re imagining a perfect set up, joyful moments all through the day, buzzing learning every hour - then that’s a fast-track to burnout. Real life is messy. Aim for doable, not perfect.

2. Start small with groups and activities. It’s tempting to sign up for everything, especially in September - but running from one activity to another, packing lunches and travelling around a lot will exhaust you. Your weeks can fill up surprisingly quickly. Begin with a couple of things you genuinely enjoy and build from there.

3. Choose things you all enjoy. Plan in activities and places that work for the whole family as much as possible - not just the kids. If everyone’s happy, it’s more likely to stick.

4. Plan downtime into your week like an activity. Chores, admin, errands, rest and things you enjoy for yourself - they all need a spot in your week. By scheduling them deliberately in your diary or planner, you make sure the urgent stuff gets done and your downtime, hobbies and personal time are protected (even if it's just a ten minute solo cup of tea!). A quiet day (or two) at home can be just as valuable - often more so - than a packed day out. It can give you all time to rest and reset - for us this has become a priority.

5. Connect with other home ed families.
Finding other people who just 'get it' makes all the difference. There are plenty of places online to connect but having people you meet up with regularly can really help. You won’t have all the answers, and your approach will likely evolve, so having a community to swap stories, advice and encouragement with is so important.

5 Things Not to Do

1. Don’t try to recreate school.
Home ed isn’t school. The parent-child dynamic is very different to the teacher-child one, and rigid routines rarely work. Flexibility is your friend here. Start with seeing what your child is naturally drawn to and where their energy and enthusiasm lies. Work from there. Read more about this here.

2. Don’t expect a perfectly tidy house - if it’s never been tidy before.
I was given this advice early on - and ignored it. It's true though. Mess comes with the territory for creative, curious kids. But too much chaos doesn’t work (I hate mess!) - but neither does rigidity. The key is balance: not stifling creativity but also not going beyond what you can actually handle. Having parts of the house vetoed for toys and mess is ok - you have every right to a quiet, uncluttered area. But they also have a right to make a mess too. Finding a way that works for everyone is really important.

3. Don’t buy everything straight away.
Those shiny curriculums and expensive new books and resources might look amazing, but first start by watching how your kids actually learn - more on this here - and what you can manage. That’ll save you money, time trawling through resources - and stress.

4. Don’t expect it to match the picture in your head.
Trying to give your kids “the ideal home ed experience” by sacrificing all your energy will just end in burnout (more on this here). Look after yourself first - if you’re doing well, they’ll do well too. Some days will be amazing, others frustrating -accept them all as they are.

5. Don't compare your journey to other families (school or home ed). It’s easy to feel a bit inadequate when you hear about what others are doing, but everyone’s path is different. Social media can amplify those feelings, so be really mindful of what you're consuming. Keeping a little record of what your kids are doing can be a great reminder of why you’re doing this and help you feel more confident.