27 Amazing Benefits of Home Education

Home Education is a wonderful option for many families and its benefits deserve to be talked about. Many of these benefits helped me to make the decision to home educate my daughter because I knew that it would be great for us. Home Education has proved to be one of the best decisions we’ve made, so I’ve decided to share all the benefits of Home Education in case it’s something that you’re thinking about doing too!

1. Flexibility

Home Education is filled with flexibility and freedom. It makes learning feel like less of a burden and more of an enjoyment. Unlike school, where everything is timetabled and structured, Home Education is done on your family’s terms and schedule. 

Learning can be done at any time, using any method. And there’s no said number of hours that your children have to learn for and no limit either. A flexible schedule also means more time to travel and create quality time together.

If your children have previously been in a public school, then this new sense of freedom will be completely new to them, so allow them time to adjust.

2. Freedom to learn at own pace

There’s no pressure for your children to keep up with their peers when you home educate. Now, they really have the freedom to learn at their own pace. They aren’t restricted by choices or controlled by deadlines. 

Every child is different and they shouldn’t feel like they are in competition with each other. They don’t have to live up to anyone’s expectations and they shouldn’t have to. Learning is a journey, not a race. And each child will get to their own destination in their own time.

3. Freedom to learn anything

Home Education enables children to follow their own interests and experience a more personalised style of learning. There are no limits to what they can learn and, more importantly, no age restrictions.

So, if your child wants to learn how to fix a car at the age of six or start their own business at the age of twelve, let them! Who says they can’t? 

4. Freedom to travel more

There’s nothing better than being able to take your children absolutely anywhere at any time of year without the threat of a fine because they need to be “in school.” 

Children do not need to be confined between four walls. In fact, the freedom to travel will give them more learning experiences and the chance to experience other cultures and traditions.

Days out become more fun as there’s not the hustle bustle chaos that you get during school holidays. And going abroad is much cheaper because you can go away any month of the year. 

5. More time with family

When you home educate, you are creating more time for your children. Often parents and carers worry that they won’t have the time to educate their children because of full-time work or other commitments. But Home Education can fit in around anyone’s lifestyle, even if it’s only for a couple hours a day. 

Even if you are a working parent, you are still creating more time with your family because your children are not in a school environment. And the time that you do give them is really valuable and will create a stronger bond between you all. 

6. One-on-one attention

Unlike in a public school, Home Education gives children a one-on-one learning experience, whether from a parent, carer or tutor. Because every child is different, this is great for personalised learning because individual specific needs are met. 

Even with multiple children, Home Educators can still give each child that one-on-one interaction and dedicate as much individual time to them as they can. 

7. Safer learning enviornment

Home Education comes with the assurance of knowing where your children are and what they are doing, whilst allowing them more freedom. 

In a public school, you trust the teachers to be moral and you hope that the students will be equally so. But in any case when your children are away from you, it can be a worry to not really know what is going on.

As their home educator, you’re in control of their environment and who they interact with, so there’s definitely more peace of mind.

8. Customised, child-led learning

What school fails to do, Home Education succeeds at. Learning is completely customisable and should ideally follow your child’s interests and a style which works best for them. 

There’s no limit to what or how much they can learn. There’s no right or wrong curriculum, and there’s no pressure or timeframe. Schedules will be your own and learning is done on your family’s terms. 

9. Greater autonomy

Home Education gives children a voice. They become the commanders of their own education and this sees their independence soar. 

There’s more focus on children being able to make their own decisions and take control of their own learning. What this does is mould them into self-sufficient thinkers and leaders.

You’ll be surprised at how mature they become when they are given more autonomy. 

10. Reduced peer-pressure and bullying

Although bullying and peer pressure can happen outside a classroom, it is much more prevalent when a large group of children are contained within the same space for six hours a day. 

Home Education doesn’t prevent peer pressure or bullying, but it certainly reduces exposure to it. This is because you are in control of the environment and the people that your family may meet. 

Even if your child does experience these issues, it can be acted upon quickly. You will find, however, that there is more openness within a Home Educated community and a shared respect and kindness amongst adults and children. 

11. Better emotional wellbeing

A lot of home educated children have better emotional wellbeing because of their exposure to the ‘real’ world. They are faced with real-life challenges and situations which help them to regulate their emotions and develop a well-rounded personality. 

There’s no doubt that children are happier when they are doing something that they enjoy. The ability to make their own choices is also hugely beneficial to their self-esteem.

12. Creates a lifelong love for learning

As well as being happier, when children are doing something that they enjoy, they’re going to want to do it more.

When children are forced to learn something that they’re not interested in, it diminishes their passion and motivation. And who can blame them for not wanting to listen or do their work properly?

Giving children control of what they want to learn creates a passion for learning. They’re able to explore their own interests and find a learning style that suits them. 

13. Better for special educational needs

A lot of parents and carers feel that their children’s needs are not being adequately met at a public school. Even if support is offered, it’s often limited and has to be shared with other students, meaning that some children do not get the appropriate guidance they need to thrive. 

Home Education is limitless and can be adapted to fit any child’s needs. Just because your child has special educational needs doesn’t mean that you can’t provide them a better education. Remember, you know your child better than anyone.

14. More time for extracurricular activities

Most children only get the chance to do extracurricular activities after school. But a day of Home Education can be filled with as many extracurricular activities as you please. It’s all part of learning and having fun. 

Another positive is that the extracurricular activities you do attend won’t be overcrowded or booked up because a lot of children do attend a public school. 

15. Learn how to socialise with people of all ages

A misconception about Home Education is that home educated children will not be as social or they will have trouble fitting in and meeting new people. Let me reassure you that this is not the case at all. 

In fact, I’d go so far as to say that home educated children gain more social skills than those in a public school. 

When you choose Home Education, you also choose to give your children new experiences, and through these experiences they will meet people of all ages. A simple interaction with a cashier in a shop or an old couple in the park develops a child’s social skills and, more importantly, puts them in real-life social situations. 

16. Have more cultural experiences

Home Education gives children the opportunity to have more cultural experiences. Travel is a big part of this, but these experiences can also happen outside your front door. 

Visiting museums and monuments exposes children to different cultures. There’s more opportunity to embrace different ways of life and learn about how other people live.

17. Enhanced academic achievement

It’s easy to think that a public school provides a higher standard of education because of the focus on passing exams and getting the best grade. However, home educated students have just as much chance, if not more, at achieving their best.

Here are a list of reasons why home educated children might have enhanced academic achievement:

• They’re not restricted on what they can learn.
• They can learn a topic at any age, if it suits them.
• They’re more passionate about their education because they follow their interests.
• They are active learners.
• They don’t have to live up to high or unrealistic expectations.
• They’re not being assessed alongside their peers, which relieves pressure on them. 

18. Sense of community

The Home Education community is bigger than you may think and it keeps growing. There are so many groups and resources out there for children of all ages. And everyone is willing to help each other and share their experiences. 

You can find a lot of Home Education groups on Facebook and through these groups you can meet up and attend events. Check out:

14 Great Benefits of a Home Education Group

19. Saves time on commuting to and from school

Home Education is great because it means there’s not the mad morning rush to get to school, or the dreaded commute. You don’t have to worry about traffic and you don’t have to be anywhere on time because you now follow your own schedule. 

The time you save on commuting can be spent preparing for the day in a more leisurely way, watching educational videos whilst having a late breakfast, or taking a lovely morning stroll. The choice is yours!

20. Creates strong moral and ethical values

Home Education really gives children the chance to learn and develop strong moral and ethical values. Every day, without even thinking about it, you will place your children in a situation which will test and strengthen their values. 

They will learn right from wrong in real-life situations and in different environments, which will prepare them for the world.

21. Entrepreneurial skills

A lot of Home Education families choose to focus on and enhance their children’s entrepreneurial skills because it sets them up for greater success in adulthood. 

Who says a child can’t start their own business or learn how to? Entrepreneurial skills are extremely beneficial and can be taught from a young age. 

That doesn’t mean to say you need to mould your children into little entrepreneurs if that’s not what they’re ready for or interested in. Always remember to take their lead and let them discover what’s right for them. 

22. Creates independence and responsibility

Independence and responsibility are two key priorities of Home Education. By allowing your children to choose their own path and make their own choices, you are strengthening their independence and giving them the responsibility.

Children are allowed to, and should, make mistakes. As parents and carers, we often feel like we need to be in control because we think we know what is best for our children. But leaving it in their hands actually shapes them as a person, and in doing so they learn to trust their own judgement. 

23. Exposure to the real world

Home educated children are exposed to the real world much more than those that are in school. 

This is because they aren’t limited to the same building six hours a day. Instead, they face real situations in different locations and have genuine interactions throughout the day. 

24. Monitor progress more efficiently

During Home Education, you see your child progress every single day. The achievements are in the small things – mastering how to hold a pen or picking up a skill after weeks of practice. And the best thing is you watch it happen.

Progress doesn’t have to be tracked through tests and exams like school, but if it works for your family then go for it. 

You can also keep folders of work and education planners to look back on. This is a great way to keep track of what your child has learnt and how much they’ve progressed. 

Sometimes, just knowing that your child is doing really well in any aspect of their education is something to be proud of.

25. Cost effective

Home Education doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, you can do it with very little money. 

There are tons of free resources and worksheets out there (including ours!) and many Home Education essentials can be bought secondhand or for very cheap. There are lots of cheap and free days out, with many places offering discounts for home educators too. 

Check out:

How to Home Educate on a Budget

26. Long-term illnesses

Home Education often suits children with long-term illnesses because of the likelihood of being in and out of hospital or having to have important medical routines, which would normally disrupt their education at a public school. 

The flexibility and freedom of Home Education also allows them to learn when and where it is best for them. 

27. Greater support network

As mentioned previously, there is a growing Home Education community and with community comes support.

Home educators offer some of the greatest support to each other because we share similar values and goals. There’s always someone to reach out to and confide in and someone is always willing to help. 

Whether it be a question you need answering or some advice, a meet-up or even a simple cup of tea, you’ll have support from like-minded people who have been in your shoes or who are walking along with you. 

So, there we have it: 27 benefits of Home Education!

If you’ve read this far and are thinking, gosh, this sounds great. It’s exactly what I’m hoping for! then Home Education is probably for you, and I would say go for it. You definitely won’t regret it, no matter the outcome.