Weronika's home education hacks
Weronika has been home educating her children for the best part of 13 years, but what's the biggest misconception she's found? That children who are home educated are isolated, or don't engage socially.
Weronika's top tip for home educators is to take advantage of social media, where you can find advertising for clubs, groups and activities - all of which can help your children stay socially engaged.
Video: Isolation
Weronika gives us the low down on how she keeps her children socially active while home educating.
Weronika: I'm Weronika, and I have been home educating probably for about 12 or 13 years. I think it's a really big myth that home-educated children are not engaging socially with other people and that they're just isolated at home. It's really not the case. There are plenty of activities and things that they can be doing.
There have been periods when we've had big transitions in our life, like having a new baby in the family or moving house. So there have been times when it has been more difficult for us to meet up with other people and get involved in the community. But, you know, you have to just remember that these things are just for a period of time only. You will be able to get through them and get to where you want to go in your home education journey while creating a community around you.
I think it's really important to be part of a community, whatever you're doing in life, because I feel like you need to have that support network around you. It's really important to have people who understand what you're going through, who can support you, and who are going through the same things.
We can share advice, we can share childcare, and it's just really supportive, especially when they come to the same groups and we can all support each other to run the groups together and make it a really good experience for the children.
My top tip for anyone who is getting into home education or looking for a home-ed community: Social media is a really great place to start. All of the activities and clubs, the home education workshops - they're all advertised on social media. So if you are new to home education and you're looking to create a community around you and get involved in what's happening locally, then search on social media for your local home-ed group. That is the best place to start.
I used to go to a lot of different groups - drama groups, science clubs, history groups. There are so many different things that they have done over the years.
If you're struggling and feeling a bit isolated and want to create more community around you, I would say look into creating your own. It's not difficult. You just need to get a few like-minded parents together, and you can come together and support each other to help create a community.
I do make a really big effort to get them out and socialising with other people, and I think one of the best things about socialisation in the home-ed community is actually that it's mixed-age socialisation.
They're not just engaging with children the same age as them all the time. They're engaging with children that are older than them and learning from them. They're engaging with younger children and are able to support and help them. Having that ability to mix with and communicate with people of different ages is really important, and it will support them in later life.
Where can I read more about isolation and home education?
For more support and advice on home education, check out our guides on making your home a fun learning zone, ten common fears and how to tackle them and overcoming emotional challenges.
For more general advice about isolation and parenting, take a look at this Bitesize Parents' Toolkit articles: how you can help if your child feels lonely, six ways to manage loneliness as a parent and how to make friends with other parents.
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 Parenting 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 Parenting SEND collection. Bitesize also has a collection of Sensory Stories, an immersive video series that transports you on unique sensory adventures, for children with additional or complex needs.
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.
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