{"id":15598,"date":"2020-11-05T21:22:32","date_gmt":"2020-11-05T21:22:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/?p=15598"},"modified":"2025-09-30T17:30:34","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T16:30:34","slug":"five-pillars-of-eduction-at-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/five-pillars-of-eduction-at-home\/","title":{"rendered":"The five Pillars of education at home"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>As a home educating parent as well as a home education coach and writer, I know there are five aspects of parenting that create a rich, positive environment in which children can play and learn at home.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The five pillars of parenting, which I write about in <a href=\"https:\/\/scribepublications.co.uk\/books\/extraordinary-parenting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Extraordinary Parenting: The Essential Guide to Parenting and Educating From Home<\/a>, help all parents, whether they are educating their children at home full-time, homeschooling due to the current pandemic, caring for toddlers or preschool-age children, or simply want to support their children\u2019s learning outside school hours. Here, we look at these five pillars of home education in more detail,<\/p>\n<p>The five pillars of education at home include:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Relationships<\/li>\n<li>Rhythm<\/li>\n<li>Home environment<\/li>\n<li>Encouraging natural learning<\/li>\n<li>Self learning<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_79_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor:pointer\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #121c4e;color:#121c4e\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #121c4e;color:#121c4e\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/five-pillars-of-eduction-at-home\/#1_Relationships\" >1. Relationships<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/five-pillars-of-eduction-at-home\/#2_Rhythm\" >2. Rhythm<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/five-pillars-of-eduction-at-home\/#3_Home_environment\" >3. Home environment<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/five-pillars-of-eduction-at-home\/#4_Encouraging_natural_learning\" >4. Encouraging natural learning<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/five-pillars-of-eduction-at-home\/#5_Self-care\" >5. Self-care<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/five-pillars-of-eduction-at-home\/#Home_Education_Is_Not_Just_For_Pandemics\" >Home Education Is Not Just For Pandemics<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Relationships\"><\/span>1. Relationships<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Much has already been written on this blog on the importance of parent-child relationships in nurturing children\u2019s developing brains and supporting their health, happiness, and resilience into adulthood. This is doubly so with home education: a positive relationship based on collaboration, parental empathy, and playfulness forms a solid foundation for the highs and lows of educating at home. This type of relationship also creates an atmosphere in which children feel they can make mistakes and take risks, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oxfordhomeschooling.co.uk\/homeschooling-info\/the-benefits-of-homeschooling\/#:~:text=Builds%20confidence&amp;text=They're%20likely%20to%20be,learners%20in%20the%20long%20run.\">free from the comparison and competition<\/a> that can be rife in school settings.<\/p>\n<p>Understanding that children\u2019s challenging behavior is a form of communication and seeking to meet the needs behind that behavior are important for parents supporting their children through the rich terrain of home education. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nonviolentcommunication.com\/about-marshall-rosenberg\/\">Marshall Rosenberg\u2019s<\/a> pioneering work on nonviolent communication is a good place to start. Parents who homeschool can build a relationship with their children that doesn\u2019t rely on punishments, praise, or rewards, and instead seeks to develop children\u2019s intrinsic motivation.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Rhythm\"><\/span>2. Rhythm<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In his 2010 book, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplicityparenting.com\/\"><em>Simplicity Parenting<\/em><\/a>, educator and school counselor Kim John Payne made a powerful case for simplifying children\u2019s daily lives and reducing the number of activities &#8211; -and the sheer amount of stuff &#8212; in their lives for a slower, more balanced, and more psychologically healthy childhood. He advocated building a predictable but flexible rhythm, rather than a strict and brittle routine, which allows children to feel secure and thrive.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Living in a society in which most children go through the school gates every day can leave us with a very specific idea of what learning looks like. It\u2019s easy to forget that, at its best and most effective, learning &#8212; for adults and children alike &#8212; looks a lot like play and playful experimentation.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Parents and children can work together to build a rhythm that ensures a predictable flow through the day and enough time for learning activities (for formal academic work at home, children need much shorter lessons than they do in school, so plan accordingly), time outdoors, play, rest, and time as a family. During each day, certain times can act as anchors &#8212; meals, a walk, time together in the morning to do project work or read as a family, time for everyone to pitch in with chores. This rhythm brings a reassuring pattern to each day without putting too many brakes on the creativity that can come from blank space on the calendar.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_15599\" style=\"width: 1210px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15599\" class=\"wp-image-15599 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Rickman-image2-copy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Rickman-image2-copy.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Rickman-image2-copy-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Rickman-image2-copy-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Rickman-image2-copy-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Rickman-image2-copy-356x267.jpg 356w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Rickman-image2-copy-50x38.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-15599\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Photo provided by the author. <\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Home_environment\"><\/span>3. Home environment<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Many pedagogies speak of the importance of a <em>prepared environment<\/em>, from <a href=\"https:\/\/amshq.org\/About-Montessori\/History-of-Montessori\/Who-Was-Maria-Montessori\">Maria Montessori\u2019s<\/a> insistence that the environment should facilitate maximum independent learning and exploration to the Reggio Emilia notion of the environment as the <em>third teacher<\/em> (alongside the child and the teacher), designed to suit the child\u2019s needs and encourage collaboration, relationships, and exploration.<\/p>\n<p>At home, parents have the advantage of <em>not <\/em>teaching in a classroom &#8212; in fact, research suggests classrooms should be more like homes. A 2015 study by Barrett et al. on the <a href=\"https:\/\/ecadmin.wdfiles.com\/local--files\/facilities\/Impact%20of%20Classroom%20Design%20on%20Learning.pdf\">impact of classroom design on students\u2019 learning<\/a> found that the aesthetics of the spaces significantly affected children\u2019s ability to take in information: Classrooms with too much color and information had a negative impact, distracting children and making it hard to focus, and classrooms that were bare had similar effects. Natural light and fresh air were the most important ingredients for happy, focused students, as well as space to move around and furniture that fit their needs. These are all things parents can provide at home, meeting children\u2019s needs for independence, creativity, movement, play, and rest in a comfortable space.<\/p>\n<p>Movement is especially important, with research showing that it is a <a href=\"https:\/\/nwcommons.nwciowa.edu\/cgi\/viewcontent.cgi?article=1209&amp;context=education_masters\">key factor<\/a> in how children integrate social and academic learning and transform it into memory. Parents can bring movement into their children\u2019s daily rhythm with far more ease than schools.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Encouraging_natural_learning\"><\/span>4. Encouraging natural learning<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Living in a society in which most children go through the school gates every day can leave us with a very specific idea of what learning looks like. It\u2019s easy to forget that, at its best and most effective, learning &#8212; for adults and children alike &#8212; looks a lot like play and playful experimentation.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/baby-development-stages\/\">Humans are born learning<\/a>; all we need to do is look at a baby to see that this is true. In the first year or two of life, <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/language-development-early-childhood\/\">babies learn one or more languages<\/a>; figure out how to crawl, walk, run, and climb; discern when something is funny and when something is unacceptable; determine how to respond empathetically to others\u2019 emotions; and learn how to play. Home education can allow for a return to this more natural, playful style of learning, whether children are learning math through baking, studying a foreign language by playing Minecraft with a friend in another country, or chatting with a neighbor.<\/p>\n<p>Children have their own passions and interests that they want to explore, and home education provides the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.twinkl.ie\/blog\/different-approaches-in-home-education\">time and space for them to learn<\/a> through hands-on experiences, as well as enabling far deeper exploration of different subjects than would be possible at school. Rather than trying to replicate a full school timetable of compartmentalized subjects, parents can facilitate multidisciplinary projects and investigations. They can also allow children the space to tinker, lead their own learning, and find the state of flow we know is conducive to happiness and positive self-worth.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_15683\" style=\"width: 1930px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15683\" class=\"wp-image-15683 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/3.png 1920w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/3-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/3-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/3-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/3-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/3-356x200.png 356w, https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/3-50x28.png 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-15683\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/zh-tw\/photo\/333529\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chevanon Photography<\/a>. Pexels.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Self-care\"><\/span>5. Self-care<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Stress can harm <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/pandemic-shows-childrens-well-being-rests-on-parents-psychological-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">parents\u2019 ability to respond to their children<\/a>, and parents and educators alike have seen how children pick up on adult moods. We know that stress in teachers negatively affects class attainment, and stress in parents has been linked to poor behavioral outcomes in children. Home educating can be very fulfilling and enjoyable, but it can also be exhausting, especially when combined with other responsibilities, such as paid employment, housework, and caring for other children or elders. The importance of self-care for parents and caregivers cannot be overstated.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sm-table-layout__cell sm-table-layout__cell_align_left sm-table-layout__cell_fixed-cell_phrase\" data-test=\"table-cell\">\n<h3 class=\"sm-cell-phrase\"><span class=\"___SLink_jnr00-kmt_ ___SText_1yo79-kmt_\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"link\" data-ui-name=\"Link\" aria-disabled=\"false\">What Does Self Care Look Like?<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.everydayhealth.com\/self-care\/\">Self-care<\/a> can be broadly described as taking care of our own emotional, physical, and intellectual needs \u2013 for example, engaging in regular exercise (including taking a walk), taking time to enjoy a hobby (any activity that brings a state of flow is ideal), reading a good book, reducing time spent on social media or reading the news, having a phone conversation with a good friend, and practicing meditation. Self-care differs for each individual.<\/p>\n<p>If parents don\u2019t have much or any time apart from their children, choosing activities that can be done alongside the children is most effective. Doing so also gives parents the opportunity to model self-care and show their children what it means to prioritize one\u2019s own needs.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Home_Education_Is_Not_Just_For_Pandemics\"><\/span>Home Education Is Not Just For Pandemics<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Educating children at home can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/lifeandstyle\/2016\/sep\/10\/10-good-reasons-to-home-school-your-child\">benefit both children and their families<\/a>. Following the initial lockdowns over the spring and summer, many parents decided to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/education-57255380\">remove their children from school<\/a> permanently and take charge of their education themselves. In doing so, they noticed their children were less anxious and more interested in learning, and that sibling relationships once again blossomed with more time together. Evidence from families all over the world shows that children can learn perfectly well without school, and in many cases are happier, show more self-direction and intrinsic motivation in their learning, and develop a wide range of skills and interests.<\/p>\n<div class=\"retrofit-references\">\n<h4>References<\/h4>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 1.8em;\"><em> Rickman E (2020), <a href=\"https:\/\/scribepublications.co.uk\/books\/extraordinary-parenting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Extraordinary Parenting: The Essential Guide to Parenting and Educating at Home<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As a home educating parent as well as a home education coach and writer, I know there are five aspects of parenting that create a rich, positive environment in which children can play and learn at home. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":178,"featured_media":20276,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[435,5780],"tags":[27,267,400,6],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15598"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/178"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15598"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15598\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22387,"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15598\/revisions\/22387"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}