How to teach your child to read (a step-by-step guide for parents)
This is the episode that finally answers the big question: how do I actually help my child learn to read? In it, I share a clear, step-by-step guide parents can use every day.
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How to make money as a home educating parent
Most advice on making money is hustle culture. This episode is different - two real income streams I’ve built discussed in detail, a framework to map your own, and six realistic lanes parents like us are using to make extra income right now.
The fight over how to teach reading (and what matters instead)
Parents are drowning in arguments about phonics, whole language, and balanced literacy. Here’s the truth behind the Reading Wars, and what really matters for your child.
Why reading makes us panic (and what children’s brains are really ready for)
Part one of this series uncovers why reading timelines get parents so worried, and what the science says about how and when children are really ready.
Ten things a home educating parent should NEVER do
After years of doing this, and speaking to thousands of other parents, I’ve found there are ten things that will categorically make home education harder than it needs to be. This episode puts every one of them under the spotlight.
Why home educating is the most important work there is
As a home educator, there’s a good chance you’re not valuing yourself, or your role, nearly as much as you should. Today I want to show you why I believe you’ve taken on a level of professional responsibility and weight that most people never will.
The myth of the self-directed child, Part One (why freedom isn’t enough) 🎙️
Why so many children struggle to take initiative - even with total freedom - and what the science of motivation, autonomy, and brain development tells us they actually need instead.
If I was starting home ed all over again, here’s what I’d do (part one) 🎙️
Everything we'd do differently if we could take ourselves right back to the start of this journey again.
The truth about “school readiness” (what developmental science actually says) 🎙️
What really happens in a child’s brain before and after they turn five? And what are the hidden costs of deciding that formal learning should “start” at that age? Let's look at the neuroscience, the developmental timelines, and four key reasons why the idea of “school readiness” is so deeply flawed.
The 11 things children need to reach their full potential (part two) 🎙️
Part One explored five conditions that built a foundation. This second half moves into the deeper developmental drivers that shape capability and confidence from the inside out.
The 11 things children need to reach their full potential (part one) 🎙️
In this two-part series, I walk through 11 essential conditions that help children reach their full potential - backed by science, and shaped by real life. Part One covers the five foundational pieces every child needs to grow well.
What every parent MUST know about the AI Generation
AI is replacing the very jobs we’ve always raised our children to aim for. In this urgent episode, I unpack where AI is at right now, what the next decade might look like, and how we can prepare our children for a future more different than we can imagine.
What if my child never learns maths? (and what the research actually says) 🎙️
We’ll look at what most people actually need maths for, how numeracy develops without school, how quickly kids can catch up later, and why the data shows the school system isn’t delivering the results we think it is.
The 7 skills that make home educating WORK 🎙️
How do I actually guide my child’s learning and growth? I know I don’t want to be a teacher, I know I want to be more like a mentor, or coach, or guide, but...how do I do that? What does it look like in practice?
We were SO wrong about how children develop resilience
I was sent an email recently that I want to talk about here. It was based around the kinds of questions this parent gets from her mother: "How will your child cope in life if they aren't made to do things they don't want? If...
Episode 9: Why Trusting Your Child Will Change Their Life
In this episode we’re looking at a philosophy that underpins how Kate and I approach life with our kids, their education, and our relationships with them. It’s very different to the way formal education is approached, and is based on the power of trust. We’ll talk about...
Episode 8 (Q&A): On Growing Resilience / On Finding Time For Yourself / On Reluctant Dads
In this – the first of many episodes where I’ll spend some time answering listener questions – I talk through: 1) How do you respond to people saying ‘life is hard – if you don’t force your child to do things they don’t want to do, how will they be...
School Exemption Examples
Complete copies of our approved school exemption applications for our (then) 13, 11 and 6 year olds.
Episode 7: A Week In Our Life Without School
A lot of you have asked for a day-in-the-life style episode, so…here it is! I think there’s a stack of important context that should always be shared as part of this kind of conversation, though, so this episode is made up of three parts (if you listen in,...
Episode 6: Four Strategies For When Home Education Feels Hard
This week I want to talk about what to do when this home education path starts feeling hard, because what we’re doing here isn’t easy. As parents, we’re taking on a huge responsibility by choosing to live a life without school, and there’s not always the...
Episode 5: How To Talk To Family And Friends About Home Education
One of the things we often underestimate when we decide to live a life without school – regardless of how excited about it we are – is how our family and friends will respond to it. How we’ll talk to them about it, and answer the questions that they’ll probably...
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