Home education: Subjects to teach

Design Technology is about making things, keeping things going, and a lot of problem-solving.

Design technology includes things such as:

• cooking
• Lego
• car maintenance
• web design
• fashion
• toy-making
• wallpapering

You can get a lot of useful information about design technology online. Enter the words design technology into a search engine to find websites.

The Design Technology Department is also a helpful website.

Learning how to make something

You might have particular skills that you're happy to pass on, or you know someone who has.

If any of your friends have relevant hobbies, persuade them to give your child a taster session, even if they don't have time to follow that up themselves.

If your child already has a practical skill that they're happy to use and develop, see if it's possible to extend that.

Once they are interested in something, ways can usually be found to build on their interest. It may be possible for you to learn together with your child.

You might find it useful to make a list of the skills you think your child will need. Everyone's list will be different, but this might be a starter.

• Assemble a flat-pack sideboard
• Hang a set of curtains
• Clean a cooker
• Screw down a loose floorboard
• Plan a week's food shop
• House-train a dog
• Sew on a button
• Change a tyre
• Clean a budgie cage
• Wash a car
• Empty a vacuum cleaner
• Boil an egg
• Iron a pair of jeans
• Decorate a Christmas tree
• Hang a picture
• Swap a SIM-card