I’m a big fan of deschooling. It really worked for us in our special needs homeschool. But I know the idea can be really frightening. It’s very tempting to try and put kids right back to work. Because this is a responsibility you’ve taken on.

And the best part is that they will be learning lots of valuable skills, while having a blast!

Outdoor deschooling activities and field trips

1. Go for a nature walk and do a ‘treasure hunt’.
2. Go beachcombing and find shells to classify.
3. Play team sports with friends.
4. Sit underneath a tree and draw what you see.
5. Pick up trash in a park or on the beach.
6. Plant a vegetable garden and donate some of the spoils.
7. Set up a lemonade stand and give the money you earn to charity.
8. Go geocaching and make a video about your experience.
9. Make a time capsule and draw a map to show where it’s buried.
10. Make a fort out of recycled materials.
11. Build a bird feeder for the garden.
12. Visit a wildlife reserve and take photos of all the animals you see.
13. Go for a hike.
14. Take a rescue dog for a walk.
15. Pick fruit in an orchard.
16. Do odd jobs for neighbours to earn some extra pocket money.
17. Put a white sheet outside and paint something big on it.
18. Use sidewalk chalk to draw on the street.
19. Use a map to go to a new location in your town.
20. Learn to do handstands, cartwheels or back flips.
21. Take a daily photo of the same tree.
22. Organize a block party with your friends.
23. Search for painted rocks in the park and place your own.
24. Make paper boats and sail them on a pond.
25. Go to a protest with your friends.
26. Go to an aquarium and draw your favourite fish.
27. Visit a natural history museum and find all the snakes/insects/dinosaurs/birds.
28. Take a trip to a working farm to see where your food comes from.
29. Take a cooking class and have a party with what you make.
30. Visit an animal sanctuary or rehabilitation centre and feed the animals.
31. Go to the library and take out all the books by your favourite writer.
32. Walk around your city and take pictures of graffiti.
33. Visit a historical monument and draw it.
34. Attend a festival with your family.
35. Go to the beach and draw on the sand.
36. Learn to juggle.
37. Take an art class and give away what you make.
38. Organize a treasure hunt for your friends.
39. Make a kite and fly it.
40. Pitch a tent in the back garden.
41. Build a go kart from recycled materials.
42. Construct a mini golf course and invite your friends to play.
43. Look at the stars and draw a map of what you see.
44. Have a bug hunt at the park or in your garden.
45. Go birdwatching and keep a journal of the birds you see.
46. Take a train trip to a new place.
47. Visit an art gallery and recreate what you liked.
48. Go to a pizzeria and learn how to make your own pizza.
49. Go to the park for some cloud watching.
50. Organize a picnic for your friends or family.

Activities around the house

1. Bake a cake and take it to a friend for a tea party.
2. Build a fort out of blankets and sheets.
3. Build a LEGO marble run.
4. Make homemade bath paint and paint a mural.
5. Shoot a video of you making slime.
6. Read a nice long book.
7. Draw your own comic character and then write a comic.
8. Make something out of clay and then paint it.
9. Use recycled materials to make birthday or Christmas cards.
10. Make a flock of origami cranes and tack them to your ceiling.
11. Make a costume and then have a fancy dress party.
12. Act out a play with your friends.
13. Play board games with your family.
14. Create your own board game and teach your friends.
15. Use fabric paint to customize a t-shirt.
16. Take photos of your mini figures doing funny things.
17. Learn the lyrics of your favourite song and perform it.
18. Make a diorama with your dinosaurs or dolls.
19. Build a LEGO house.
20. Tie dye something and give it as a gift.
21. Knit a really long scarf.
22. Print your own wrapping paper.
23. Create a terrarium with succulents.
24. Make a city out of old cardboard boxes.
25. Weave a dream catcher.

Screen time deschooling activities

1. Play games on PBS Kids or CBeebies with your friends.
2. Play Minecraft and create your ideal room.
3. Find out about your favourite singer/sports person/actor.
4. Follow a tutorial to design a poster for your room.
5. Learn to use Photoshop and make a funny photo.
6. Start an Instagram account where you post sayings or photos of flowers.
7. Join a young entrepreneurs Facebook group and sell something you make.
8. Write a song on Garage Band.
9. Make a stock animation movie with the Stop Motion app.
10. Start a YouTube channel where you teach something you know well.
11. Design a logo for a friend or family member.
12. Find a ‘pen pal’ in another country and write to them.
13. Sell some of your old toys online and donate the money.
14. Start a crowdfunding campaign.
15. Start a blog and write about what interests you.
16. Learn a new language with MindSnacks or Duolingo.
17. Take up genealogy and design your family tree.
18. Watch a nature documentary.
19. Figure out how to code with Tynker.
20. Shoot an unboxing video.
21. Create an online comic and share it with your friends.
22. Listen to the The Hobbit audiobook.
23. Animate something with 3D animation software.
24. Make a dancing video on TikTok.
25. Use music software to write a song.

The most important deschooling activity…

1. Play, have fun and relax!

Over to you…

These are just 101 deschooling activities your kids can do. But I’m sure there are thousands more. If your child is engaged and interested, they will be learning something useful. And once they are ready to learn in a more structured way, then you will be pleasantly surprised by what useful skills and knowledge they have picked up naturally along the way.