How AI can transform learning at home | home education with personalised plans and prompts

How LLMs like ChatGPT can transform learning at home

Artificial intelligence is quietly becoming a helpful tool for home ed families. Used with care, it can support learning in ways that feel personal, flexible, and rooted in real life. AI can help you reflect on what your child is already doing, build on their interests, and make sense of learning as it happens. You do not need to be a tech expert, or use a paid plan to get started. I use the free version of ChatGPT.

In this article, we explore how AI can help you to:

• create individual learning plans shaped around your child

• design engaging lessons that respond to interests and energy levels

• recognise the learning outcomes within everyday activities

You will also find simple prompts and example scripts you can use straight away to support your home education journey.

 

Create an individualised study plan tailored to your child

One of the most powerful uses of LLMs (Large Language Models) in home education is personalisation. Rather than following a generic curriculum, you can ask the AI to build a study plan tailored to your own child’s interests, strengths and pace. For example, you could generate a four week plan for a child who enjoys nature, weaving together literacy, science and art ideas.

Try this prompt:

“Create a four week study plan for a 9 year old who loves nature and storytelling. Include literacy, science, and art activities. The plan should be flexible and support self directed learning.”

You can tweak this depending on your child’s needs, eg. whether they’re neurodivergent, learning a new language, or preparing for GCSEs.

Tip:

Once you have a basic plan, you can ask follow up questions like:

“Can you turn week one into a visual timetable?”
“Suggest hands-on activities to explore ecosystems at home.”

 

Design dynamic, interactive lessons

AI can help you create fresh, engaging lessons that are responsive and adaptable. Whether you're teaching maths through Minecraft or exploring Shakespeare with kitchen table drama, AI can help you reimagine learning in ways that keep it fun and meaningful. Have AI design lessons that fit real interests. For instance, it can turn baking into a maths lesson, or explain photosynthesis in a playful, story book way. AI can also help you see the learning in ordinary everyday activities. Generate quizzes, discussion prompts, creative project ideas, crafts, and age appropriate explanations that match your child’s current interests. 

Try this prompt:

“Design a hands-on maths lesson for a 12 year old who loves baking. Include concepts like ratios, fractions, and conversions between grams and ounces.”

Or:

“Explain photosynthesis to a 7 year old using storytelling and roleplay ideas.”

You can also generate quizzes, games, or conversation scripts:

“Create a multiple choice quiz on Ancient Egypt for a visual learner aged 10.”

 

Here's a few more:

• For planning learning themes:

“Suggest a term long learning theme based on 'oceans' that covers geography, science, art, and creative writing for ages 6–12.”

• For simplifying tricky topics:

“Explain the concept of gravity to a 5 year old using toys or everyday objects.”

• For learner led projects:

“Help me design a child led project around 'space exploration' with suggested resources, questions, and presentation ideas.”

• For making the most of screen time:

“Suggest five educational YouTube videos on renewable energy suitable for ages 11–13, with follow up discussion questions for each.”

 

Discover educational outcomes the progress of everyday activities

Sometimes, home ed looks like baking, building Lego cities, or watching David Attenborough documentaries. AI can help you reflect on these moments and identify their educational value, linking them to broader learning goals or curriculum areas. You might describe a cardboard house your child built and ask the AI to point out the learning areas covered and suggest ways to extend on them. You can use ChatGPT to help you generate questions that prompt your child to reflect on what they’ve learned (“What was the most surprising thing you discovered today and why?”). Feed the AI bits of work, notes or observations and ask it to summarise patterns or themes. This can help you see where progress has been made. If you describe an activity and the knowledge or skills it involves (however mundane), the AI can link them to learning outcomes, and suggest next steps or extension activities if asked.

Just be mindful that AI generated assessments are not an educational report. They should support your own view of progress, not replace it.

Try this prompt:

“My child built a cardboard house and made up stories about the people who live there. What learning areas does this cover, and how can I extend it?”

Or:

“We spent the afternoon planting seeds and talking about bees. What subjects did we cover, and how can I turn this into a mini project?”

 

Tips for writing prompts for the content you want AI to create

Be specific. Tell the AI exactly what you want. Include the child’s age, interests, and any particular learning goals or special needs. For example, “Create a history activity about the Romans, for a dyslexic 8 year old who loves Minecraft.” Explain the background. If you want a lesson to be hands-on or linked to a real life event, say so. Context really helps the AI tailor the response. Showing the AI a short example of what you like helps shape the results. If you want a quiz, include a sample question so it knows the format to use. If the first reply isn’t quite right, ask follow-up questions (“make it simpler”, “add more activities”, “fit it into 30 minutes”, “make it screen free”).

 

Advice on checking the accuracy of responses

Double check facts, cross reference responses with trusted sources you already use, like reputable websites, or national curriculum frameworks. If the AI gives references or dates, look them up separately. Research has found that AI can make up citations or get details wrong. You can prompt the AI to list where information came from or suggest where you might verify it. Treat the AI’s answers as draft ideas rather than final authority. Your own judgement and a quick check with a reliable resource is what makes the result strong.

 

A customisable script to edit:

Just replace the text in brackets with your own information (and then remove the brackets). Copy and paste into ChatGPT.

Prompt: You are a creative and knowledgeable home education specialist with a focus on playful, hands-on learning. Your task is to come up with imaginative, age appropriate activities that make learning feel natural and enjoyable for children.

Background: I’m a home educating parent searching for fun, low prep ways to help my (insert age) year old learn about (insert topic or subject).

About the learner: My child is especially interested in (insert interests, e.g., building, nature, storytelling, music, video games, art, movies etc.).

Goal: Provide a list of inventive, engaging activities that combine learning with play. They should be easy to implement at home, aligned with my child’s age and passions, and designed to spark curiosity and hands-on exploration while meeting key learning objectives.

Structure: Use bullet points for each activity. Include a short explanation of the activity, the materials needed, and how it supports learning. Use the term home education, not homeschooling. Always use British English spellings, metric units, and examples rooted in England.

Tone: Friendly, practical, and inspiring, something that feels doable and enjoyable for both parent and child.

Supply three follow up questions. They should be thought provoking and dig further into the original topic.

 

Here’s an example of the great results from one I generated for my 13 year old learning about cells.

Engaging activities for learning about cells

1. Minecraft cell model
    
   • Materials: Minecraft (Java or Bedrock edition).
   • Activity: Build a giant 3D animal or plant cell in Minecraft using different blocks for organelles (e.g., wool for the cell membrane, glowstone for mitochondria). Label parts with signs and create a "tour" explaining each function.
   • Learning Connection: Understanding cell structure, organelle functions, spatial thinking.
      
2. Edible cell model
    
   • Materials: Jelly (for cytoplasm), sweets (for organelles), a clear container.
   • Activity: Make a jelly based cell model by suspending different sweets inside to represent organelles (e.g., a jellybean for the nucleus, M&Ms for mitochondria). Discuss each part’s role while assembling.
   • Learning Connection: Visual and tactile representation of cell components, reinforcing functions.
      
3. Roblox cell adventure
    
   • Materials: Roblox Studio or a relevant educational game.
   • Activity: Create a game where players shrink down and explore inside a giant cell, completing challenges related to organelles (e.g., "Power Up the Mitochondria" by collecting energy). Alternatively, find a pre-made educational Roblox game about cells.
   • Learning Connection: Interactive learning through digital play, gamified science.
      
4. Nature cell hunt
    
   • Materials: Microscope (if available), phone camera, notebook.
   • Activity: Collect leaves, onion skin, or pond water and examine them under a microscope or with a macro lens. Compare plant and animal cells, sketch findings, and label organelles.
   • Learning Connection: Real world observation of cells, comparison between cell types.
      
5. Lego cell construction
    
   • Materials: Lego bricks in various colours and sizes.
   • Activity: Build a 3D Lego cell, assigning different bricks to organelles (e.g., a clear brick for the vacuole). Take a photo and label it digitally.
   • Learning Connection: Hands-on 3D modelling of cell structures.
      
6. Cell art challenge
    
   • Materials: Paper, paint, clay, or digital drawing tools.
   • Activity: Create an artistic representation of a cell in any medium - draw, paint, sculpt, or use digital art software. Add labels and creatively depict organelles in action.
   • Learning Connection: Reinforces cell structure and function through visual expression.
      
7. Movie & storytelling night
    
   • Materials: A sci-fi or biology themed film/TV show (e.g., Osmosis Jones, Cells at Work!), popcorn.
   • Activity: Watch a film that features cells in action. Afterward, discuss how accurately cells were portrayed and what could be improved scientifically.
   • Learning Connection: Linking science to storytelling and pop culture for better engagement.
      
8. DIY Cell board game
    
   • Materials: Cardboard, markers, dice, small tokens.
   • Activity: Design a simple board game where players move through a cell, completing tasks (e.g., "Deliver oxygen to the mitochondria"). Add chance cards with cell related challenges.
   • Learning Connection: Reinforces organelle functions in a playful way.
      
9. Escape Room: Cell edition
    
   • Materials: Paper clues, locked box, timer.
   • Activity: Set up an escape room where your child must "unlock the nucleus" by solving cell related puzzles (e.g., match an organelle to its function to find the next clue).
   • Learning Connection: Problem solving, recall of cell knowledge, immersive learning.
      
10. Music & cells
     

• Materials: Music software (GarageBand, Chrome Music Lab) or instruments.
• Activity: Create a song or rap about the functions of cell organelles. Challenge your child to come up with catchy lyrics to help remember cell parts.
• Learning Connection: Uses rhythm and music to enhance memory and recall.

 

Follow-up questions:

1. Which of these activities best suits your child’s interests?
2. Would you like a deeper focus on plant vs. animal cells or cell division?
3. How does your child usually engage with science - through hands-on, digital, or creative activities?

By using customised AI settings, you can significantly improve the relevance, tone, and usefulness of the responses even further. This is especially great for home ed parents looking for more tailored results, or for adapting prompts for neurodivergent needs. Read the next article where I suggest instructions for customising ChatGPT to respond in a tone that matches your family’s learning needs, values and style.

Read how to customise ChatGPT here.

 

My thoughts

Many parents worry about the environmental impact of AI, and that concern is totally valid. AI does use lots of energy, just as streaming, cloud storage, online searches, and video calls do too. Almost everything we do digitally has a carbon footprint now. The key issue is how thoughtfully it is used. Customising AI so it gives clear, relevant responses reduces repeated prompts and wasted processing. Using it with purpose, rather than as a novelty, matters. When AI replaces multiple tools or long searches, it can actually reduce overall digital use. Like most things, the impact is not just about the technology itself, but about habits, limits, and mindful use.

AI isn’t here to replace parents or educators, it’s here to support us. When used well, it becomes a creative partner, helping us tailor learning, spark curiosity, and make the most of everyday moments. It offers fresh perspectives and practical help, especially on those days when you're juggling a million things. But as with all tools, the magic lies in how we use it. Let your values, your child's needs, and your intuition lead the way. AI can offer ideas, but you know your child best.