Sara’s family are homeschooling in Thailand. Sara is our first American homeschool interviewee and our third teacher. It really is incredible how many teachers don’t send their children to school. I found Sara’s answers fascinating, not only does she home school in Thailand, but hers is by far the most traditional, or school-at-home, family that I’ve talked to.
Her philosophy seems to follow the common theme, none of us want to endanger our children’s natural love of learning. I hope you enjoy her answers as much as I did.
Table of Contents
Experiences of Homeschooling in Thailand
Homeschool Regulations in Thailand
According to the HSLDA website, homeschooling is legal for Thai citizens in Thailand. Students must still be assessed each year and parents must submit an application to homeschool. As expats and tourists, we don’t worry about local regulations.
A Homeschooling Family Living in Thailand Full Time.
Would you briefly introduce yourself, how long have you been homeschooling, how many children are you responsible for educating and how old are they?
My name is Sara, my husband is Ben and we have three boys Greyson (9), Lincoln (7), and Britton (4). I have been homeschooling officially for the past 6 years, although I have been home with my boys for their whole lives.
We are from the United States, but for the past 4 years we have been homeschooling in Thailand. We are based in Bangkok, but love exploring Southeast Asia when we can get away for a holiday.
What are your reasons for Homeschooling? Did your children ever go to school?
Our original reason for homeschooling began when my oldest son was 3 years old.
The public school district that we were a part of was not what I wanted for my son. I was starting to get very concerned about where I was going to send him to school as private school were out of the question for us.
I started researching and talking to other homeschoolers and realized that this was going to be the best choice for our family.
What is your educational and career background? Does this influence the way your children are educated?
I have degrees in elementary and special education.
After college, I knew I wanted to stay home with my children, so I was a child care provider for 5 years.
I started Ten Perfect Fingers, Ten Perfect Toes, a customized hand and foot print painting business, and ran that business for 3 years until we moved to Thailand.
My husband and I also started Little Minds on the Grow, a company that went in to daycares and taught children ages 2 ½-5 to use the computer. I also taught a year of preschool out of my home.
Currently, I am tutoring children in our neighbourhood in reading, writing, math & English.
I love starting up clubs for my children and their friends to be a part of. So far we have had Lego club, art club, Science Saturdays, and movie nights.
My husband has a degree in Secondary Math Education and a Master’s of Educational in Curriculum & Technology. He taught high school math for 8 years before we moved to Thailand, where he is now teaching high school math at an international school in Bangkok. He also tutors and coaches.
I think having a background in education has influenced the way I teach my boys. It made me realize that I did not want my children to lose their love of learning at any age. I wanted them to understand why they were learning certain topics, not just told they had to. I also wanted them to have a say in what they would like to learn about.
Where did you get your education as a child? Was this a decision influencer?
I lived in the same small town for my entire childhood. I enjoyed school and was happy to be part of the tight knit community. When I think back, I really only have good memories.
Homeschooling was never something I thought I would do, it just kind of fell into my lap as the perfect solution to our choice of school situation.
Can you describe your style of homeschooling?
I am very traditional. We have our daily schedule and make sure we cover math, reading, and writing every day.
But, I am more than willing to toss our plans to the side if something else comes up. I am really trying to loosen up when it comes to having a schedule.
Let’s talk curriculum, anything you’d like to say on the subject?
I do use curriculum.
This goes back to me being very traditional in my style of teaching. I would love to throw those curriculum books aside someday, but for now, I need them.
One of my favourites right now is Five in a Row. This is a literature based curriculum and really is just a suggestion for all that picture books can teach. I love it because I can bring so many of my personal ideas into the teachings.
The boys really enjoy Story of the World. We are almost finished with Volume One and have learned so much. What I love about this is that it gives me a jumping off point to teach the kids, but then I research and pull in other books to supplement each chapter.
I would much rather take a field trip to learn about a subject hands on and we do plenty of that too.
What does your homeschool day look like? Do you have a schedule?
Our day is really scheduled. That’s my fault…I have always lived by a schedule and a list.
Lessons start at 9:00, snack around 10:30, work until 12:00, lunch at 12:00, work from 1:00- 2:30. Our school day finishes at 2:30.
The boys have an activity every day after school right now, so we have swimming, soccer, chess, or piano from 3:00-4:00. Then we are finished for the day.
Do you follow the school system of working weeks and terms?
We do only because my husband is a teacher at an international school in Bangkok and that is when we are able to travel.
I do take days off to celebrate each of the boy’s birthdays and we are flexible if the kids are having a rough day, just to take the day off and have some fun instead.
We occasionally take a day off during the week and pick it up on the weekend. We also work through some of the school holidays.
What is your one favourite homeschool resource?
I don’t have one, can I name four?
I love using Netflix to find great documentaries, TV shows and movies on the topics we are studying. We use the library at my husband’s school all the time.
Pinterest has been a huge help in finding activities to go along with the topic we are learning about. I really spend way too much time searching on Pinterest.
Other homeschool moms are such a great resource to ask for suggestions and advice.
Can you tell us the three best things about homeschooling for your family?
- I am in control of my child’s learning. I love that my oldest was ready to read at 7 and my youngest was ready at 4. They each could learn at their own pace and no one was pressuring my older son to start reading. He just was not ready and now he is right on target with his reading. If I would have pushed him at 4, he would have ended up hating to read.
- One of the biggest positives of homeschooling is that I get to spend quality time with my children every day. When I think back to my childhood, I don’t really remember my siblings being a huge part of it because we were always in school. I love that my boys are each other’s best friends and I have a very close relationship with each boy.
- We can be flexible. If it’s wet we can take a day off if we want, because we are probably going somewhere to keep on learning anyway. It’s easy to dive deeper into topics the boys are really interested in.
Regulations For Homeschooling in Thailand as a Foreigner
What are the government or state homeschool regulations where you live?
If we were still in the States, we would have to register with our local school district and then meet with an assessor twice a year for them to go over each child’s portfolio.
Now that we live in Thailand, I just document everything and take a ton of photos, so I have proof of what we have covered.
This way I will be able to share our progress with an assessor when we decide to go back to the States.
What one thing would you like to tell the world, homeschoolers and non-homeschoolers, about education?
I have had many people in the past come up to me concerned that my children were not involved in a “real school.”
I want the world to know that this is the way real education happens.
Finding a topic that you are interested in and learning everything you can on it. Many times when the boys are interested in a new topic, we will find a video, read books, look up photos online, and then take a field trip to find out even more on it.
I hope my boys learn to be self- taught instead of always relying on a teacher to tell them what to learn.
The boys also interact with people of all ages instead of just a group their own age. And, they are not afraid to ask a million questions.
I blog at A New Path to Follow and it is all about our time choosing the path that is not the most common. In our case, that is homeschooling and living abroad. I share our travels, but also our daily life in Thailand. I also put up information on the curriculum we are using and share fun projects and crafts I find. You can also follow us on Pinterest and Instagram
My Kids Experiences of Homeschooling in Thailand
My kids have spent months in Thailand and have, therefore, had plenty of experience learning about and from this country. Thailand is fascinating and has much to learn. I can give you an example, my homeschooled son wrote a post on Thai history, sparked by the Three Kings statue in Chiang Mai, just click through. As tourists, we did not follow Thai rules and regulations. We carry homeschool supplies with us or sometimes order online. If you’d like to see the workbooks we use visit our page.
Heidi Wagoner says
This is so helpful. I have so much to learn in this area. We are in Thailand too, Chiang Mai. Well, we only have 3 weeks left before we move along to Loas. Homeschool, Worldschool, Roadschool, I’m not sure how to “classify” us, but we are getting by. I too need a schedule and I think the kids are used to it as well, so that works for us. We use an online program to help get them through the courses, but I think they would prefer to be “taught” . We’ve only been doing this a couple of months, so still trying to find our groove.
homeschool group hug says
What courses are you doing Heidi? I find it best to avoid classification as much as possible, there’s a lot of nastyness over definitions in the alternative education world. That’s why I stay vague, we’re a bit of this, a bit of that, we do what we like and we’re not bound by rules of anyone’s making. I’ll have to interview you when you get it figured out.(it takes years!)
Adele says
Hi, We know Sara and her fab family after I saw a comment Sara had left on a blog and as we were just starting out as homeschoolers and travelling to Thailand I thought it would be great to contact her, we have now become friends even though we are back in Europe. It was interesting when we met as Sara’s three boys and my boy and girl got on so well, no bickering or tail telling, they played together for six solid hours and I think that is because they are all home schooled and have similar skill sets, I wish we lived closer together so our kids could play and learn together more often. Great interview, loved it.
Dawn says
Greetings,
My husband may be relocating his job in Thailand. I am currently homeschooling my three children, and would like to know of any homeschool coops in the area near Bangkok. His job would provide tuition for ISB, but I am uncertain if that is the rout I will take. I’m hopeful to find community for my children and educate at home, yet I am unfamiliar with the territory.
Please help.
Gratefully,
Dawn
nick says
Hello.
I am looking to join a network of homeschooling parents in Bangkok which are both Thai and Foreign.
I have a 12 year old daughter who is Thai and American and we are both excited to get on board with homeschooling in Thailand.
If there are any groups that meet up during the week or weekends please let me know.
It would be good to hang out and share ideas and plan field trips together.
Thanks.
Nick.
Pop says
Hi Nick ,I am Thai Family and hope to meet group homeschool ,which the area you stay in Bangkok ,my son is 7 years old
Jenny says
Hi my name is Jenny, I plan to home schooling my son 9 years old and my daughter 7 years old. I hope to meet group homeschool. And I am stay in bkk now. Thank you
Thanasit says
Hi. Pop
My name is Thanasit (Big).
I am single Dad with one daughter 11 years old. Also have one of ours daughter friend family so interesting to meet and join homeschooling group.We are living in BKK location area Rama2 (Bang Khun Tein) I need to have advisor for how to make it happen and I already have a homeschooling programs designed by my self for my daughter and her friend too may be when we meet we can share the knowledge to each other.
Thanks,Best Regards
GOD BLESS…
Sharon says
Are you still in Rama 2 just got here and I am considering homeschooling can we meet?
Alycia Abts says
It is always so great to hear about Expat families who homeschool. It is encouraging and helpful. We homeschool, too, but in Nigeria. Our son has unique learning needs that the local American school can’t meet and since I am a teacher it was a no-brainer to start homeschooling. Best decision we ever made!
Jay says
I am currently homeschooling my son (5 yo, American-Thai) using FLVS.net as it is accredited and FREE! I had to change my legal residence to Florida, but that was easy enough and could be done from Thailand. I am also homeschooling my daughter (13 yo, Thai) after pulling her out of the useless local EP school. I have focused her learning around preparing for the GED and SAT exams since ultimately, the goal is to get her into an American community college and then university.
We are in Udon Thani and would welcome co-learning or meeting up for activities
homeschool group hug says
Thailand homeschoolers get together page!
Jeff McNeill says
FLVS.net is not accredited by any recognized accrediting body (by a state or region in the United States). This is a problem with many online schools, is that their accreditation is not recognized by any established educational institution. Buyer beware.
Alyson Long says
I’ve never heard of FLVS, so I looked it up, Florida Live Virtual School – their about page says they are accredited and deliver courses both in Florida and internationally, but as I’m not American, no idea who they need to be accredited with nor for what. The US system is a complete mystery to me.
Pop says
Hi,
My name is Pop ,we are Thai ,We have 1 boy age 7 years old, we do unschooling for 2 years , we are locate in Ekkamai Ramindra ,Ladproa area, feel free to connect and meet some group in same area or near ,please feel free to email me 🙂
Thida Petcharit says
Hi! there. I’m Thai and just moved back from The U.S. recently. I’m interested in homeschool in Thailand and I would like to know about it. How I can contact you? My phone number is 092-416-2883. Is it possible to call me? I need to know asap because it’s kind of late for this term now. Thank you so much in advance. พูดไทยได้ค่ะ
Sara Roth says
Hi Thida-
Please send me a message and I will put you in touch with the families that homeschool there. We actually just moved to Chile, but I am more than happy to help you contact other homeschooling families. There is a large international homeschool community as well as a Thai homeschooling community. Looking forward to hearing from you.
-Sara
Alyson Long says
Thank you Sara. Wondering, do you have home educating contacts in Chiang Mai? We are thinking of living up there next year. I’ve heard Thailand is excellent for homeschooling families, local and expat, Chiang Mai in particular.
Prem says
Hi can we connect with you regarding knowing more about homeschooling in Thailand for my 6.5 years old (Thai -Indian ) daughter as we are locating back to Chiangmai this year.
Regards
Prem
Manouk says
Hi pop, how can I get in contact with you?
Thida Petcharit says
By the way, I have 2 daughters, 13 and 11 years old. We live in Rama 9 area, Rachada Soi 3.
Alyson Long says
Hi Thida, I’ve messaged Sarah, the lady above, via her website (link is on this page) hopefully she’ll get in touch about home education in Thailand
Thida Petcharit says
Thank you Alyson.
Mink says
Hi! I’m Mink… I will do homeschool for my son right after this semester ends. Please let me know any groups or activities we can arrange to meet up. My son is 7 years old. I live in Bangna. Keep in touch!
Sara Roth says
Hi Mink-
There is a wonderful homeschool group that meets weekly in Bangna. Send me a message at and I will put you in contact with the family in charge.
-Sara
Jennifer Altman says
I’d love to n ow more about homeschooling in Thailand as it may be a possibility for us next year!
KAREN TAN says
following… I might be in the same boat as you Jennifer Altman.
Timothy Dharmajiva says
Dear Sir/Madam,
I would like to know more information about home schooling as we have decided to home school our oldest son from grade 10 – 12 (15 yo) and would like to know to know who to go about doing this. What learning facility/institution would provide us with the curriculum to follow, access him and provide accreditation for these 3 years of study. It is our goal that he would receive high school equivalency qualifications in order to enter university in future. Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Kind Regards, Timothy Dharmajiva
Alyson Long says
What country are you from Timothy? Regulations vary around the world, but generally hmeschoolers do not use a curriculum as you describe nor do they seek accreditation or standard school exams.
Jeff McNeill says
There are a variety of curricula that are recognized and accredited by a regional accrediting body (for US curricula). And yes, many parents are interested in finding such, rather than building it all on their own.
Alyson Long says
But does that actually matter? All that counts for us is that the kids pass the exams at the end. And they don’t have to sit exams if they don’t want to.
Laura says
Hello
I am interested in learning more on how to go about homeschooling from Thailand. My daughter is going to be sixteen and I would like to start homeschooling her from Thailand. My husband is from Thailand and would like to move back to take care of his elderly parents. I have no idea where the start, if I could get any type of guidance I would truly appreciate it.
Simon says
Hi there I have 10 year old daughter in Chiang Mai, she is Thai/English. She is home schooled but we would like her to join a group as I have had to return home to Europe and her mother is so busy working she struggles to find enough time to teach.
Ideally a group where parents can teach different classes and share the work. The mother is very good at teaching Art.
If anyone knows of a group in Chiang Mai please contact me.
Simon
Simon robinson says
I have a Thai/English 7 year old daughter suffering with ADHD and LD keeping her in a regular school does not give the 1 to 1 attention from the teacher That she needs, especially in a class holding 40 to 50 kids.
this summer break we have been home schooling her to the best of our ability’s and using an online teaching site but it’s only 30 mins per day, plus in addition time spent with. Y wife and I teaching her, also in light of covid19 I’m reluctant to send her back to school full time which could endanger her health.
This being the case I’d like to speak with somebody in person, face to face, telephone or chat that can advise my wife and I the best steps to take regards home schooling and basically some advise how to give home study and follow a curriculum without compromising her education.
Thanks and hope to hear back from you
Regards
Simon.
Alyson Long says
Hi Simon. I’d be happy to have a chat with you over Zoom, but I do have to charge for my time, sorry. My children are now teenagers and very happily doing iGCSE course work. They started school at 15 and 14. Never having been in a classroom hasn’t held them back at all.
Bow says
How do we start home schooling? My sons are 9 and 6 years old. They went to international school. Because of covid, I’m worried about them to go to school.
Alyson Long says
Find out what your local regulations are, if you are a Thai National. Does Thai law allow homeschooling? I think, and I could be wrong, thatThai law is pretty strict and that you have to have a good reason to Homeschool. But look it up, find out, and see if you can legally homeschool in Thailand. There may be some form of regulation, registration or reporting. If you can sort out the legal stuff, the rest is easy!
Tapat says
Hi everyone,
I want to be in homeschool group too. can anyone make a group chat? Or add me at line: fotapa
David says
I’d like the idea my kids to be homeschooling
Alyson Long says
I’m glad you do David. It’s a great lifestyle for families.
Emily says
Hello, we are relocating back to Thailand in the Pattaya area. We started our home ed journey during the first lock down in 2020 as our kids weren’t suited to being glued to a laptop 7 hours a day for “remote” lessons. We left for the UK late in 2020, but are heading back to rejoin my husband. Our biggest challenge in doing home ed in Thailand was finding other families doing home ed locally in Pattaya. Any suggestions of where to connect with others on the home ed/unschooling/home schooling path.. 🙏
Alyson Long says
I’d look into finding worldschooling (world schooling) families. There are various Facebook groups. Once travel really picks up again there should be plenty passing through, staying a while. Or search for local homeschool groups on Google, maybe find your local expat group on Facebook too. Best of luck!