School’s out for the foreseeable future. The sudden outbreak of the novel coronavirus resulted in a global pandemic, forcing educational institutions to halt holding traditional lectures and switch to homeschool learning. Some schools have resorted to online classes, while some put the onus on parents and guardians to encourage their children to learn at home.
However, many parents are not prepared to be their children’s temporary educators. It’s a massive change in routine for them, as many parents also have to juggle working from home. To help you mitigate the disruption of your child’s learning, here are tips that can assist you in giving your kids educational nourishment while they’re at home.
Irrespective of their age, establishing and maintaining a routine schedule can create predictability and reduce anxiety for your children. However, it’s worth noting that older children are more inclined to follow a schedule compared to younger ones. In your routine, there must be a balance of academic, creative, physical, and social activities, along with clear expectations for wakeup calls and bedtimes.
Most schools have protocols in place and offer support to facilitate learning at home, so it’s best to take advantage of the tools and resources provided to you. If you wish, you can also supplement whatever the school supplied with programs of your own.
For a conducive learning environment, create an area in the house where your child would be able to focus area. While there are no clear guidelines as to what it should look like, it should be a space where there are minimal distractions like a TV or a smartphone so that they can focus more on their lectures. The space should also be comfortable for your child—it’s best to ask for their input as to what works for them.
Social distancing is paramount at this time, but that doesn’t equate to social isolation. It’s also important to allow your kids to stay in touch with their peers. To help with this, it would be best if you provided opportunities for them to interact socially with their friends as they would during recess and lunch at school. You could do things like organising video calls or setting up watch parties.
Remember that this is a tough time for everyone—not just you. There may be days where you get frustrated and feel like nothing is working, and keep in mind that it’s normal. While it’s essential to establish schedules, you have to leave room for flexibility, too. It would be best if you avoid holding on to tough expectations on yourself and your children. If you find that you had more downtime on a particular day, remember that it’s alright, and you can try again the next day.
There is no hard and fast rule as to how parents and guardians should homeschool their children. The only thing you can do for now is to follow your parental instincts, provide emotional support and do what you think would work best. Should you need additional assistance, get in touch with us to see how we can help.
