Tips for Homeschooling During Coronavirus

If you’re one of the tens of millions of parents who are now essentially homeschooling your kids, here are some tips to help you keep your kids engaged and everyone sane.

Know your kid.

Strong learners can do better independently, but weaker learners may really struggle. “Online [and independent] learning is really hard for a lot of people. It requires a lot of self-regulated learning skills. Different kids will do best in different learning environments. If your child learns better in groups, try a Zoom study session with a fellow classmate. The older kids are, the longer they may be able to work on their own.

This is a good time for passion projects.

This is a good time for kids to pursue interests they haven’t had time to focus on in the past. It could be cooking,  a building project, or drawing. Bonus: If it’s something they’re truly interested in, you won’t have to bug them to do it.

Free online resources are amazing but just the beginning.

Don’t get bogged down by the flood of downloadable  lesson plans available online. If you’re working from home yourself, they can be especially overwhelming.

Instead, find a couple of resources that work and build from there. Prioritize your kid’s greatest need and then their biggest interest or passion. Look for resources that will keep them connected to their real-life community.  Grandparents and family friends are volunteering to lead activities like story time and craft sessions. You’re not going to recreate school in one day, so start small.

Set up designated space and time for learning.

Kids may need to move around during the day, but have one or two designated areas for learning. Have your kids pack up their materials into a basket so they can put them aside when they’re finished.

Same goes for time. While it’s good to have a general daily routine, you can also be flexible. It’s OK to let your kids sleep in a little later than usual — research shows many of our children and teens are chronically sleep-deprived.   Shoot for two to four good academic hours instead. And don’t forget to get outside — learning happens outdoors too.

Source:  Lifekit Podcast by Anya Kameetz

Be forgiving of yourself and your kid.

This is a very stressful time. If you need to put on a movie to get through the day, that’s absolutely fine.   This is important for parents to hear right now because we all feel so much personal pressure.  — you may not have to do this all by yourself.