10 Tips for School at Home
1. Adjustment Period
You and the children may need some time to get used to what education looks like now. Don’t give up, and don’t be discouraged. This phase will pass!
2. Structure
You need structure in both time and place. Choose an area of the house for schooling, as distraction-free as possible. Choose a time for schooling that is optimal for your child first, but also for you, especially if you are working from home.
3. Plan
Stay ahead of the curve, know what the minimum looks like on a bad day and plan to do extra on the good ones.
4. Read and Respond
We learn best when we interact. Take turns reading aloud, and change things around by letting your child ask you questions, instead of the other way around. If your student prefers writing over talking, have them write out their questions for you.
5. Play
Integrate play, especially with maths. Play the “I’m thinking of something” game, where the child asks questions to find what you are thinking of. Learning about what constitutes an isosceles triangle? Think of clues to guide them all things they need to remember, even hide them around the house !
6. Take a Break
Learning is tiring, and emotions can get high when frustration sets in. So take a break and do something else even if it’s just for 10 minutes.
7. Memorise
Focus on a few things: memorise poems, songs, or inspirational phrases that encourage a particular character trait.
8. Explore
Every child is interested in something. Talk about those things when you are eating lunch, and find resources online to help your child explore that thing even more. Interests don’t have to be academic — baking a cake is all about science and maths !,
9. Study Something New to You
When parents are learning, too, children seem to become more motivated too. Try learning a language with Duolingo. You’ll see how hard it is to learn, the children will laugh at you, and everyone will feel like they are on the same educational team.
10. Resources
So many resources are available now that I can’t begin to list them. We’ve used BBC Bitesize, White Rose Maths and www.amblesideonline.org to get some ideas.
This season of school at home may be short for your family, but it can be a deeply gratifying time of getting to know your child, yourself, and this curiously wonderful world we live in.
