7 Effective Tips to Homeschool Your Children During COVID-19
The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has turned our lives upside down. Lockdown orders mean that that children cannot go to school, visit a play area, or even spend time with friends. Just like adults, they might be frightened and baffled, and require support, love, and attention more than ever before during this pandemic.
Yet, given the right circumstances, kids can be ground-breaking operators of progress in their families and networks. That is highlighted in a UNICEF guide ‘Communicating With Children.’ This guide features the need speak appropriately to children, taking account of their age and to be as understanding and fair as possible. It underlines that for children to be successful, parents must try to communicate in more creative and engaging ways.
In the light of the present pandemic, leading health researchers and child psychologists have joined forces with authors, teachers, and designers to create imaginative teaching materials. These range from kids’ books and recordings to infographics and comic magazines. It’s a fantastic joint effort: researchers provide the validity and exactness, while designers guarantee this is infused with creative energy and engaging structure. Focusing on the guide and the current crisis, here are the top 7 tips for homeschooling your energetic children, helping them to succeed:
1. The Importance of Routine
Children respond to routine and need structure in their lives — this is indisputable. It is sensible to devise a daily homeschooling timetable right from the outset and to stick to this as much as possible. This also guarantees that core subjects, such as Maths and English, are not neglected. The timetable, however, needs to offer some flexibility: if a child shows a particular interest in a subject and wants to spend more time on that, this should be encouraged and accommodated within the timetable. Regular breaks should be scheduled, preferably spent outside in the fresh air wherever possible.
2. Set Aside Time for Fun-Filled Exercises
A great advantage of teaching your children at home is that they can learn some practical skills like washing, cooking, or gardening. Financial awareness, such as planning a budget and saving using a piggy bank can be encouraged. One day they will thank you for giving them these fantastic skills later in their lives. Likewise, try to apportion breaks consistently and plan some entertainment-filled exercises, for example, board games or jigsaws.
3. Set Up an Assigned Space
Having a designated, comfortable space for homeschooling is critical. It is important to ensure the child will not be disturbed and is able to focus and concentrate. You should, however, ensure you can be in close proximity to help out should the child need assistance.
4. Offer Yourself a Break
Try not to be intimidated by those ‘ideal’ parents on social networking websites, who appear to have their lives figured out! Remember: we are, for the most part, experiencing a pandemic and not an efficiency challenge. It is imperative to be kind on yourself and not beat yourself up for not doing everything perfectly. If you are unable to teach on a specific day or if the child doesn’t appear to be well-disposed toward learning, don’t take it to heart; arrange a lighter activity (a pool party maybe?!) for that day.
5. Use Comics, Coloring books, Cartoons
The academic review ‘The potential of comics in science communication’ highlights that educational comics can possibly make complex themes appealing to a wider audience. This is accomplished by adding visuals with powerful allegories, character-driven stories, and genuinely charged story lines. Researchers affirm that science-themed comics and cartoons can both engage and teach, thus stimulating enthusiasm for science subjects.
It has been demonstrated that comic books can be more successful than regular course material in expanding passion for and satisfaction in science themes. The medium is especially effective in engaging youngsters with low enthusiasm for science. If your little one seems to hate maths, then try using comics to help generate more interest.
6. Savour Some Sunshine and Get Some Fresh Air!
The benefits of being outside in the fresh air can never be under-estimated — both for the child and the parent. It is critical for both physical and mental wellbeing. Time should be set aside every day for any outside activity, such as bike rides, walks in the park, or just playing in the garden. If you have a spare patch of soil why not try growing some vegetables or herbs — the children will be pursuing their education without even realising it!
7. Homeschooling Can Be Like Real School Too.
Online Public School from Home Programs are all set to revolutionize homeschooling by equipping parents with tuition-free full-time education for grades K–12, with schools located in communities across the country. At every grade level, students take core courses in maths, science, languages, art, English, social studies, and electives, and work from a state-approved, high-quality curriculum with support from certified teachers. The virtual classroom can be established in the home or at any place where the internet is accessible by utilising Online Schooling software provided by WebExaminer, including the K12 Placement Test Program, as used for over 10 years by k12.com. With public home school programs readily available, no parent needs to sweat about teaching their offspring. Happy parenting!