The new way of life several months into the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly been challenging. Many of us find ourselves juggling work and home responsibilities, all while rushing to get everything prepared for the coming school year. Many parents are also faced with the dilemma of whether to send their kids to school or homeschool them. For business owners and essential workers with kids, this predicament is especially challenging.
With limited options, parents are having to decide if they can fill the academic roles their kids need, in addition to the numerous other positions they already occupy in their children’s lives. Fortunately, many parents have already bravely faced the world of homeschooling and there is plenty to be learned from them.
If you’re preparing to homeschool your kids this year or your kids will be remote learning, here are some homeschooling tips to help you get through yet another surprise aspect of parenthood.
Prepare the Right Set-Up
While you might be used to working remotely by now, your kids likely need help adjusting to having their school hours take place at home. One way that you can cultivate a more productive academic setting is by separating the spaces in your house so everyone has their own workspace. When everyone, including you, has a place where they can focus on their projects, distraction-free, you will have a much easier time getting into the groove of things.
Luckily, it’s easier than you probably think to set up a homeschool space. Try starting with these simple tricks:
- Good Lighting: When having to divide up your house to meet the homeschool needs of your kids, you’ll have to get creative. This might mean your kid’s school space ultimately ends up in a poorly lit spot. Good lighting is essential for students as it can prevent eyestrain and help with productivity. Bring in desk lights, floor lamps, and try utilizing as much natural light as you can.
- Create Activity Stations: Even when space is limited, it’s worth breaking up the schooling area of your home with different activity stations. We hardly expect our children to sit still when they’re at school so we shouldn’t expect any difference while homeschooling. Instead of doing all their tasks at one desk, create a reading area near the window with plenty of blankets and pillows for them to enjoy. Have an exercise corner where your kids can do some healthy heart-pumping physical activity for a small prize. An art or science area would also be a fun idea worth trying.
- Choose Comfortable Seating: The couch or dinner table might work for late-night homework sessions, but for the long-haul, it’s worth investing in better seating. Consider how many of us adults upgraded our office chairs when we learned we’d be working from home full-time. Kids also need to have a chair that will support their back and posture. Furthermore, kids are more likely to stay focused on their schoolwork when they’re not distracted by an old, uncomfortable chair.
It also never hurts to ask your kids about their opinions and ideas on the matter. They might point out a potential issue you hadn’t considered yet.
Equip Your Classroom with Updated Technology
When it comes to present-day education, technology plays a major role in the classroom. The same can be said while learning from home. While it’s fair to recognize that education can still happen without the use of technology, it’s worth keeping in mind that technology can expand educational opportunities.
Using technology in your classroom can also happen on a sliding scale, just use it as you see fit. You can utilize apps on a tablet or phone to break up lessons with learning games such as Class Dojo or Kahoot. You should also consider using video-sharing technology to invite guest speakers to your kids’ lessons. Guests speakers can be almost anyone, too.
Ask friends to see if they’d be willing to lead an in-depth discussion about their work or hobbies with your kids. You could also go out on a limb and send an email to some of your kid’s role models within the educational field and see what kind of response you get. You might get lucky and have a guest speaker that your kids won’t be able to stop talking about.
Technology can also be helpful when you’re in a pinch, which is probably going to be often considering the million other tasks on your to-do list. Pinterest is a great resource if you’re struggling to come up with an idea for art class. Additionally, many teachers have uploaded their personal tips and tricks for teaching a range of courses like math, science, and second language learning.
Learn to be Flexible
One thing you might be surprised to discover while homeschooling for the first time is how long it takes. The average public school student spends about seven hours at school, but at home, it’s often less than that. Without having to catch a bus, or hustle through a sea of students, or participate along with dozens of other students in the class, your kids are likely to finish their school day earlier than usual. This means that it’s worth lifting some of the pressure off yourself to hit that seven hours a day mark.
School also doesn’t have to happen linearly. Sometimes, work might pull you away for several hours in the middle of the day. When homeschooling, a little flexibility goes a long way in terms of stress. Prioritize tasks that kids will need your assistance with and try to accomplish them whenever you have time to give them your full attention. Whether that’s early in the morning before work or later in the evening afterward. It will make school life a lot easier to manage.
As parents, homeschooling and remote learning can certainly be stressful and frustrating at times. However, with the right methods, it doesn’t have to be entirely painful. And who knows? You might discover that your kids really excel and flourish in a homeschool setting.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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