With many schools being closed during the coronavirus quarantine, parents may be required to take a home school approach when it comes to learning. Although teaching may be new territory for most adults, here are a few tips and tricks to make learning at home a bit easier.
Create your teaching space
Living room, or kitchen table? Will you be needing a whiteboard to explain your teachings? Or can you make do with using the refrigerator? Determine where you want to set up the learning space and stick to it. Make sure you choose a space that is separate from your child’s bedroom to differentiate an environment for learning and an environment for fun and relaxation.
Gather the necessary supplies
If you don’t already have the bare necessities like pencils, paper, and journals—get them. And now acting as the teacher, it may be helpful to get supplementary items like storage bins for your child’s textbooks and work. Having a computer or tablet nearby may also be useful if you ever need Internet access.
Set the tone
According to the UK government, “You must make sure your child receives a full-time education from the age of 5, but you do not have to follow the national curriculum.”
When learning from home, keep a routine but allow some flexibility. A strict militant schedule may create a negative learning environment during an already difficult time. Be forgiving of yourself and your children. This is new territory for most people.
Adapt your teaching style
Understand that everyone learns differently. Adapt your lessons to cater to your child’s learning style. If lecturing about maths isn’t working, try a hands-on approach using objects. Does your child work better with other people? Set up a Zoom call with some of his or her classmates to see if they would be available to take part in some online group activities.
Make it fun
School doesn’t have to be boring. Make the best of the situation by using it to create good memories together. Gamify your lessons. Host a trivia gameshow when studying up on geography. Create a scavenger hunt using riddles based on history. Create word scramble worksheets for languages.
These are merely home school suggestions. Do what works best for you and your child during this quarantine. But one tip we do strongly recommend: Don’t forget to wash your hands before lunchtime!
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