Editorial

Tips to create the perfect environment for homeschooling

Since schools are closed due to the covid-19 pandemic and some parents are working from home, parents have been left with the task to make sure their kids are keeping

Tips to create the perfect environment for homeschooling
  • PublishedApril 28, 2020

Since schools are closed due to the covid-19 pandemic and some parents are working from home, parents have been left with the task to make sure their kids are keeping up with schoolwork. However, since kids are used to the routine that school provides, it can be hard making sure that they are hitting the books as much as they would in school. For parents who are used to homeschooling, this is probably a breeze but for the rest, it is a challenge. Nonetheless, it need not be a herculean task, whether your kids are in high school or primary.

Here are some tips to get you started:

Learn to stay calm

Let’s face it, your kids may not be the little angels you think them to be. They can be loud, disruptive and destructive. This is why teaching as a profession requires all the patience you can muster. Remember to be patient before all else and resist the urge to shout at them if they do not understand something. Kids learn best if an environment is learner-friendly. They also have to know that they can ask anything so be careful not to ruin your parent-child relationship while at it.

Have a routine but be flexible

While you cannot recreate the school envrionement, it is important to have a routine that serves as a guide. This should include schedules for breakfast, snack breaks, playing watching TV and for reading storybooks and studying.  You can also be flexible with how you approach these if for instance, they would like to watch  a particular program that falls during study time. So long as they can compensate it later, allow them the freedom to.

Make it fun

With children of all ages, learning needs to be exciting and stimulating to improve their grasp of things.To start off, include a variety of exercises that can be done for the different subjects and if possible, get exciting online resources that can help them learn. For kids below three years, you can keep them occupied with singing games that are available online. For pre-primary, use Lego blocks to create shapes for them to identify or to teach math. Scrabble might also act as an English lesson and monopoly a history lesson for older kids.

Photo:ThoughtCo

Additionally, make sure that they get time for play, preferable within the house which you can treat as P.E.

Allow your kids to have a say

Do not be a tyrant when it comes to homeschooling. Allow your kids to chip in with their thoughts and ideas or if they know a better formula than the one you know. This also means that if creating a study time-table, ask for their input so that they are more cooperative when it comes to implementing it.

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Create teachable moments

If something presents an opportunity for kids to learn, take advantage of it. For instance, if washing their hands, you can quiz them on the importance of hand-washing or sources of water. This keeps them alert and also helps them remember thing more easily.

Make use of available resources

Currently, there are a number of homeschooling resources available online or on TV stations such as KICD TV. Educate your self about homeschooling as well as access teaching material to make things easier for you.

 

 

 

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