In the past homeschooling never crossed my mind. However, with school closures most parents are now more or less “homeschooling” their kids. With more parental involvement required with online learning, we can honestly say it has been a challenge. Increasingly parents are considering opting out of school’s online programs and going full homeschooling especially with the wide array of free and paid resources available online.
So, if you are considering homeschooling, here are 5 quick tips to help you as you “homeschool”
- Ensure you have a routine and be consistent – Similar to school, setting a clearly defined and documented routine would make a world of difference. To ensure your children adhere to the routine, involve them in designing the routine.
- Be flexible with “school duration” – Most people are most productive in the mornings while some are late risers. Let your schedule be aligned to your child’s needs. And though typical school duration is 6 hours, you can decide on how much time works for your child and how much breaks are required. So, it doesn’t have to be 6 hours – can be 2, 4 or 5.
- Have a dedicated corner for “’school” – My older son was to have school laying on his bed or the couch. But having a place that put your child in the right mind frame for a bit of serious work is important. So ensure a dedicated space devoid of distractions like TV is planned for homeschooling
- Don’t reinvent the wheel – There are lots of resources that align to curriculum that cover lesson plans, activities on most core subjects for preschool to secondary. So, don’t try to recreate yours. Leverage on these depending on which curriculum you are following. It’s important to ensure the learning objectives are clear as you explore available resources.
- Variety is the spice of life – It is important to use various mediums to homeschool. From reading books to online videos classes to podcast to worksheets to games to practical activities or google searches. Depending on the age of your child, ensure you don’t make learning boring or monotonous.
As you homeschool, remember that social interaction is a key developmental area for your child. It is important to ensure your child is not lonely and is getting needed social interactions through virtual playdates or chats.
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