Home Schooling 101

As you navigate through home schooling, keep these things in mind:

This is the first time a school district, school, principal, teacher, and parent manages virtual teaching. Be very patient. Everyone is doing the best they can.

That being said, as parents, you have a lot of power. If things seem too heavy, you should voice your concerns to your principal, school, and district. You can make the change.

Set up a schedule. Schools work on a tight schedule and your children are used to a lot of routine in school. Do your best to set up a morning routine, lunch routine, and afternoon routine.

Reading is best in the morning. That’s when your child should be doing most Reading activities. It’s scientifically proven they work better in the mornings, especially for Reading.

Breaks are important. Any child’s attention span is considerably shorter than that of an adult. The younger the child, the shorter the attention span. Break up the work into chunks and give them breaks in-between.

Teach your child to set up timers. You can use your phone, iPad, computer, oven, or microwave timers. This way you keep track of the beginning and the end of a block of time. And your child can be placed in charge. They can do everything you teach them to do.

Set up rewards. Children, like adults, like to look forward to something. A reward for a good day of schooling can go a long way. And usually the best reward you can give your child is your attention. Plan something to do with him/her at the end of the day when you can.

Set up a desk, or a working area on a table, if possible. If your child tends to get distracted, try to have him/her facing a blank wall. Make sure to keep any background noise from T.V. or music at a minimum, or completely off if it distracts your child. If distraction isn’t an issue, then you can try playing classical or relaxing music, lightly, in the background.

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