Pandemic Homeschool: How To Do It
Right now, parents all over the world are having difficulty with the new expectations and pressures of homeschooling their children. Not only do parents have to continue their full time jobs from their homes, meeting deadlines and attending meetings, they also have to manage all of that while allowing their children to attend Zoom classes and schedule their day. This is about as hard as it gets for parents, and it’s not all fun and games doing it – especially if you don’t homeschool in the first place.
Unlike at school, children at home may not have the same security in the structure of their day. Children with additional needs may not have the right books for dyslexia at home, so that’s an added expense for parents, too. The pressure of trying to balance working and homeschool is a lot – more than any parent has had to face. Trying to follow lessons for different age groups when the techniques for learning things like math have changed? It’s all very hard and no parent should beat themselves up for finding things difficult. So, with this in mind, we’ve put together some tips to ensure that parenting during a pandemic works out for you.
- Take A Breath. Together – with the kids – start your day with some calming breaths. It’s actually so easy to forget to breathe when you are feeling the pressure of a busy day. Don’t be caught in the trap of feeling so overwhelmed you forget to take a moment and just center yourself. Your kids can join in, too. Don’t forget that they are in the middle of this pandemic as much as you are, and they need a minute or two to breathe, too.
- Create A Schedule. It’s not always easy to balance your job plus the schedules of children of different age groups, but here you are – doing it. As much as possible, try to keep your school hours early in the morning and coordinate with your child’s school for any online classes they need to take. Speak to your management team, too, and see whether you would be allowed to work your job in between the kids hours and when you can – you may find that you can change up your own routine and slot it around the kids. Routine is so important, so stick to one as best you can.
- Create Space. You need somewhere to work when you’re in work mode, and the kids need somewhere to work, too. Give them each a set of headphones to learn with and set them up around the kitchen table. Having a learning space makes it far easier to move from learning mode to home mode, as your dedicated area is akin to drawing a line between work and life. They need a smooth transition, and your learning zone can provide that.
- Keep Talking To Each Other. The children are going through as much stress and upheaval as you are right now. Making sure that you are communicating to each other about how you feel is so important.
No one can predict what’s happening with the pandemic, but we can all agree that we can’t wait for some routine and normality back!
