Corona Virus Pandemic: How to Make Home Schooling Work

As schools are closed down for an indefinite period of time, you suddenly find yourself having to spend so much time at home with your kids. 

“With my first grader and my husband at home 24/7, I was almost at my wit’s end when the lockdown started” says Jesse, a stay-at-home mom with a 7 yr. old son and a 2 yr. old daughter. 

According to Jesse, before the pandemic, she had to wake up early in the morning to prepare breakfast, bring her son to school, and spend the rest of the day doing house chores and looking after her toddler. 

With her husband working from home, it’s up to her to make sure that their son continues his education at home. 

“It’s not really formal education like the one he gets in school, we just want him to maintain the discipline and routine, plus he’s so bored and misses school so much”  says Jesse.

Jesse’s son is just one of the 56.6 million students across the country that were affected by schools closing down to prevent the spread of coronavirus. With this, parents are looking into homeschooling to temporarily replace conventional education until the pandemic ends and all goes back to normal.  

If you are still struggling, here are some tips on how to make homeschooling work for your family: 

Keep the Routine

Just like on normal school days, let the kids prepare before “going to school” make them brush their teeth, take a bath, have breakfast, and get dressed. No going around in pajamas, it will make them want to go back to bed. 

Set Up Space for the “Classroom”

Designate a particular area where your child can read, write, do homework, make artworks, and other learning activities. Make sure that the space is free from distractions as much as possible. 

Set a Daily Schedule

Like in school where they have a set of subjects and activities every day, most kids like to know what’s ahead in their schedule. Ask their opinion and let them help in creating their own daily learning program. 

Use a Timer to Set a Time Limit for Every Activity

In keeping with the routine, the timer would act as a school bell and indicate the end of each class. As they would do in school, once the timer goes off, they should stop whatever they’re doing and prepare for the next class. 

Other Activities

Kids don’t need to get stuck on academics for 6-8 hours. Let them take this time to learn a new language, play a musical instrument, discover their talent in dancing or painting, or even learn how to do household chores.

Take Things Easy

Unless you’ve been doing it for a long time, chances are you won’t get it right the first time. That’s OK. Nobody’s perfect. Don’t be hard on yourself and the kids or you’ll just get stressed. Sit back and relax. Experiment, scrap things that didn’t work or approach it in a different way, find new resources, and change schedules until you finally get the one that fits your family. 

Are you already doing something that works for you and your kids? Share with us your experience at the comments below.