While schools are the traditional teachers of our children, learning isn’t limited to the classroom: there are plenty of ways to help your children learn at home while schools are closed for COVID-19. Whether it’s digging into a subject your child is struggling with or simply expanding their knowledge on a new subject such as genealogy, you can add to your child’s education on a daily basis at home. Using tablets as learning tools are a great choice for at-home education.
Beyond the classroom
Some kids love school, and thrive in a structured, routine environment. But for many, it isn’t easy to learn at school, which is why it’s a great idea to explore ways you can help your children learn from home. Further, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced families across the country to adopt remote learning, with parents suddenly required to take their childrens’ education into their own hands.
For parents teaching kids at home, it’s vital to set a schedule to help establish expectations and structure throughout the day. Start with a morning meeting in order to go over the school plan for the day, and decide how you’ll check schoolwork with your children. Get in touch with your child’s teacher and set up regular check-ins to help support you and provide resources for your child.
Another tip for parents teaching at home is to embrace technology—tablets, laptops, etc—to help teach different subjects. Tablets can be an excellent resource for families because there’s a plethora of learning apps that can teach everything from genealogy to grammar to long division.
There are a number of options for tablets, so consider what will be best for your child based on their age and what subjects they’ll be learning. Some simpler tablets, such as the Amazon Fire 7 Kids Tablet, are great for young children who are still learning how to use technology, while others such as the Apple iPad are far more advanced and can become an excellent tool for ongoing learning.
To expand your child’s knowledge, consider having them explore your family’s genealogy. Not only will they learn more about their origins, studying genealogy could also spark an interest in learning a foreign language. If you want to teach genealogy and need some ideas for how to approach it, consider teaching through food: make dishes that represent the countries of your family’s origin. You can also ask your children to interview older family members to learn more about their childhood and relatives.
If you’re worried that they may be having too much screen time, plan some structured activities to help your children learn in different ways. This will help children who learn through action, so come up with some fun projects such as science experiments to do at home.
Tackling difficult school subjects
If your student is struggling with a particular subject, teacher check-ins will help, but there’s more you can do at home to improve your child’s understanding and comprehension.
For example, many kids have a hard time learning math, partly because it may seem an ambiguous topic. One way to help is by finding daily applications in order to help illustrate concepts. Have your child help calculate costs for grocery shopping, or have them help you measure ingredients for a dinner recipe. Real-world applications can be helpful for creating a reference point and will make the subject become more interesting.
The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent school closures have forced parents everywhere to become more engaged in their children’s learning, which can be challenging for working moms and dads. To help your children succeed as they adapt to remote learning, remember to set a regular learning schedule, embrace technology and learning tools such as tablets, and keep in touch with your child’s teacher for support. Consider teaching new subjects to help expand your child’s knowledge such as genealogy, which will help your child learn about your family and maybe even spark an interest in history.
