Coronavirus has made virtually all parents into homeschool parents whether they want to be or not. Here are some tips to maintain your sanity and perspective through it all.
NUMBER ONE Relax. I have already heard from an overwhelming number of parents stressing about how they are going to teach their kids everything they need to know during this time and what they are going to use and teach. First off, especially if you have little ones second grade and under, try to relax a little bit. The most important thing for your kids right now during this pandemic is to not be fearful or overwhelmed and have the love and support of their parents. This is definitely a scary time for everyone and our little ones know a lot more than we sometimes give them credit for. Odds are your kids are progressing in school just fine and added worry and stress about academics is not going to be beneficial and can even hold them back and cause unnecessary anxiety. One thing widely known by most public and private school teachers is that they almost never completely finish a curriculum as written. And that is okay. Do what feels right for yourself and your family at this time.
NUMBER TWO Trust their teachers. I know that might sound surprising coming from a homeschool mom. But really, most schools already have assignments and even web meetings for kids as young as kindergarten to keep them on track. While there are of course and number of resources all of us homeschool families can point you to that we use for our children, adding additional curricula and activities to an already full schedule is only likely to overwhelm you and your children. If you are not planning to shift to homeschooling permanently before or after this pandemic is over, then the best thing you can do is stick with their existing curriculum and assignments. Even if you are considering homeschooling your children in the future, at this point in the semester it would probably be far less stress on you and the children to simply finish with what they are doing.
NUMBER THREE Take advantage of this time for observation. One of the best things about homeschooling is how close we become with our children and how well we know them. Watching your children learn, even if you are not the one teaching them, can be very instructive as to their personalities and how they learn best. This will help you to guide them throughout their school years even once they go back to regular school. For example, if you were watching your child complete his or her schoolwork and you have an inkling they understand a concept but for some reason it is not sinking in by reading words on a page, perhaps your child is an auditory learner. Try reading it aloud. Or if it is math, try giving verbal word problems and see if that seems to make more sense to your child. These are the things a teacher with 20-30 kids in class at a time cannot always do for your children. Knowing the way our children learn is helpful in so many areas, even if your kids are in public or private school. There is no denying that a huge amount of development and growing up still comes from parents at home with all of the conversations and character building opportunities we have. Knowing how best to present those things to each of your children is incredibly important and this time can be a blessing to give you more insight into how they learn best.
NUMBER FOUR If in doubt, read. I cannot say enough about the importance of reading aloud to your kids all the way through elementary school ages. This is such an important component of a child’s language and grammar development. Reading is not simply to learn the content of the books that they are reading. In your reading aloud to them, children develop amazing listening skills and hone their ability to pay attention in this often distracting world we live in. It also connects you as parent and child in a special way. There are amazing resources for audiobooks as well if reading aloud is not your thing. But being with your children during this time and listening to the story together is so important. We love the Kindle Fire and the Libby app where we can check out many audio books from our local library. During this pandemic, Amazon is also releasing a certain number of children’s books on their Kindle app for free.
NUMBER FIVE Remember this is temporary. For most public and private school children, they will return to school after this pandemic is over and will not be homeschooled throughout their remaining school years. I have heard from so many people how stressful this time has been having a whole house full of children and a spouse working from home. As difficult as this time is, try to remember that it is temporary and make the most of this time together. The last thing our children need is to feel that they are a burden and that their parents cannot wait to ship them off to school again. As a huge proponent for homeschooling, I would love to “convert” you all to homeschooling permanently. But for some families I know that is not reality. So lean in to your spouse, if you have one, and family during this time. You will get through this and I am hopeful and prayerful that your kids and your families will be better for it.
