Hey everyone, it is back to school season! As we can tell from our “new” normal, many of us will have to settle in our hearts that our children or grand children may not go back to school physically for a time.
It’s uncertain if this will be long or short term. But what we can be certain of is that as parents and guardians, we do have a choice. We have a choice if we want to keep our children in virtual schooling (homeschool or on-line learning school) or if they should go into a school building to learn.
Whatever you decide to do, I think its always good to have an area where your little learners can do school work or crafts.
Last year, I had all three of my children home when it was mandated that schools would have to close their buildings. I’ve learned a lot. I’m still learning to be quite honest. But as time went on, things got better.
So here’s some tips I would like to share with you of what I’ve learned from having kids home full-time.
Give them an area to unload
This can be your dining room table, maybe a coffee table. Just finding somewhere that the kids can spread out is a good thing for everyone. If there is a nook or corner in your house to put or build a desk, go for it. Creating an environment for kids to learn motivates them to get creative.
Grab and go caddy
I created this caddy for my daughters because they always had their school items everywhere. Sometimes it would be in their room, living room, or kitchen. Now that they have a school caddy, they know to put their school items back where it belongs. It also can travel around with them. At times the kiddos like to move their desk to another location in the house. This caddy is very convenient and light weight to go wherever they go.
To-do list
Since my kids are older and they know how to spell and read, I had them create a to-do list everyday for school. Not only does it help me see what tasks they have to get done, it helps them visually with spelling words and reading. I even tell them that they can draw pictures next to the list if they’d like. Parents can create a to do list for their kids as well to keep them on track.
Outside Play
The kids being home is nice, but we must not forget that it is important for them to get some good ole vitamin D. It’s so hard at times to get the kids to go outside to play. We try to make it a priority that the kids walk more, play more, and get more fresh air during this time.
After school priorities
When our children went to school, physically, they still had tasks that they had to do at home. And that has not changed with virtual schooling. We have an after school schedule that the kids must abide by. It includes chores, reading, snacks, outside play, and bedtime rules.
So that’s our routine. And we are continuing to learn as we go. How about you? What are some virtual learning tips that you can share?