If your kids are at home and learning with you, you need to do all that you can to keep them engaged and happy. Children can often get through the school curriculum far quicker when they are learning from home because they are able to learn at their own pace.
That doesn’t mean that you’ll be able to keep them engaged all of the time. With resources from companies such as LearnBright, you’ll be able to find education and support far less intimidating. The good news here is that there are some things that you can do to help your children to stay on track when they are learning and not to go too far off course. We’ve got 6 tips to help you do it.
CHOOSE A CURRICULUM AND FOLLOW IT
The right curriculum is an important decision to make, and while it doesn’t have to be exactly like the school curriculum, if you want your children to sit academic exams throughout their school life you do need to look at it and determine what needs to be learned. The best thing about it is that you can mold the curriculum to suit your child’s learning style, combining visual and hands-on activities as much as the auditory ones.
MAKE SURE THEY HAVE A DESIGNATED LEARNING SPACE
As comfortable as it is to sit on the sofa in pajamas to learn, it doesn’t have to be that way. Having a home study center is important. It should be away from things like electronics except for iPads or laptops that they use when they are studying. There should be a desk that is ergonomic to their height, as well as a comfortable chair. The most important thing is to make sure that the space is bright, airy and the right temperature.
HAVE REGULAR BREAKS
If you want your children to be engaged while they learn then you need to make sure that they have breaks while they do it. Give them time to go for a walk with the dog or to draw, and have learning sessions in smaller blocks to help them to create a sense of routine and to remember what they are learning.
DON’T BE SO RIGID WITH THEIR LEARNING SCHEDULES
Expectations from yourself and for your child should be flexible. Not every day is going to look the same and not everybody can be productive all day every day. If you can see their attention start to wane, press pause on your learning and move on to something else. It may feel like you’re constantly behind but you need to remember that you’re only dealing with one child and not an entire class full.
ENCOURAGE QUESTIONS
Children often don’t get a chance to ask the right questions in school because there are so many other children to compete against. They are the ones that are looking at everything that they are learning with fresh eyes, so encourage questions and don’t get disappointed if they’re asking too many. When it comes to learning, there is no such thing as too many questions.
MAKE IT FUN
They don’t have to sit at a desk all day long to be learning, so do all that you can to make their learning experiences as fun as possible.
