Schools have and will continue to send through work and links to a variety of online learning apps to ensure that children have consistent access to age and syllabus appropriate content. While this is fantastic, many parents may be feeling more than a little overwhelmed by the potential workload and the pressure to ensure that their children are making the right amount of progress while the schools remain closed.
Depending on the number of children, their ages and the fact that many parents are also trying to find time to tackle their own jobs in a new home environment, this could have an understandably massive effect on stress and anxiety levels.
If you feel it’s all getting a little much, take a deep breath and hopefully some of the below advice will help...
Step back – don’t put too much pressure on yourself
Some parents may find that they have the time and the resources available to really throw themselves into the challenge of home-schooling. For others, this may simply not be the case. Expectations and guidance will vary significantly from school to school so what is working for one family or child may not work for you.
Discuss with your children and do what is right for them and for you. If your child is resisting getting those schoolbooks out, then let it go in the knowledge that there is always tomorrow when they may be in a better mind space to be able to work.
Avoid social comparison
Social media is coming into its own right now, offering tips, resources, and ideas which is fantastic. However, it can also provide a real platform for people to show off their seemingly idyllic family life. Try to bear in mind that the social media snapshot rarely reflects the whole picture!
Fancy times tables and elaborate crafts just may not be possible, or the right thing for your household and that’s ok. You can work with what you have and what is right for your child.
Let them be bored!
“Muuum…. Daaaaad… I’m boooorrrred…” How many times are we likely to hear this over the coming weeks?!
But its ok, it is not a problem for kids to be bored sometimes. They are used to having lots of structured activities and near-constant visual stimuli at their fingertips. Balancing working from home with home educating will mean its impossible to fill every moment with activity.
Allowing them time to sit and to be bored can be hard for you all at first but can also in time unlock undiscovered imagination and creativity so try and stick with it.
