We are all experiencing major changes in our lives. For the first time, you are dealing with the stress and uncertainty of educating your children at home. Since I have already been through this process, I wanted to offer a few tips to help you in this transition.
In our case, my daughter is a student at Texas Tech K12, which is a distance learning program. We are super happy with the curriculum and love everything about the school. I would encourage you to check it out if you are looking for a distance education program. Not only is it accredited by the State of Texas, but it is also related to Texas Tech University. We have been using this program for several years and find that it really works for our daughter.
When it comes to homeschooling and distance learning, there are so many options out there. Some of them are free, while others, like Texas Tech K12 require tuition. I would encourage you to do some research and find what works for your family.
Homeschool & Distance Learning Survival Tips
1. Schedule – Make a schedule that works for your family. There are a lot of posts online with complex charts and extremely detailed schedules. Take a step back and figure out what works for you. You are the expert regarding the needs of your family.
2. Location – Think outside of the box. You can do school anywhere. You don’t necessarily have to use a dedicated classroom. You can change it up to make things more fun.
3. Breaks – Make sure you find stopping points throughout the day. It is important to realize that breaks are a necessary part of the day for you and your children.
4. Lunch – Instead of preparing lunch yourself, allow your kids to make choices and put the meal together. It also adds for a much-needed break from schoolwork. If you are learning about certain topics, you can make themed lunches. For example, my daughter is learning about Texas history, so we like to research and get creative about making food early Texans might have eaten.
5. Physical Activity – While it can be hard to have a PE class at home, it is important to incorporate activity into your day. We love to do the Nintendo Switch Just Dance game. Be willing to think of activities that are fun and provide an opportunity for exercise.
6. School Supplies – With stores running out of items, you can get creative. My daughter is super crafty and loves to decorate things. You can take simple office folders and let your kids decorate and personalize them. You can use paint, glue and glitter and let them customize plain pencils and pens. You can also help them create and decorate a school supply storage box.
7. Homework Storage – My daughter doesn’t have a locker at home. Instead, I purchased a wall-mounted square storage bin. I put all of her homework assignments in one location so that she can easily access them.
8. Internet – If you are learning about a certain topic, find videos, online tours, etc to add to the lesson. It really helps! Also, don’t forget about digital books. While libraries might be physically closed, you can still access digital books.
9. Games – When we are prepping for a big exam, we turn it into a game. It may seem kind of corny, but if you host a pretend game show with prizes, you will be surprised at how your kids will retain the information. Since I only have one child, my daughter picks certain stuffed animals for the other contestants and plays them as well. It is one of her favorite ways to prepare for an exam. Find fun ways to make learning enjoyable.
10. Fun Days – If you find that your child is super bored and not engaging, consider having a fun day. For example, you can have costume day, pajama day, crazy hair day, etc. You can also pick a certain color of the day. Consider wearing the color and only using that particular color when it comes to writing assignments, etc. You can even make snacks that feature the color of the day.
I hope this list provides a little inspiration. I mostly want to reassure you and emphasize that each day doesn’t have to be perfect. It also doesn’t need to exactly mirror a classroom day. As an added bonus, you may be surprised how many new things you, as a parent, also learn.
This was really helpful.