The end of homeschool is in sight! We could hear the relieved cheers of Wigan borough parents as the Prime Minister announced that children will return to schools across England from 8th March.
Homeschooling has been a balancing act for parents everywhere. Juggling your own responsibilities with educating children is no mean feat. We salute the families doing this across the borough. You’re all amazing!
To help families through the final weeks of (fingers crossed) the final stint of home school, we’ve put together some tips and ideas to keep children entertained with fun, educational activities to do when they are not learning online. BBC Bitesize has provided some excellent resources since the start of the year, so if you haven’t checked these out yet, take a look. Our own suggestions are beneficial for your mental health and wellbeing as well as offering lockdown learning experiences.
We hope you enjoy our homeschooling ideas and perhaps continue with some of them once the children have returned to school.
Children of different ages
It’s difficult to juggle the learning needs of children in different age groups. Could your older children help you with schooling the younger ones? They are experienced at homeschooling now. Challenge your older children to become teacher and help their siblings by supporting with things like reading, explaining tasks and motivating the little ones. It might help develop their leadership skills too.
Audio books and podcasts for children
Listening to stories and podcasts is a relaxing change to staring at a screen. It’s also a fun way to learn without really knowing you’re learning. Sit back and snuggle up together to take in their favourite audio book or a fun family podcast.
Take a break
It’s ok not to be homeschooling all the time. Sometimes you just need to take a break. If your child’s timetable allows it, step out into the garden or go out for a walk in the fresh air. Being amongst nature will boost your wellbeing and clear your head, and encourage the kids to burn off some energy. You can still learn whilst out and about. Try collecting and identifying leaves, bird spotting, or drawing what you can see in the park. For a spot of science, fly a kite – how exactly is it staying up in the air?
Baking and cooking
Baking is both a science and a life skill. If you’re new to it, keep things simple with cornflake cakes, cake pops or a one bowl muffin mix. Take a look at BBC Good Food for recipe ideas. Another idea is to make your own pizzas and let the children choose and make their own toppings – anyone for smiley face pizza?
Learn through play
Board games aren’t just fun, they are also good for developing general knowledge, strategic thinking and building discipline. Are there any board games or jigsaws linked to the topics your children are learning at school? If you don’t have access to any games, how about a treasure hunt around the house or a scavenger hunt in the park – what can you make with the items you find?
Switch off devices and move
We’ve all had enough screen time to last us a lifetime. As the days are getting longer and lighter, switch off your devices as soon as school is out and head out to play. Exercise is so beneficial for physical and mental wellbeing. Exercising as a family will bring you closer together.
Write a diary of the last two weeks
Writing down your thoughts in a journal or diary is a good habit to develop. It helps to clear your mind and creates a lasting record of your experiences. Ask your children to write about what they’ve enjoyed or disliked about homeschool and list the things they are looking forward to most about going back to school. In a few years time, you can look back together at what they wrote and feel proud about everything you’ve been through.
Talk about what they’ve enjoyed
If your child is too young to write a diary, ask them questions about their homeschooling experience. You might both learn something! Their thoughts and feelings will help you to understand whether they feel nervous or apprehensive about going back to school so you can give them the support they need.
Encourage contact with friends
If your child hasn’t seen or heard from their friends in a while, now is a good time for them to re-connect by phone or video call to talk about their return to school. It may help them to share their feelings if they are feeling anxious or uncertain about going back.
Give yourself a homeschooling gold star!
Everyone at Wigan Welfare thinks parents and carers are superstars for getting through homeschool. So give yourself a pat on the back and feel proud of what you’ve achieved. Make sure to tell your children the same. They are living through a period in history that nobody has experienced before.
You are more resilient than you think. You will emerge from this a stronger person.
Your children are resilient too, so don’t worry about them missing out on their education. Their superstar teachers will make sure they catch up and bounce back.