After a week of being home with the kids, I feel my teaching muscle memory kicking in! I have had a teaching degree for over 10 years now and taught for many years in a traditional classroom before we moved to Colorado! I know that there are many parents out there with their kids at home who are now expected to teach their kids and they don't have any experience. This can be so overwhelming! I am here to help!
First... your child does not need to be doing 6+ hours of school a day. When they are in traditional school there is time for recess, transitions, and downtime. They may be in the building for that amount of time but that doesn't mean that they are doing school work the whole time. Anyone in elementary school should really only be doing 2-4 hours of work depending on their grade. Once you refocus this and realize that you only need to devote a few hours hopefully this can also reduce the stress for everyone!
Second...have a plan but be flexible. Our schedule is just a list rather than one with time attached to each task. It empowers the kids to see what they have to do and to choose the order they finish the tasks in. They will quickly realize what order they want to do things in. The weather is important too. We try to get outside each day 3-4 times...but this may be more or less depending on the weather. This is so good for all of us...we need fresh air and vitamin D.
Third...get creative with learning. Math doesn't have to be worksheets, it can be baking and cooking. Social Studies and Science can be done on a backyard exploration or outdoor experiments. Use the skills you have as a parent too...Are you a great musician or super crafty? Why not use those skills to get creative with your kids? Are you amazing at building things? Build something with your kids! Learning can happen in so many different ways.
Resources
There are many amazing resources online that you can use both online and offline! I am going to share with you a couple of my favourites!
1. Teachers Pay Teachers - This website has tons of free and paid-for resources, that are created by teachers for teachers (or parents) to use. If you do purchase a resource you are supporting other teachers...which is amazing!
2. Khan Academy - This website is amazing for all ages. They have tons of lessons on tons of topics and they even have an app for preschoolers called Khan Kids! My kids love it and best of all it is FREE!
3. K12Reader - This website has a ton of free printables. I have printed off letters for tracing and reading comprehension sheets. These resources are great for offline work and if you have a clipboard you can print them and work outside!
4. Scholastic - We all love and know those book order sheets...now they have a ton of fun reading activities and lessons to go through each day. Lessons are broken up by age and all organized you don't have to prepare anything!!
5. Code.org - This website is a great way to introduce your kids to something different. Coding can be a great way for kids to be working and playing on the computer! They have a ton of videos that teach about computer science!
I hope that these tips and resources will help you in this very interesting and unique time. I am always available for questions! I would love to see how you are learning at home! Tag me on Instagram! @mountainmamawellness