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As schools remain closed across the world because of the coronavirus pandemic, more parents realize that they have a new and quite daunting job description – being a teacher.
Children have a list of online assignments and lessons to fulfill and new programs to go through with their parents, and parents feel astounded by the pressure to help their kids and the workload that is added to their already existing responsibilities. So we asked an experienced educator, who also happens to be a mother and a professional parent coach, what she thinks about this emerging concern. She says there are just some things to keep in mind before starting with the homeschooling program that you’ve chosen for your kids. She also states that you don’t have to worry if there are bumps along the way. It doesn’t need to be perfect.
Don’t pressure yourself too much.
While some moms and dads have all the time and the means to give everything they can into this new normal for children during the pandemic, it is not feasible for other parents. Guidance differs tremendously from school to school, so how one family deals with their children might not work for yours. Don’t start with social comparison. Color-coding timetables and expensive crafts may not work in your home, and that’s fine. Remember that we must teach our kids not to strive for perfection or imitation.
Allow them to feel uninterested sometimes.
Children’s activities in school are usually so structured and visual. At home, it will be quite different, with less pressure from the guidance of the teacher and more convenient with their mom or dad in their very own living room. If they start to get uninterested or bored, let them be for a while, and then snap them out of it and return to the lesson. This will be a struggle initially, but creativity and self-discovery indeed happen during moments of boredom.
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Focus more on reading.
Building and improving on their reading capabilities will benefit kids at every possible angle. When they were younger, they used to love listening to you as you read them stories. Now, you just need to sit and listen with them as famous actors tell children’s stories on the web. Don’t worry if the public libraries are shut down due to the pandemic. Audiobooks and other electronic downloads are available online. Let your kids choose the book he likes to listen for the day so that it perks their interest.
Choose a program that includes home economics.
You may have heard of other kids going out into the world without knowing anything about household chores. This is the most suitable time to teach them life skills, like cooking, cleaning, and doing the laundry. With your teenagers, you can start them with financial literacy, including budgeting and paying the bills. Some children may have structured online schedules, and hopefully, you didn’t choose this. They should be able to choose when, where, and how they would like to do their schoolwork. This is also a great opportunity to enhance their metacognition and become more conscious of the kind of learning that works for them.
Allow them to recognize their feelings.
One of the most vital aspects of learning that our children should learn is their social-emotional skills. Children don’t always have access to things like this in their academic subjects, but they can learn the basic emotional literacy skills, which they can use in their day-to-day living. Once they have a background on this, they can recognize their feelings and be aware of how they can deal with them confidently and assertively.
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As parents, we can assure our children that feeling anxious and scared are normal emotions that even adults feel during these challenging times. This is one of those moments when teaching them proper hygiene, and social distancing will be relatively easier. Finally, teaching them how to surpass a global health crisis may just be the most crucial lesson you can ever impart on them.