The Best Ways to Keep Your Child Engaged Academically While Stuck at Home

By  //  November 6, 2020

We all know how frustrating this COVID experience has been, and if you’re somewhere in the world where a second wave is coming through, and lockdown restrictions are being put back in place, you might be wondering how you’re going to cope with the kids at home again.

While they’re almost old enough to entertain themselves, it’s not this side of things that you’re worried about – it’s their education. If you are juggling the kids being at home and working still, you might be feeling a bit over your head. Let’s take a look at the best ways to keep your child engaged academically while stuck at home.

1. Create a Plan from Day One

There’s nothing wrong with winging it at the best of times, but if you’re feeling like the stress of having the kids at home is hard to cope with, you might want to think about coming up with a plan.

Consider coming up with a daily schedule that you can hang on the wall where the kids can see it. There needs to be some sort of schedule that they can follow, just like there is at school. This way, they can stay on track, on task, and keep the distractions at bay.

2. Allow Them Choices

While this might not feel like the kind of thing that you want to do right now, giving them choices along with a routine is going to be a great way to introduce a bit of flexibility into their new home education environment.

Being both the parent and the teacher right now to your child is going to result in a bit of resistance at times, which is why it’s good to create choice boards for their everyday routines. This way, they can be a part of choosing what they learn and when they learn it so that you can keep the peace and help them take a bit of the responsibility.

3. Consider Online Resources

Right now, the internet is your best friend. You’re stuck at home with the kids, and you’re trying to keep their education going, but you haven’t been given all the resources that you had hoped for. This is where the internet comes in. There are lots of different kinds of learning resources out there for you to make the most of, and the great news is that the majority of them are super affordable.

One example of a great learning resource out there for you to utilize is a reading comprehension app. This is going to be especially helpful if your child is struggling with their reading comprehension and needs a bit of encouragement. Check out the best reading comprehension apps on the market right now so that you can give your child a great resource they can use at home.

4. Find Science in Everyday Life

While you might be excited about the idea of having a lot of resources at your fingertips right now, thanks to the internet, the good news is that it’s not the only source of education for your kids right now.

In fact, you’d be surprised at how much of everyday life can be turned into a fun science lesson. Depending on where you live, you can help them learn about nature and science through things like a butterfly garden, where your child can chart the butterfly’s growth from when it’s just an egg to being fully formed.

You can also make the most of going outside right now and talking about the world around you on each excursion. What kind of plants can they see? Are there any critters or native animals and birds that are visible during the day? You’d be surprised at how much they can learn from the natural world right outside your home.

Having your kids at home right now can be stressful – but you don’t have to be overwhelmed to the point where you think you can’t do it. Take these tips, and learn how to keep it educational for your kids at home right now.