Today, while many children should be at school, they are at home learning. As parents transition a part of their day into teaching at home. Nobody would have ever predicted back in September that teachers and parents will all be taking on a homeschool approach to education.
Parents are taking on these new teaching roles, hopefully, along with their child’s teacher. With the ultimate goal for each child to not lose instruction and to stay with as much as the same pace of instruction as usual.
But not every child has the access to education at the same rate as every peer- in the nation. So, I have thought of some ways where your student or child can learn, through these challenging times, while at home.
For any child with limited educational access or equipment, there are many things you can do to keep education moving forward. So, here are a few ideas of what you can do to encourage your child’s learning opportunities at home, on a regular basis, regardless of what grade they are in.
Here are are few instructional ways you can teach at home.
Involve Children in Adult Errands
Take your child to run errands, like grocery shopping. Involve them from start to finish with the planning process, like filling out a grocery list. Give them each assignment that they are responsible to carry out, like checking the pantry or cupboards, and refrigerator to see what is needed.
Let them see what it is like to have to make decisions alone, and to work together as a team. This is something you can do even when ordering groceries online. Give them a small amount of money to spend and assign them with a group of items they need to buy with that amount. This also incorporates higher order thinking problem solving skills.
To add a little bit more, you could ask each child to plan one meal, and then have them find the ingredients needed for the meal within their budget’s constraints. There are many fun ways to teach children about different subjects and life skills.
Cooking and Baking
A simple way to incorporate learning about math and science at home is with cooking and baking. When your child is learning about fractions, look no further than baking for the practice they need to make the concepts become concrete in their minds. Play around with recipes. Do the full recipe, then do only half of another recipe, and double yet another.
If you run out of measuring spoons and cups in the proper size, talk about how you can substitute another one. For example, if your 1/2 cup measuring cup is gone, you can fill up the 1/4 cup measuring cup twice for the same amount.
Include Children in Discussions about Adult Topics
When you are discussing politics, finances, or any other adult topic, include your children. Don’t assume that they are too young to worry about it. Don’t assume they will assimilate these skills later either or glean them from someone else.
It is amazing to learn of the large number of adults whose parents never taught them about basic life management, simply because the topic was awkward or difficult to teach. Allow your children the advantage of going into adulthood with a firm grasp of why they need to be involved as citizens, and what they need to do to provide a home for themselves and then manage it.
Most importantly, since we are in the age of technology, your child may already know about certain politics and financial aspects of life. They grasp so many concepts from the internet, friends, and school they might be ready before you even know it. So it’s better to learn it at home than anywhere else first.
Gardening
Gardening is another great real world educational tool. It is a full science project! While your child partakes in this activity, they will reinforce their learning of the process of a seed becoming a full-grown plant, photosynthesis, and other great lessons. This activity can also provide the ingredients for the cooking and baking as discussed earlier!
Go Camping
Camping is one of the most fun ways to learn! There are endless opportunities to learn about different aspects of science while surviving in the great outdoors. Take a book on the various types of birds along on your journey. Learn about the habits of wild animals, and how you can avoid confrontation with them. When you are preparing for a campfire, show your child how to make fire out of wood, while discussing survival skills. You will find plenty of ways to reinforce your child’s learning while you are out in nature.
If you cannot get to a campsite, you can always stay at home and go out in your backyard, or even to the park to explore. . Then you can talk about backyard adventures or even something as simple as the mechanics of a bicycle wheel.
Online Education Websites
When there is a need to supplement learning at home, you can always weave in online educational websites. This is great if you live in an urban environment or getting out and about, like right now, is difficult. Regardless, there are many websites that are helpful in grasping and embracing new concepts.
Pre-K – 3rd grade website is https://www.starfall.com/h/
This is an easy website for your child to navigate and they can play a variety of games to help with: letter recognition, spelling, and phonics.
All grade levels– https://www.coolmath.com/
My students love coolmath.com! With Cool Math you can help your child access whatever they are currently learning in math and needing help with, for a straightforward explanation of each principle.
For more a list of education websites of all grade levels check here: Educational Websites Here!
Using Online Games That Teach
There are plenty of games that aren’t necessarily intended for the purpose of education but can be used as such by any parent with a little creativity. A very fun and informal game is Minecraft is one website that is extremely popular with elementary and even my middle-school age kids! It’s “learning fun” because it builds structures out of blocks made of a variety of supposed materials.
If you want more focused educational games check here!
YouTube
Believe it or not, YouTube is a great addition to any educational program for any age of child. No matter what your child is struggling with or needing extra help with in school, you will be sure to find YouTube videos that explain the concepts well.
I have used many YouTube videos in my lessons because I need to adapt to all student learning styles. Having a visual with audio to back it works tremendously with the learning process.
Disclaimer: Because anyone can upload videos onto YouTube, use caution when on this site, and be sure to preview any videos before your child or student watches them.
Tutoring by Skype or Zoom
Another great advantage of our era of readily available technology is being able to connect with a live person when online. Now, that many children have been out of school, this has been a lifesaver for teachers to get in touch with students to assist them with their education.
Spelling Practice and Phonics
As your child learns new words, take the opportunity to get them off to a good start with their spelling. When you are in the shopping mall with your young child, look at the names of the stores and spell them aloud, then sound them out. Do this often and in a way that makes it feel like a game to them. Children become excited what we are excited about, so have fun and enjoy yourself and the enthusiasm will spread.
If you notice that your child has misspelled a word, don’t make them feel bad about it, but do find an opportunity to later bring it up in a seemingly unrelated incident where you appear to notice the word coincidentally, giving you the opportunity to spell the word aloud to them. If you are already spelling many words aloud, this extra step will not appear contrived.
Reading Together
One of the absolute most important things you can do to help your child with their English skills is to read aloud to them. From the time your child is in the womb, you can help them develop a love of reading. Make reading a regular part of bedtime and read books with complex use of language.
Don’t shy away from books that seem too sophisticated, even classic books with lots of big words. Encourage your child to ask questions about any words they do not recognize and give them a definition with enthusiasm for each new word they inquire about. This will strengthen their vocabulary quickly. Check out this reading log and reading response questions that can assist in growing your child’s reading ability.
Using Enriched Vocabulary
Use large words in your everyday conversation as well. Don’t feel that you have to use baby talk all the time, even to your little ones. If you use more complex words in your ordinary conversation, your children will acquire a long vocabulary list in the most natural way.
Have days where you ban certain words in your home. On the list of banned words, include any mundane and overused words, encouraging your children to find more interesting words to take their place. For example, the words “good”, “like”, “hungry” and others like them could be put on the list. The word “hungry” could be replaced with anything more descriptive, such as “famished”, “ravenous” or “voracious.” You will find all ages learning new words rapidly this way, including yourself.
Final Thoughts
There are many ways to teach your child at home through just daily life experiences. Use your creativity to weave lessons into the situations you face each moment along with a little online educational websites. Your child will be ready to face the future and everything around them before you know it.