When it comes to the impact COVID-19 is having on our world, we are not out of the woods yet. Many areas are still experiencing school shutdowns in order to slow the spread of the virus.

This puts many parents in the frustrating situation of trying to accommodate online learning and teach their kids from home.

The thing is, it doesn’t have to be stressful! Whether you can dedicate hours a day to your child’s education or only a few minutes, there are ways you can encourage their learning without disrupting your entire routine.

If you’re not sure how here are some tips you can try in order to each your children at home during COVID lockdowns:

1. Ready Your Materials

Being organized is going to help you save time when it comes to teaching your children at home.

While you don’t need color-coded folders and a label maker, getting your child’s learning materials ready for each day is going to make things go much smoother.

Start by having a notebook, pencil, and eraser ready at your child’s learning space. Supply them with any other additional materials they may need in small containers.

Also, do up a cheatsheet for websites and login information they may need. You can even create homepage or desktop shortcuts on the devices they use so they can easily access the websites when they need to.

2. Make a Schedule

When you are teaching your kids at home, long gone are the days of Monday-Friday, 8 am-3 pm schedules. Instead, look at your regular daily routine and see where learning at home fits in.

Granted, your child may be participating in online face-to-face learning during specific class times. Be sure to prioritize these times into the schedule.

Otherwise, work in learning time whenever you can. While you are trying your best to keep your child on a normal routine remember that these are not normal times.

3. Break Up Learning Time

Older kids are likely to be expected to sit at their computer or tablet during full class sessions. Younger children, however, are accustomed to a balance of learning and play during the day.

Be sure to allow your kids breaks between learning tasks. Have them stop periodically for snacks, meals, and movement breaks but also allow them to indulge in an activity they enjoy doing at home.

If you find your little one is getting off track during these breaks, set a timer for 10-15 minutes.

4. Be Flexible

Teaching your child at home is not going to look perfect every day. You have to be prepared to make changes both in your schedule and your expectations.

Learning from home during a COVID lockdown is a big change for everyone.

While you want to keep your kids on track with their academic learning, understand that there are times when the day will derail and sometimes you simply have to let it.

5. Give Your Kids a Task List

In order to mitigate the chaos of a disrupted routine, write a task list each day for your child. List the schoolwork they are expected to complete by the end of the day.

This gives your child some independence when it comes to tackling their schoolwork.

Instead of expecting them to complete the tasks within a certain timeframe and in a certain order, they can choose which tasks they want to prioritize.

Just make sure you emphasize the importance of having this list completed by the end of the day.

6. Prepare Extra Activities

Learning is not all about filling out worksheets! Make sure to prepare extra activities throughout the day such as art, reading, games, physical activity, and music.

Don’t be afraid to rely on websites to help you out! YouTube is a great resource for kid-friendly workouts, songs, and music lessons.

If you have any musical instruments laying around, let your kids experiment with them. Grab some paint or playdough and let them be creative.

You’ll find that the more you allow your kids to have “brain breaks” throughout the day, the more focused they will be on their schoolwork!

7. Reward Your Kids

Again, these are not normal times and your kids are struggling just as hard as you are to adapt to the way things are.

Make sure you reward your kids for effort, not results.

If they plow through half of their schoolwork without complaint, let them take an hour or two to do what they want. Give them a special treat at bedtime for getting all of their work done.

You can even do simple things throughout the day like putting stickers on completed work or giving them verbal compliments.

8. Give Your Kids Alone Time

Perhaps one of the most stressful aspects of at-home learning for kids during a COVID shutdown is the fact that they are stuck at home and not able to see their friends and socialize.

For this reason, it’s important to give your kids some alone time when they need it.

This may seem counterintuitive to the fact that they want to be around other people but alone time will give them a break from demands and expectations.

9. Ask for Help

These are confusing times for everyone so there is a basic understanding that, as parents, we have no idea what we are doing!

Stay in contact with your child’s teacher and express any concerns you may have. Perhaps your child needs more visual aids when learning or they have a hard time sitting during a video lesson.

The upside of this whole ordeal is that expectations for students have pretty much gone out the window. Work with your child’s teacher to come up with strategies that apply to your child’s unique learning style.

10. Do What You Can

Most importantly, you just have to do what you can.

Teaching your children at home is not an ideal situation for many parents but, for those of us who can accommodate it, we just have to work within our limits.

And for those that work and can’t be home with their children all day, do what you can during the evenings and on the weekends.

However, be careful not to sacrifice quality time with your family or self-care time for yourself.

If all you can do is 20 minutes a day, then do 20 minutes a day. If all you can do is read with your child at bedtime, then read with your child at bedtime.

The important thing to remember is that whatever you can do is amazing! Every little thing you can do to teach your children at home is more than doing nothing.

You’ve Got This!

As parents, doing your best means doing everything you can. During these times, it’s okay to accept that what you can do may not be what you want to do.

A huge part of teaching your children at home is managing expectations. Again, doing little is better than doing nothing!

We’re going to come to the end of this at some point but, until then, hang in there. You’ve got this!

How are you making out with teaching your children at home? Let us know in the comments!