I have been getting asked by parents for recommendations on how to help their children adjust to school at home during this new school year, now that many are choosing the virtual options that schools are offering during this ongoing pandemic. Firstly, I want to say, this is a learning experience for us too. “Homeschooler” is a bit of a misnomer, at least for how we school. My boys do a lot of classes outside the home, with homeschool groups, at local museums, we do field trips with friends, and have a lot of social gatherings with our homeschool and youth groups; so we are also learning to adjust to life without all of that. Academically, though, we are equipped to keep going as normal, for which I am definitely grateful!

So, what advice do I have? Honestly, I do not know much about how the virtual and online school options will work, because it is not something I’ve had to delve into, given that we’ve always homeschooled. But here are a few thoughts that I can share. 

If you feel the virtual learning is not sufficient and you need to supplement your children’s learning, one of the best tips I can give is to get a bunch of diverse books (fiction, non-fiction) and read aloud with your kids, having meaningful conversation on the topics being covered as you read with them. You will be surprised how much memorable learning will happen in this context. For more on reading aloud with your children, read this post.

An important thing to bear in mind when facing school at home, is that you are at home. Bring the feeling of home into learning, so that it becomes a comfortable and enjoyable experience, you do not have to impose school structure into the day. Learning does not have to look like a desk with defined periods of time for each subject ending with a bell. How does learning look for you now? When you want to learn about a new topic, what do you do? Read a book, look it up online, watch a YouTube video or TED talk? Do you do these things on your laptop or phone while laying on the couch, or sitting outside by the pool? Your kids can learn this way too, in fact, they will probably learn more and faster because it is more appealing than the dry textbooks and worksheets normally presented to them. Use this unique time to allow them to do some deep diving and exploring into subjects that interest them, and to do this study in cozy, comfortable spaces.

Learning in an environment where there are parents who care deeply for and know their children well (as opposed to a teacher who has to focus on many children, sometimes only seeing them for an hour or so a day), means learning can look very different at home, and not be limited to defined time periods. It can be in the conversations over the breakfast and dinner tables, reading books together, watching documentaries together, looking up information together on the internet, simply talking and listening to your kids when they share what they are learning and thinking about. 

All this being said, if your children function better with clear structure, then by all means build that into your day, that is the advantage of being at home, you can make school fit to your child, not the other way around!

If your children are a little older, include them in the discussion of what they would like to being doing during this time of learning at home—what are their interests, what would make this period more interesting and meaningful for them? If they have virtual lessons through their regular school, and feel it is not adequate, then what would help to supplement it and/or make the content richer? Not only may they come up with some great ideas, but if you incorporate them into the process, it will ensure that they are more committed to what is chosen and feel ownership for their own work (especially if you are also trying to work from home). You can treat this as a brainstorming session. Tell them you want them to be involved in figuring out what/how they will be learning, how they will handle the time when you need to focus on work, and how to plan for that time so they can be independent while you need to focus.

If I can give you just one piece of advice, however, it would be to take a deep breath and give yourself grace. Everyone is going through this, your child will not be left behind, because everyone is figuring out this new reality alongside you. And remember, children are learning all the time, they cannot help it, whether they are reading a book (writing style, grammar, vocabulary, facts, story telling, creativity, imagination), drawing a picture (creativity, art, fine motor skills, use of color), baking a cake (reading a recipe, following procedure in a scientific way, fractions, adding, life skills), playing video or board games (strategy, percentages, coding, sequential thinking, social skills, problem solving, cooperation, logic), playing outside (physical exercise and development, coordination, imagination, motor skills, cooperation and sharing, if playing with others)… learning is not limited to a desk, text book, and worksheets to fill out. Make the most of this unusual opportunity to spend time together and explore life in a different way. 

And again, give yourself grace, these are not easy times.