Tips for Homeschooling Primary aged Children
Guest blog written by Jenny Clare
I haven’t read or heard anywhere that anyone is finding homeschooling easy
Homeschooling tips may not seem to hold weight for us all in this difficult situation when it all feels a bit overwhelming but these easy to apply ideas can make a huge difference these homeschooling tips are for primary aged children but can support SEND children too.
I know it feel’s so easy to say and yet more difficult to do. You can though bring some lightness into the process, yes it’s work focused, but it doesn’t all have to be serious and hard. I haven’t read or heard anywhere that anyone is finding homeschooling easy and fitting this in with all the other things you do as a parent/carer in your day is a tough call and these tips can help.
Setting up for Homeschooling
- With younger children – 5s to 8s, work in different areas for different types of activity, for example, if they are reading, let them sit in a comfy chair with you, or by themselves.
- If they need to watch a teaching video consider moving to a different area to watch it.
- Move back to the table for written work.
- If you have the time to play a game relating to the subject, eg maths times tables, you could do it on the floor, they don’t have to be at the work table all the time.
Feedback and recognition
- Those smiles and compliments to your children mean the world to them, even if you think, well, they can do better than that. It will really help you both/all.
- Stickers work for younger children. You could have a tin of stickers that you are in charge of and they can chose one for work completed. Stick it on the work or themselves. If they choose their forehead, does it really matter?
Movement and breaks
Concentrated working is tiring. Your children are likely to be doing more focused work than they would be at school with all the busyness and distractions of the classroom around them.
- Have a ten minute break every 45 minutes. This may need to be more often for younger children.
- Move away from the workspace. Get up and stretch when you notice they are getting tired – yawning, losing concentration, or a bit grouchy.
- Let your children work in different places to ring the changes.
- Just having a minute’s break and moving from one place to another gives a new lease of life. Join in, you deserve to stretch and let go of tension too!
Lunch and snacks
- Give your children, and yourself, a drink and maybe a snack in between.
- Try not to feed them during working time, make it a separate activity and then it will feel like a real break.
Remember that you are a Bl**dy Awesome Parent!
Being a Teacher in a classroom is a lot simpler than being a Teacher at home with your own kids (even if you’re a Teacher yourself!) Even if you don’t feel like you’re doing a great job you are doing the best you can, and that is enough.
A little about Jenny
I am a retired Teacher. I worked in both mainstream and special educational schools and settings during my teaching career, laterally as a Specialist Teacher in Autism Spectrum Disorders for Lancashire CC. I have two adult children and live in the Lake District.
Extra resources
Managing the Stress of Homeschooling
