It has come to parents’ attention all around the United States and around the world that schools are shutting down left and right. Some very valid questions might pop in your head as a parent. How am I going to balance my children being at home and working from home? How can I keep my children busy? What can I do as a parent to keep my child active and learning until schools open back up? I”m not in any position to homeschool my child!
If you are in quarantine with your children, there are many things you can do with them to keep the time passing, while also keeping your child learning.
From pre-school age to younger grade school, it is suggested that you read books with your children. Engage in teaching them how to read words and spelling them out. Now, this may not be the most fun for your child, but it is great practice for them and keeps them engaged in learning. Even just reading to them will help them stay engaged with you. By exercising your language skills, describing what catches your child’s attention, helping them to be more excited about it, will help them with their own language skills.
The older the child is, the more productive things you can have your child do around the house to help teach them about home life. One of the things you can teach your child is how to do laundry. A simple, but also a complex form of education that can help them stay busy. Perhaps you don’t want them to risk ruining your clothes, however. Teach them about the science of what happens when you mix colored clothes in water. Activities like this will help them understand more about how to take care of themselves, while also teaching them that there is science in something as simple as doing laundry.
As for social studies and history, a great way to help your child keep up their studying skills, a parent who sits down with their children and shares true stories of what they’ve experienced throughout their life will help their cognitive ability to memorize information, as studies show. In fact, giving visual aids such as pictures of the family will help this “repeated reminiscing” aspect of their memory. The more you include your child in your story, the more engaged they will be, and the more likely they are to ask the where, what, when, how, and why of certain information.
As for math skills, it is important to child development that your children understand how math can converse in the home. Things like baking and cooking are a great tool for them to practice their fractions. The more hands-on they can be, the more engaged your child will remain. Not only can you benefit from having a helper in the kitchen, but your child will also learn more about teamwork and have a better understanding of how math works more early on in their lives.
In general, the older the child, the easier it will be to keep them entertained during an 8-hour workday. You can teach children how to do dishes, or even teach them how to change a tire. Being proactive in your child’s learning will help result in an easier transition back into school.
As for being fearful of your child, it is suggested that every parent read up on the CDC website about what they should do if your child is indeed sick, but the main thing to keep in mind is to keep them in quarantine and at least 6 feet away from anyone else in the household. Here is a link:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/children-faq.html