Parenting in a pandemic: learning at home during this time of Coronavirus isolation
With schools now closed for the foreseeable future, many folks are struggling with how to fill their children’s time and worrying about their learning needs, often while trying to work from home themselves.
As an alternative educator, I have the following advice to offer, echoing some of what a lot of other folks in education have been saying:
1. Relax. Missing a few weeks of school will not destroy your child’s life. Keeping kids entertained/engaged and challenged is important, keeping up with their local curriculum in its entirety is not.
In 1, 5, or 10 years no one will care or know how they spent these next few weeks with regard to academic performance. How you all weather this stressful and potentially traumatic situation emotionally, however, will matter.
It is with this emotional health in mind that I recommend relaxing and choosing harmony and connection over power struggles and deadlines. Kids will learn, that’s what they do, and as long as they are offered resources and support they will continue to grow and learn naturally.
2. Remember that out of a whole school day the actual amount of time spent working on ‘schoolwork’ isn’t all that much (once you take out time for breaks, transitions between activities, instruction time etc.) — do not expect your kids to sit still and read or do worksheets for hours on end. If you feel you have to do more traditional schoolwork, or homework they have been assigned, don’t expect more than an hour or two of focus, depending on the age and ability of the individual.
3. If you’re looking for something more relaxed but still stimulating, try some critical media studies instead of homework or other worksheet based schoolwork.
What if every day your kid watched a movie and then discussed it with you in writing or verbally, or perhaps both? You can cover all kinds of topics from social justice to history while exercising the most important learning skills — critical thinking and analysis. Take turns picking the movie and try using different discussion questions with different types of focus.
Possible approaches for discussions: theme movie choices for comparison/contrast (i.e. historical dramas, based on books/comics, space exploration, fantasy etc.), using the same questions for each movie (i.e. what is the main theme/point the film is trying to teach us, how did the characters grow and change etc.), or focusing on the specific content of each movie (i.e. why did you think they did _____, what do you think about how character x was presented, etc..).
4. Support their interests like Lego and Minecraft by finding challenges online for them to try. There are lots of options out there and having a new goal or mission can help combat boredom, burnout, and ‘but I don’t know what to do’. This approach will be most effective if they are on board with the idea and think it sounds fun — if you set this as something they have to do, it most likely will backfire and they will resist it.
Having them choose their challenges or work with you finding them will help them feel empowered and engaged with the process.
This type of activity can include all kinds of learning including reading comprehension, following instructions, critical thinking, problem-solving, planning/organization of thoughts etc.
5. Daily storytime. Reading is awesome for kids but if you are finding resistance to reading themselves, try picking a novel and reading a chapter or two a day together (or find an audiobook you can all listen to — Audible has a bunch of free children’s/YA options available right now).
Making this part of your daily routine will ensure they are getting some literacy skill development while also offering family bonding, shared cozy memories in this difficult time, and a period of quiet downtime for everyone. For those who struggle with sitting still, working on a busy-hands activity while listening can be very helpful (e.g. knitting, colouring, puzzles, lego etc.).
6. For slightly older kids, challenge them to become an ‘expert’ on a topic of their choice. Help them find sources of information online and encourage them to learn as much as they can about their topic and then perhaps present it to you/the family/friends in some form (making an informative YouTube video is a popular option for this!). Encourage deep thinking and analysis by asking them about what they’re learning using probing questions (i.e. why do you think that is? What causes that? Did they consider____ why/why not?).
There are tonnes of amazing online resources being promoted right now, from virtual museum tours to free access to the NYC public library, chances are that with a little digging you could find some great learning opportunities (and if they help you with your search they’re learning how to do online research too!).
7. Help them take on a hands-on project of some sort. Whatever their topic, from stop-motion movies to baking a chocolate soufflé, by picking a goal, researching it, practicing, and following it through to completion they are developing a wide range of amazing skills that will be invaluable later in life. In a world where it’s no longer what you know but what you can do with your knowledge, confident, enthusiastic, and creative thinkers who can work independently are in high demand.
These are just a couple of examples of learning-outside-the-box that can support growth and development without the conflict and stress of enforcing traditional schoolwork in the home.
The common thread here is supporting the child’s interests or passions, helping them see the value in their ideas and what they like, and using those interests to find challenges that keep them entertained and stimulated while encouraging growth and development.
Your child will be ok. This break from school isn’t the worst thing that happened to them. It could be a wonderful time of learning and exploration for your family if you can engage your child and work with them to find positive and exciting activities.
