These are crazy times, friends! Coronavirus has changed our routines and the way we live our lives. And if you clicked on this post, chances are you are NOT a homeschooler. Which means you are now navigating Homeschooling and Coronavirus, when you had NO intention of doing so!
As someone who has homeschooled all three of my kids from the beginning, I have a few tips that can help you through these trying times. But Homeschooling and Coronavirus? This is new! I’ve been at this for 7 years, and while homeschooling works for us right now, I’m not going to be the homeschooler that tells you that it’s perfect all the time. It can be tough stuff, but you can get through this and you AND your kids will do GREAT!
Homeschooling and Coronavirus TIP #1- RELAX
I know that sounds like the last thing you’ll be able to do but trust me on this. You are stressed. This is normal. Your kids are stressed. For sure. You are out of your routine and so are they. This is new. This is scary. Times are strange- I mean, you’re hoarding toilet paper!
There is going to be SO much grace when the kids do return to school. There are going to be kids that have done all of their work, and some that have not.
It’s going to be ok!
Homeschooling and Coronavirus TIP #2- YOU ARE NOT REPLICATING SCHOOL AT HOME
While you are home with your kids, you need to keep up with their required work, and try not to let them fall behind. What you CAN’T do, is recreate their school at home. It’s impossible! And you know what? Your kids’ teachers don’t want you to do that!!
Don’t create added pressure by feeling like you have to match what your kids do every day in school. They aren’t there- they’re at home.
You weren’t prepared to teach your kids- much less with NO NOTICE. You do not have to replicate their traditional school day (more on schedules later…) Don’t create added pressure by feeling like you have to match what your kids do every day in school. They aren’t there- they’re at home. It doesn’t have to start at 8AM and end at 3PM. It just has to get done.
And let’s be honest- we’re all in a bit of a survival mode right now. Homeschooling during Coronavirus is a whole new world for all of us!
And if it’s not going smoothly, it’s ok.
Very often, when a child is being transitioned out of traditional school and into homeschool, it’s recommended that they go through a period of “de-schooling.” This usually lasts a few weeks, sometimes as long as 6 or 8 weeks. This is to let them (and you) shift from the traditional schedule and expectations of institutional learning to whatever schedule and expectations that your family adopts. It’s normal for there to be attitude issues, exhaustion, discipline challenges, and lots of “feelings” as everyone adjusts to the new normal.
Well mama- you don’t have that luxury right now. If the plan is for your child to re-enter their school as soon as it’s open again, they have to keep up with their assigned work. Which means you have to jump right in.
Which brings me to schedules…
Homeschooling and Coronavirus TIP #3- SCHEDULES, ROUTINES, and RHYTHMS
If you are a schedule person, and you like your day planned down to the minute- then by all means DO THAT. Some people need that to function, and I totally get that. Grab a piece of notebook paper or a planner, and get that schedule down! However, if you think you HAVE to have a minute by minute schedule just because that’s what your kids had in school, let me be the one to tell you that you are WRONG! Schools need very precise schedules because there are a LOT of kids! And if there were no schedules it would be chaos! But unless you have 20+ kids in your home, you can probably get away with more of a routine or rhythm…
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Routines are what I use in my home. A sample routine for you right now might look like this…
7-9AM- All kids awake and dressed (or at least not naked!)
Eat breakfast, chores, play with the dog.
9-11:30AM- School Work
Take breaks, have snacks every so often
Noon- Lunch
1:00- Older kids finish work while little ones nap
Afternoon- Older kids play with younger kids
Mom gets work done on the computer
Conference calls while kids watch a movie
6-8PM- Dinner
Bath
Put away laundry
5 Minute Pick-Up
8:30- Kids to bed
So you see there are benchmarks and goals, like a time to wake up, a time to start school, a time to eat. But it’s not a minute-by-minute schedule. There is plenty of margin, and lots of grace.
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You can also just have a rhythm to your day. An example of this would be…
Wake up
Breakfast
Work/ Kids Play
Lunch
School
Play
Dinner
Read Aloud
Bath and Bedtime
With a rhythm, there are no set times, just a sort of order of operations. This might be perfect for you if the thought of a strict schedule stresses you out, or if you have a newborn or a bunch of littles that can throw off your whole day.
One last thing- YOU get to decide what your day looks like. There is no RIGHT or WRONG. If you have to work from home and be on conference calls in the morning, your kids can have movie time while you work and eat popcorn for breakfast, then do schoolwork in the afternoon. If the only time you have to work with your older kids is at night when the littles are in bed, so be it! That’s FINE!
Homeschooling and Coronavirus TIP #4- GIVE YOUR KIDS A BREAK
Are your kids acting out? Whining? Making you want to pull your hair out?
NORMAL.
I’ve had SO many friends reach out to me wanting to know just what the heck they’re going to do? Their kids are being little monsters! And they want to know HOW I DO IT?! Here’s what I’m telling them…
Even if your child was only assigned 2 hours of work to do per day, you shouldn’t expect them to just knock it out in one sitting. In a traditional school, only a certain percentage of your child’s day is spent in that highly focused state of mind. There are plenty of breaks, bathroom visits, walks to other classrooms, time spent in line, waiting for other children to finish, etc.
For example, in the state of Georgia where I live, homeschoolers are required to teach 4 hours per day. That is because even the Department of Education knows that of the 6-8 hours that children are in school, not every minute of that is spent in actual study mode. And at home, with one on one attention, you can accomplish quite a lot in less time.
So what does that mean for you? Take breaks! You know your child better than anyone! Maybe you tell them they need to do 20 minutes of math, then they can jump on the trampoline for 5 minutes before doing the next 20 minutes of math. Give their bodies and minds a break. (Remember, we’re all stressed right now!)
Find out what they’re struggling with, and have them do that first. Maybe it’s spelling. Knock it out, then have a dance party and a snack break before moving on.
Also, this is a BIG ONE. I do this EVERY DAY before we start school- I give my kids a hug. A big bear hug. Even if I’m not in the mood. Because something about hugging your kiddo gives you a little dose of patience, and we all need that right now!
Homeschooling and Coronavirus TIP #5- GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK
You are in uncharted territory mamma. We all are. So take care of yourself.
Turn off the news every so often and listen to music.
Take advantage of your kids sleeping in a little and have a cup of coffee and pray or meditate or read a book.
If your spouse is working from home, take advantage of that and trade off to give each other some quiet kid-free time.
Organize something if that makes you happy. Purge every closet in your house if that gets you excited!
Do something that you never have time to do- with your kids or without! Play a board game if that’s your thing. If you’ve always wanted to watch every episode of Little House on the Prairie with your kids- do it! When else but now?
Do you always wish you could read aloud to your family but never have time? Do it! My absolute favorite is Charlotte’s Web. Right now we are reading The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind, and then we’re going to watch the movie on Netflix.
Get dressed. For the love. If we all walk around in our pj’s every day, we will feel so blah. I’m only dressing in cute comfy clothes, but I am forcing myself to NOT wear pajamas all day!
And if you’re a makeup gal, just doing a 5-Minute Face and some lip gloss will help so much. Even though you might not be seeing people other than your family, the act of getting yourself ready feels familiar and will give you some sense of normalcy.
It’s going to be ok!
Share this post with friends that might be on the struggle bus right now!
Leave a comment below and let me know how you’re coping- and if you have specific questions for me, you can always reach out to me at [email protected] and I’ll try to help!
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