How To Help Your Kids Learn At Home — No, It's Not Just Worksheets & Apps Either

The coronavirus pandemic has brought many changes into our lives, not the least of which is the closure of schools. Most parents have had their children at home for weeks now and are facing the reality of schools staying closed for at least the remainder of this school year. I've heard from many parents who feel like they are unprepared to handle the teaching responsibilities that have suddenly been forced upon them. 

At this point most children and teens have some type of online learning in place from their school, generally consisting of assignments on Google Classroom or Zoom meetings with a teacher a couple of days a week. Parents may still worry about their kids running out of academic activities or falling behind in their schooling. I see many parents quickly turning to "learning apps" or online worksheet generators to keep their kids busy and to fill this perceived void in their education. While I understand the motivations behind this, the reality is that these apps, worksheets, and other "traditional" school activities are not the only thing you can lean on to further your child's education—nor may they be the best way in every circumstance. 

If you're thinking that this is only possible with you spending 100% of your time as "teacher"—think again. Learning opportunities in the home environment don't have to involve constant adult attention. There can and should be times when you leave your child alone to engage in creative play, complete chores, or work on other projects without you hovering over them. With proper instructions and guidance, kids can take the lead and complete many tasks and activities independently. This allows you to focus on what you need to while knowing that they are engaged in meaningful learning endeavors. 

The short answer is no. The longer answer is that learning loss is a real phenomenon, and it happens when children aren't engaged in using skills for an extended period of time. This is why it is important to provide kids opportunities to use their reading, writing, math, and thinking skills while they are out of school. This isn't much different from the extended summer break most kids have every year. But engaging kids in meaningful activities where they can use the skills they've learned doesn't require worksheets, screen time, or other tasks we may associate with "academics."

Here are ideas for supporting skills in the main three academic areas:

Teens can learn how to do things like balance bank accounts, estimate grocery costs, complete tax forms, calculate discounts, construct models, and just generally learn about financial wellness. Anything that involves time, counting, patterns, measurement, estimation, rhythm, puzzles, or building something engages kids in the process of using math concepts and skills in a meaningful way.

Aside from books, a plethora of other daily tasks involve reading. Cooking from a recipe, creating and following to-do lists, reading email and texts, following instructions for art and building projects, playing board games, and listening to podcasts or audiobooks all flex kids' reading muscles and ensure that they retain and improve their reading skills while at home. 

Writing is also a natural part of so many daily activities. Kids can practice and improve their writing skills by emailing family members or teachers, keeping a journal or diary, making a shopping list, writing out a menu for dinner, or creating their own scavenger hunt clues. I like to have my kids create lists of things to accomplish each day, which not only provides some structure but also keeps them writing. You can have your kids write fun stories to share, come up with new lyrics to favorite songs, or make a gratitude list to share with each other at dinner. 

Even for older children and teens, there is great learning value in allowing them to create and explore their own interests (both on- and off-screens). These kinds of tasks and activities give kids exposure and practice with things they will need to know how to do to succeed in life as they grow. Even more importantly, they help children maintain the academic skills they've developed so they can jump right back into school-based learning when school reopens.