Coronavirus: Top tips on schooling your children from home

Parents across the Midlands won't have to worry about the school run today, after schools were closed to combat the spread of Coronavirus.

The Government introduced the measures on March 18, but schools with vulnerable children and those of key workers are set to stay open.

For many parents they will have to homeschool their children.

Well, a former teacher who works for Mensa, said a school day is made up of 'more than sitting and writing.'

Lyn Kendall wanted to share some tips for parents who may feel unsure about what to do:

  • Everyone is stressed and out of their routine. Tempers will be short including your own.

  • For most children there is a clear distinction between home and school. Don’t expect that this will suddenly change.

  • Remember the school day is made up of more than sitting and writing. Your children will be moving around, discussing, listening, watching, creating, thinking and socialising.

  • Remember, a child’s attention span is shorter than you might think. At four or five years old you might expect a child to concentrate on one activity for five to ten minutes. This gradually increases until as adults we can manage about forty minutes.

In terms of creating a schedule when homeschooling children, this is what she advised:

She said that everyday, the homeschooling schedule should include 'something from the following categories':

  • Physical exercise – remembering that children should not be outside on the streets.They are off school for a serious reason.

  • Something creative – art, sewing, knitting, web design, making a birthday card and so on.

  • Music – from piano practice to listening to music they wouldn’t normally listen to. Now’s the chance to introduce favourite bands from your youth.

  • Work that has been set by school – focus on quality rather than quantity. Remember the poor soul that’s got to mark all this when they go back.

  • An open ended task – something that uses all their skills and problem solving.

  • Lots of play – play has been shown to reduce anxiety, even in adults.

  • Social time - They can’t play with their friends so build in some Face Time or Skype session so they can keep in touch.

Coronavirus: Everything you need to know