Tips on How to Thrive While Homeschooling

Up until the COVID-19 pandemic, homeschooling has been an educational choice for some families. Today, homeschooling is the norm for families across the world. Families are now finding themselves in very unfamiliar territory-- working and schooling from home. This can bring feelings of anxiousness, and thoughts of, “I’m not qualified to do this.” These feelings are normal whether you’ve been choosing to homeschool your children for years, or you’ve been unexpectedly thrust into it.

This activity will share a few fun ideas that have helped homeschooling veterans not only “survive” home education, but actually have fun and enjoy it!

1) Start a “Question Book”

• Use an inexpensive notebook and let your children decorate it.
• Vadiate and hold space for the questions that come up by writing it in the Question Book.
• Set aside time each week to explore the answers together online.

2) Take a Virtual Field Trip

• Take a “trip” to Le Louvre in Paris, visit an aquarium, explore space, or visit Yosemite National Park through a simple Google search.
• Download Google Earth to explore different landmarks of the world.
• Do an eye-spy activity or scavenger hunt. Talk with your kids about what they found interesting, strange or exciting.

3) Learn Together in the Kitchen

• Explore subjects like science, math and art by cooking and baking a family recipe.
• Let your children learn about budgeting by planning a meal and making the grocery list.
• Learn about other cultures by finding recipes online.
• Make lasting memories and laugh about those recipes that “fail.”

4) Be Creative

Being creative can enhance your child’s learning, and it is a great stress reliever for kids and the adults working hard to keep it all together.

• Make art, color, paint, find a simple recipe for homemade playdough, or try origami.
• Print free coloring pages. There are many online.

5) Dust Off The Classics

There are so many classic reads that we can expose our children to, like The Call of the Wild by Jack London and The Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.

• Access the classics on a Kindle or other device.
• Get simple lesson plans and printable activities from sites like Scholastic.com.

6) Take Time for You

Your kids’ teachers take breaks during the day, and you can too!

• Read a book, meditate, FaceTime with another parent, take a walk alone or take a good long nap.
• Let your kids learn through free play time, or call a “quiet time” for the whole family if you need to.

While you work hard to keep your child’s education going through these unpredictable and unique times, remember that the only qualifications you need to do this well are love and curiosity.

Do your best, breathe and be well.