Thinking of home schooling? Here’s five simple lesson ideas

Fun and creative strategies to keep the kids occupied and learning away from school.

WE ARE living in uncertain times, but our children's education is still a fundamental priority.

If you are contemplating keeping the kids away from school amid the threat of the coronavirus but are concerned they'll fall behind in the school work, help is at hand.

Registered teacher and Noosa resident Kristen Dornauf has put together five simple tips to make sure your homeschooling skills keep the kids engaged and don't have them anxiously waiting for the lunch bell to go off.

 

1/ Get into a gentle rhythm that you follow every day.

 

"Write it down or draw pictures so that children can see what's coming up," she said.

"Children crave routine and predictability especially in times of uncertainty."

 

2/ Incorporate physical activity into your day, several times a day if possible.

 

"This might include playing an active game in the backyard, dancing to some music or doing a kids yoga routine you found online," Ms Dornauf said.

 

3/ Read together.

 

"So much of your child's learning can come from reading together,' she said.

"If your child is reading, have them read to you.

"Discuss what you've read and have your child respond to the literature in some way whether that be drawing the main idea, rewriting the ending, writing a letter to the main character or for younger children illustrating the order of events in the book."

 

4/ Get out the board games.

 

"Gameschooling is a great way to approach home learning, it offers quality connection and is highly engaging," Ms Dornauf said.

Many board games such as Monopoly or Qwirkle have an obvious mathematical element but don't discount the endless possibilities that can come from a simple deck of cards or dice."

"A quick online search will bring up 100's of learning ideas. Games such as Pictionary and Charades offer critical and creative thinking skills."

 

5. Continue doing what you would normally do at home but involve the children.

 

"Cooking, gardening, mending and tending to pets are all wonderful learning opportunities," she said.

"They encourage communication, teach essential life skills and naturally link to key learning areas such as science and mathematics."

"Remember, unstructured free play is also a really important aspect of childhood and learning," she said.

"It's OK for our children to feel bored, this is where creativity and magic happen."

 

Ms Dornauf has created the Facebook page Accidentally Homeschooling, specifically for families who find themselves temporarily homeschooling due to COVID-19.

"It's a group to share educational and learning ideas and inspiration for early childhood through to primary aged children," she said.

Find out more here.

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