Many parents around the world are currently juggling working from home, paying their bills, taking care of their children (and sometimes their parents), and are now also expected to teach their children.
Teaching is a full-time job in and of itself, and it can be difficult for children to adjust to learning from home. It can be challenging for them to retain the same information they would normally be learning in school from their kitchen tables. If you do not have a teaching degree, or are having trouble coming up with lessons while you are also working full-time, there are many online resources available for parents who now also have to add “teacher” to their resumes. Here are a few of our favorites.
Let YouTube Do the Teaching
Since schools have moved online, many students are having more difficulty learning because there are countless distractions at home. Rambunctious children who aren’t focusing on their school work can become distractions for mom or dad, too. Working from home and pulling double duty as a teacher for your kids can be nearly impossible for parents, and this has led many parents to turn to YouTube for educational content for their children.
Some teachers have begun using the time they would normally spend in their classrooms to create educational videos for students around the world. There are videos available on YouTube for every subject and grade level, and this has alleviated much of the frustration parents may face when they are not familiar with the subject matter their child is learning.
Turn Your Kids into Readers
Some children are practically born with a love for reading. For others, reading assignments can be quite the chore. For many parents, this time out of the traditional classroom can be the perfect opportunity to encourage children to develop a habit of reading daily. While this may be easier said than done for some, there are many online resources offering free content for your children to read.
Achieve3000, for example, has made its entire online accelerated literacy program free for all users, with appropriate options for every grade and reading level. It is currently offering free usernames and passwords for all families, and intends to keep this service free and available for all until it is safe to reopen schools nationwide.
Make Their Games Educational
Children and adults alike love to get lost in computer games, video games, and apps. But what your kids think is just a fun game can also double as a way to teach them reading, math, or science.
Educational gaming site ABCmouse has taken its entire early learning academy and made it free for teachers and students until schools are offline and back in the classroom. This program has games tailored to preschoolers, kindergarteners, and first and second graders. Your kids will think they’re getting a break from school while they are actually learning. ABCmouse offers other free programs at this time, too, including the site’s English learning academy and a program called ABCmouse for teachers, which offers ways to make educational content fun and engaging for individual students, small groups, or entire classes.
As we adjust to this new normal, it is important for parents and children alike to be patient with each other. This new method of education can be confusing, but it will be made easier for the whole family when technology can do some of the heavy lifting.