With changes to our usual routines and our everyday life being affected by the developing COVID-19 pandemic; many of us with children at home may be facing new challenges, whether it\u2019s juggling work without childcare, home schooling, early years development, or just trying to have some sense of normality and structure at home.<\/p>\n
It is important that whilst adapting to these changes, we don\u2019t become overwhelmed by taking on new responsibilities.<\/p>\n
Here are some useful tips for keeping children occupied at home –<\/p>\n
Home Schooling \u2013<\/strong><\/p>\n It might feel daunting if you have taken on the responsibility again of Home Schooling, but there are ways to aid productivity and make it fun for them. If your children are unlikely to spend the day at a desk doing their homework, a useful way of engaging them in their learning is by doing real-time interactive activities which can be found on-line, for example: BBC Teach hosts over 30 recordings of interactive 30 to 40-minute programmes called \u2018Live Lessons\u2019, originally designed for use in the classroom. The BBC have also launched new scheduled TV content to support education during the latest lockdown.<\/p>\n It can be beneficial not to overload children with a heavy schedule each day, this can make them feel overwhelmed and not enable them to absorb all the information. So try and keep \u2018School time\u2019 at home to small manageable chunks spread out throughout the day with breaks to \u2018re-fuel\u2019 and keep them hydrated, just as they would have during a \u2018normal\u2019 school day.<\/p>\n It is just as important for children as it is for adults to separate their working space, so where possible try and set up an area in the home that is just designated for School work.<\/p>\n Keep them Active \u2013<\/strong><\/p>\n It can be worrying to think that children may not be getting the regular exercise they need and are used to, by not having regular P.E. classes or attending their usual sport clubs outside of School time. But, there are a number of ways to keep children active whilst at home; encourage them to take part in on-line video led activities and workouts – Joe Wicks has relaunched \u2018P.E. with Joe\u2019 via his YouTube channel (The Body Coach) three days a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 9am. Or for early years development there are a number of sensory classes and videos online to get little ones involved in.<\/p>\n Get them Involved & Learn new things \u2013<\/strong><\/p>\n Learning doesn\u2019t just have to be School books and assignments; you might like to encourage children to get involved with things around the house and put their Home Economics lessons in to practice! This could be a cookery class, sewing, or just getting them involved in daily chores around the house. Now is a good time to learn new things too; whether it\u2019s a new recipe, language, arts & crafts, hobbies or exploring the outdoors (where possible) and incorporating this new knowledge into a school project. It\u2019s important to make it fun too, so consider things to get the whole family involved; you could visit a virtual museum, look at Zoo or Aquarium live cam\u2019s, set up a family quiz or play some board games.<\/p>\n Add Structure \u2013<\/strong><\/p>\n Generally, children look for and respond well to structure and routine, and when our \u2018normal\u2019 routine may feel out of balance, it can be beneficial to put a structure together for them to visualise and follow throughout the week. It might be useful to put together a weekly timetable or schedule clock \u2013 ensuring you add regular \u2018free play\u2019 time to break up their day.<\/p>\n Equally, some children (and parents) might feel that a timetable is to \u2018rigid\u2019 during a time of such exceptional circumstances and uncertainty and not respond or cooperate well with it \u2013 if this is the case, it is really about doing what is best for you as a family unit, not\u00a0 feeling pressurised to do things a certain way, but to fit in learning, activity and family time where you can.<\/p>\n Working from Home \u2013<\/strong><\/p>\n With all this said, it can be really challenging to keep children occupied whilst also working from home and trying to keep elements of your own schedule intact. Communication during this time is imperative; if you live in a two-parent household, If you feel you may need some support, you can contact Care first. Care first is a leading provider of confidential, professional counselling, information and advice services. All employees are eligible to use Care first, our services include; telephone counselling, information services and online support. Call Care first on the Freephone number provided by your organisation and you can speak to a professional in confidence.<\/p>\n If you would like further hints and tips on \u2018Home Schooling & Keeping Children Occupied at Home\u2019 join us for a discussion live on Friday 22nd January at 12pm, please use the below link to register for this session.<\/p>\n https:\/\/attendee.gotowebinar.com\/register\/2008923604791517197<\/a><\/p>\n If you are unable to join the webinar live, a recording of the session can be accessed using the same link above after the webinar has taken place.<\/p>\n Primary School Resources \u2013 https:\/\/www.primaryresources.co.uk<\/a> Teachit also provides workbooks for secondary ages as well, however these are on separate sites for each subject e.g.<\/p>\n https:\/\/teachitenglish.co.uk<\/a> With changes to our usual routines and our everyday life being affected by the developing COVID-19 pandemic; many of us with children at home may be facing new challenges, whether it\u2019s juggling work without childcare, home schooling, early years development, … Continue reading
\nor if your children\u2019s time is shared between both parents, it is important to discuss your workload with each other so that you can establish how your working days can run alongside taking care of your children. During such an unprecedented time; it is also important to be honest with your employer about your circumstances and establish a schedule that will work best for both you and them. There may be flexible working arrangements, or reasonable adjustments that could be made to help you work effectively from home, whilst having children with you.<\/p>\nUseful links and Educational apps \u2013<\/h2>\n
\nRecourse Bank up to GCSE \u2013 https:\/\/www.teachingideas.co.uk<\/a>
\nWorkbooks for Primary Schools \u2013 https:\/\/teachitpimary.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n
\nPrimary School Recourses \u2013 https:\/\/classroomsecrets.co.uk<\/a>
\nwww.gov.uk\/guidance\/get-help-with-remote-education<\/a>
\nhttps:\/\/www.bbc.com\/mediacentre\/2020\/bbc-launches-biggest-education-offer-ever<\/a>
\nhttps:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/teach\/live-lessons<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"