Quaran-teaching your Kids During a Pandemic

So many of us have had to make adjustments to our routines and schedules within the last couple months due to the novel coronavirus global pandemic. As we move through this transition together, it's important to make decisions that are healthy for our growth and development.

As schools are closed and many non-essential workers are being asked to stay at home to slow the spread of the virus, parents have been forced into taking on the responsibility of teaching their children. That can be an extremely daunting task for any parent, as if you don't already have so much on your plate. That's where I come in.

Home-schooling under normal circumstances can be challenging and being forced to practice social distancing adds another layer to it. So mommies and daddies, it's important to remember not to be too hard on yourselves. If you take on home-schooling with a positive frame of mind, I can almost guarantee it'll be more enjoyable for the kiddos, which will essentially make your job a whole lot easier.

Create a positive learning environment

Creating a positive learning environment includes acknowledging your child's mental and emotional health. These are unprecedented times, and questions about what's happening in the world are bound to come up. Before explaining the situation, it might be beneficial to first find out what they already know and understand. Then you can proceed to explain things. I'd suggest taking an honest and calming approach. Remember share, but don't scare! It's important to share the severity of the situation without invoking panic. Re-assure your child that their emotions are valid and they are not alone. However, keep in mind, as an adult you should model an appropriate response to the fears of the virus, so be mindful of your own manifestations of anxieties and fears. Encourage your child to express their emotions and feelings in a positive way.

Establish and maintain a daily routine

Create a schedule for your kids to maintain a sense of normalcy. Things shouldn't go haywire just because the kids are home 24/7. The schedule should include a breakdown of activities from morning until bedtime, along with, brain breaks and movement breaks. When creating a schedule it's important to assess your own energy levels; what time of the day do you and your child perform tasks best? Most people are more energetic on mornings. As such, you should schedule those taxing activities at that time.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.- Aristotle

Promote literacy

Now this doesn't mean telling your child to "pick up a book" and sending them to a corner to read silently. They're probably going to be daydreaming and playing with their imaginary friends while pretending to flip through the pages of the book anyway. Instead, let me suggest one of my absolute favourite teaching strategies; read aloud. This doesn't mean simply having them read aloud either. This technique requires you to follow a series of steps:

• Select a book with an engaging story, you'd want to hold your child's attention.

• Ensure both you and your child are able to see the story, so everyone can follow along.

• Prior to reading you should provide your child with some questions that should be answered after listening to the story being read. This helps your child know exactly what to pay attention to.

• You should begin reading a few lines of the story modelling fluent reading. Remember read with expression. Be dramatic!

• Your child can make note of important words or phrases as they listen, to help answer the questions.

• Depending on the length of the story, you may want to pause after each paragraph, to check for understanding.

• If there are important parts that need emphasizing, have your child re-read those sections.

• Lastly, have your child answer the questions given or write a summary of what was read. Encourage them to use the vocabulary picked up in the text.

You're never too old, too wacky or too wild, to pick up a book and read to your child.- Dr. Seuss

Encourage physical activity

Remember those movement breaks I mentioned earlier? How about trying a yoga practice with your child, using an online yoga resource such as Cosmic Kids Yoga on YouTube. As a yoga enthusiast myself, I highly recommend including even a 10 minute yoga session into their daily routines. By engaging in yoga practice, your child's overall well-being is improved. Yoga can be a helpful tool for developing your child's concentration levels, boosting their self-esteem and confidence. They don't have to perfect the poses, just be safe and have some fun.

Namaste