Let’s be real. This fall will be anything but normal for parents and children across the US. With schools going remote or part-time to stop the spread of COVID-19, you may have a new, unofficial job title – teacher. If you’re a parent who is now basically homeschooling your kids, some of our Wing Parents have some tips to help you keep your kids engaged and the entire family sane.
- Create a schedule that will be consistent each school day that includes times for instruction, work, and breaks. This way they know what they need to be doing, and when.
- The schedule will include some downtime (which means video games in my house!) at the end of the school day. But to earn downtime, the kids will need to stay on task throughout the day and finish all homework.
- Continue to have lunch together as a family each day. This mid-day break is energizing and allows us to take advantage of the fact that we’re all at home while working and schooling. We’ll spend some time talking about our mornings and making sure we’re all set for the afternoon.
Hayley Dawson-Owens – Director of Consumer Insights & Innovation Strategy
- Leverage the learning resources that are already out there. Various learning apps (ABCmouse, Noggin) and YouTube channels (Blippi, Jack Hartman, Alphablocks) are a great way for my son to learn.
- Focus on your kids’ interest and find a way to make it fun and educational. For instance, my son loves music, so we watch songs that explain the sounds letters make and that helps keep him engaged. He also loves construction equipment, so we talk about what each piece of equipment does, how big it is, the dirt it scoops, etc.
- Give yourself grace in this crazy time. Being engaged with your kids is so much more important than being the perfect teacher.
- Be sure to give yourself a break from kids and from work. Find a quiet place to relax for a few minutes each day.
Athena Thomas – Senior Manager of Traditional Channel Innovation
- Focus on readying your child’s heart for a unique school year. Set expectations for what will be the same and what will be different for this upcoming year.
- Call upon family and friends to get involved with enrichment activities over zoom during asynchronous learning time.
- Prepare yourself for this change and determine work/life balance. Be flexible because we know everything is very fluid. We’ve all said it will be a rocky start and that’s okay!
Anna Marie Samson – Director of Learning & Development
Looking for additional support? Here’s a list of Back-To-School Resources from MindBodyGreen. It includes everything from COVID-19 safety precautions and healthy diets to education and arts.
