3 tips and useful tools for homeschooling

We are facing a unique, and very difficult situation. Parents from all over the world are searching for tips for homeschooling, and for guides that explain step-by-step “how to homeschool your child”. In this article, we will give you exactly that.

Since we don’t know when we are going to get back to normal, or what this new “normal” is going to look like, we should start preparing as soon as possible to face a future we don’t know a lot about. One of the things we can do now is get some tips and steps for homeschooling that will be useful whether we continue with remote learning or not.

So, how do you prepare the optimal learning space for your kids? Or, how do you make sure there is some free time for your kids while learning from home? You are going to receive those answers and some others in the upcoming paragraphs.

But before we jump into the actual tips for homeschooling and some insights on how to create an in-house academic curriculum, there is something else we’d like to discuss, and that is the situation we are facing at this very second, how this global pandemic can affect our society and the tools our children should receive in order to succeed in the near future.

As you know, and as we mentioned before, we have no idea what the future is going to look like. That is exactly why we should start nurturing our children with tools that are going to prepare them for whatever comes next. But, is that actually possible? Well, yes.

The main goal of the 21st-century skills our children strengthen while learning to code, or while creating their very own app, is to prepare them for whatever task they face in the future. All of this, by giving them a wide range of abilities such as critical thinking, creative thinking, problem-solving, leadership, algorithmic thinking, and even teamwork.

The good news is, your kids can gain and strengthen these abilities in a homeschool frame also, and it will be way easier than you originally thought, to learn how to homeschool.

So, are you ready to jump right in and understand the ultimate steps for homeschooling? Maybe you want to see some tools and some science projects for kids at home? Perhaps you’d like to go over some amazing STEM projects your children can do at home? Be ready, because in a few minutes from now, you will receive all of this and more.

Homeschooling tips

There are many things you need to take into consideration when homeschooling your children. Many of these items might sound a bit obvious, but some others will surprise you with how useful they are, and how easy it is to implement them.

First of all, even if your kids are learning from home they should have a ‘school day schedule’. We invite you to build it together, in order to create a friendly environment in which your children’s interest and timeframes are taken into consideration. The first step is to create a genuine interest in learning and that can be achieved only if you present the content in an attractive way, and if you not only ask them what they would like to learn, but also implement those suggestions… or at least some of them.

But what are the main tips for a successful homeschooling experience? Here we go!

Preparing the learning space

Having a nice environment for your kids to learn is fundamental. This is important for a number of reasons. First of all, to separate the “school” area from the rest of the house, and second of all, because a didactic and well-conditioned learning space will enable your children to learn faster and better.

Make sure you have a nice table with lots of light (if possible, natural light), all the materials they need or might need during their learning journey, and a few items that can provide them with inspiration. Maybe add a world globe, or an inspiring poster of the stars, or if they are just going over the periodic table of elements, you can hang it in that space too.

Add a very comfortable chair, and let them have enough space on their table to do tasks both online and using a traditional scrapbook. It is very important that their desk isn’t crowded, and that space won’t become an issue when doing a STEAM task, when solving a math problem, or even when drawing their own version of the Mona Lisa.

The most important thing is that the space you create for your kids to learn in, should encourage concentration and creativity at the same time. As we suggested before, it might be a great idea to design and create this space together with your children. Let them be part of this, so they will actually feel that this is their space… for real.

Bringing people from outside

We know what you are going to say: Social distance! And you are totally right. But what do you say about bringing special outside guests virtually? It is way easier than you think, and it will actually require some help from your friends.

If you have a friend who is an expert in a particular area or field, invite him or her to be a guest lecturer for your kids. Ask them to prepare a simple presentation and a fun, didactic educational dynamic, and let your kids meet people other than you, who can teach them about that specific field you don’t know much about.

We suggest you have at least one of these sessions per week, so your kids will be waiting for that specific moment in order to learn something new, from someone new. Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? Now just imagine how exciting this can be for these young learners who are just hungry for fresh knowledge!

Do you have a friend who is a veterinarian? Bring in the vet to talk about fauna! Do you maybe have a friend who’s an artist? Prepare a class about art history and trends, and let your friend lead it! The options are endless and the time is now!

Create a curriculum

This is a very important thing to do: Plan in advance and establish your goals.

If you don’t have specific and general goals in mind, it will be even harder to decide on the specific tactics you are going to apply with your kids when teaching them in a homeschooling frame.

We suggest you sit down and create a few curricula options taking into consideration both the limitations and the advantages homeschooling gives you as a parent, and now, educator. A good thing to do when creating your curriculum is to talk to your kids, understanding their interests, and comprehending what their background is in the areas you’d like to work on with them.

But again, planning in advance what you are going to do and teach your children will enlighten the path you are going to walk. It will make things easier and it will allow you to see the future obstacles you might have to overcome in the near future.

How to do homeschooling with your kid

As we’ve suggested before, creating a separation between the time for learning, and time for family is essential. It is like having a family business, you do not talk about the problems from the office during dinner.

A nice way to do this is to follow the first one of the steps for homeschooling, and we even mentioned it in the previous section: create a learning space that is optimal, and that is fully and exclusively dedicated to learning. It cannot be transformed into a gaming station after “school time’s” over, and it needs to be kept organized and neat for the next day.

When we understand the importance of discipline, and self-discipline in a homeschooling frame, people like Maria Montessori come to mind. Check out a little bit about her life and see which elements and activities you can incorporate into your homeschooled classroom.

Free time for kids

This is a must. Your children must have some free time between classes and activities. Allow them to leave their learning space once every hour and a half to do something that is not related to your curriculum.

Having some free time is extremely important for the development of their creativity, and for the usage of their imagination. The way in which they spend their free time also says a lot about what they are learning, what their interests are, and in which areas they’d like to work as adults.

Pay attention to the patterns, to their attitude, and to their interests… During homeschool break, you might have a unique glimpse into their future. Cool, right?

Tools for homeschooling

We have some news for you: You are not Superman, nor Superwoman. When homeschooling, you need to nurture your kids with a few external tools that will be super useful when giving them some specific information and abilities established on the curricula you created.

One of the examples we gave before, is to have online meetings with experts in specific fields or areas. This can work for almost every field; you only need to find the right person and the right time.

If, for example, you want your kids to strengthen a number of hard and soft 21st century skills, coding is the ultimate way to achieve this goal. Your kids can become problem solvers, critical thinkers, amazing leaders, and phenomenal team members… everything, while they create their very own app, or while designing a fun game of their own. Because coding is way more than just coding; Coding is a way of thinking.

The online and live courses offered by Tekkie Uni, can give any kid all the necessary skills and abilities to face a future we don’t know a lot about.

You wanted homeschooling help for parents? Start today! Incorporate these courses into your homeschool curriculum, and allow your kids to become the next YouTube star, an amazing app developer, or a creative game designer. Now, it is up to you!

Responses

Comment below