Home-schooling kids during a pandemic

Home-schooling kids brought many challenges…

Any parent that was faced with home-schooling kids during the pandemic knows that it was no easy task.

Let’s take a look at some of the challenges that parents faced when home-schooling their kids. Can you relate to any of them?

• The parent became the teacher

Before March 2020, most parents have never had to deal with home-schooling their kids. But all of a sudden, parents were faced with teaching school subjects to their children. And a lot of parents haven’t had to face those subjects since they were at school!

• Little access to classroom materials

According to the Child Poverty Action Group, many children didn’t have access to classroom materials while learning from home. In fact, up to 40% of children couldn’t access stationary, craft materials, laptops, computers and the internet. All of the things that are absolutely crucial for home-schooling kids.

• Home-schooling kids of different ages

If you have more than one child, you’ll be familiar with the struggle of home-schooling kids of different ages.

Teenagers were feeling the pressure of their GCSEs, while little ones just wanted to play. Encouraging children of all ages to stay on track was really difficult at times. Especially when little ones didn’t fully understand why they had to work from home!

• Dealing with isolation

Home-schooling kids brought many challenges for parents. But one of the hardest challenges that parents had to deal with was the social isolation that came with it.

Your little one went from spending all day with their friends to complete social distancing. And explaining why they can’t go out to play was a real challenge!

• Expectations from schools

Another challenge that came with home-schooling kids during the pandemic was the high expectations from schools.

Research from the Unesco Education Centre at Ulster University showed that many parents believed the school’s expectations were too high. The amount of schoolwork expected from children was overwhelming!

• Juggling your career with their schoolwork

Do you remember the struggle of home-schooling kids while trying to complete your own workload? If you do, then you’re not alone. This is a problem that many parents faced during the Covid-19 pandemic. Especially if there was limited computer access in the home.

Trying to get your little one to focus on their schoolwork is a challenge in itself. But it’s even harder when you’ve got to meet your own deadlines!

How did we cope with home-schooling kids during a pandemic?

Many parents were completely new to home-schooling kids. So, how did they face this unexpected challenge?

Let’s take a look at the different ways that parents approached home-schooling kids during a pandemic:

• Scheduled playtime

Home-schooling kids during a pandemic was stressful for parents and children alike. Not to mention the general anxiety that accompanied the Covid-19 virus. Lockdown was a difficult time for everyone!

To overcome this stress, many parents scheduled playtime with their little one. The much-needed downtime was a great way to reduce everyone’s stress levels.

Whether it was playing in the garden or watching TV, scheduling playtime helped to offset the stress of remote learning.

• Collaborative learning

As we’ve already discussed, many parents were faced with home-schooling kids for the very first time.

To deal with this unexpected challenge, many parents turned to video platforms to engage in collaborative learning. After all, everyone was in the same boat. Working together helped lessen the workload and made learning from home easier to manage.

Kids would hit the books with their friends – just like they would at school. The only difference? They were learning through a video call!

• A change of scenery

Home-schooling kids during a pandemic is stressful enough. Add in the fact that we had to stay indoors most of the time? It’s enough to make our heads spin!

That’s why many parents opted to teach their children in different settings. A change of scenery was a great way to break up the boredom and raise everyone’s spirits.

And as restrictions began to ease, parents got creative with their lessons. Whether it was an art lesson in the park or a geography lesson on the beach!

• Taking a break from their screens

The pressure of home-schooling the kids was stressful for everyone. Children tried to keep up with their learning, while parents had to juggle everyone’s workload. It’s safe to say – everyone needed a break!

That’s why many parents decided to take a break from their screens. After all, it’s important to balance your child’s learning with fun!

Instead of watching TV or playing video games, people were enjoying time together as a family. From family walks to group quizzes, everyone was finding new ways to fill their time.

• Support from TV

We’re sure your little one loved this next approach! One way that parents dealt with home-schooling kids was getting their children to watch TV. Who’d have thought?

But it’s true! The BBC launched new educational programmes to support children learning from home. Not only did they make it easier for kids to work from home. They also made it easier for parents to complete their own workload.

There were programmes aimed at kids of all ages, from Years 1 through to Year 9. And extra resources for those studying for their GCSEs!

• Realistic targets were important…

When it came to home-schooling kids during a pandemic, it really felt like the pressure was on. Parents had to step up to the plate and take control of their child’s learning. But filling a teacher’s shoes was easier said than done!

After all, we have teachers for a reason. They know exactly how to teach our children and support them with their learning. So, what happens when the parents have to take over?

A key message for any parents home-schooling their kids throughout the pandemic was to set realistic targets. It’s unrealistic to expect home-schooling to be the same as in-person school.

As long as your little one was taking part in a school-based activity, they were learning!

• Online resources

Online learning resources became a parent’s best friend when they were faced with home-schooling kids throughout the pandemic. And if you had to home-school your little one, you’ll know exactly what we’re talking about!

For many parents, finding the right resources for your children was a struggle. Is it age appropriate? Too hard? Too easy? Will it help them meet their targets at school?

And because so many organisations were willing to help out, parents were overwhelmed with online resources. It could be difficult to know which resources could be trusted!

How Santa Academy can help with home-schooling kids

Our goal at Santa Academy is to help children fall in love with reading. That’s why we launched the Santa Academy app in 2020, to help your child ignite their imagination and spark their curiosity!

There’s no better time to enhance your child’s learning than during the Covid-19 pandemic. The unusual circumstances have disrupted hours and hours of classroom time. Now, more than ever, we need extra support to help our kids get back on track!

If you and your little one are worried about the learning journey ahead, have no fear – we’re here to help! After all, who says learning can’t also be fun?

At Santa Academy, we have plenty of educational resources that you and your child can work through together. The Lacus Herald, Santa Academy’s daily newspaper, will help your child improve their reading skills. Whether your little one is back at school or still learning from home, use our resources to support their learning.

Another great thing about Santa Academy? Children can use our resources to catch up on any learning they might have missed throughout the year.

The Covid-19 pandemic has made it difficult for children to learn at the same pace as usual – and that’s okay! You might have had to deal with home-schooling kids. But you don’t need to worry about getting your children up to speed. Online resources (just like those at Santa Academy) will do it for you! And what better way to learn than with the Elves, Reindeers and Fairies on Lacus Island?

Finally, we wanted Santa Academy to provide you with fun activities for the whole family to enjoy together. Our resources aren’t just useful for home-schooling kids – we can provide you with hours and hours of Christmas entertainment!

Download our activity packs to access our resources. Choose between Santa Academy, Elf Ed, Reindeer Recruit and Fairy Fellow. No matter which one you choose, you’re in for a lot of fun!

 Keep up with Santa Academy!

Follow the Lacus Herald and find out what your favourite festive characters have been getting up to on Lacus Island! You can read daily festive stories, written by our Author, Jill.

Find more fun, festive tips and ideas, such as:

• Easy Christmas crafts for kids
• Christmas printables
• Things to do near you for Christmas
• Christmas activity book ideas
• Christmas art ideas
• Christmas party ideas for kids
• Tips for helping kids to read
• Christmas baking for kids
• Christmas countdown ideas for your family
• Christmas writing ideas
• And many more!