As we enter another week of distance learning, some parents have disclosed that they are finding this lockdown particularly difficult. It may bring some comfort to let you know that you are not alone. Fighting siblings, tears, boredom and refusal to do school work is a snapshot of the feedback received.
Before considering any educational components, the health and happiness of family members are paramount. During my time teaching in England, I attended mindfulness training. Essentially, mindfulness is about slowing down, focusing on the sole activity you are doing, which helps promote relaxation. Juggling a job and multiple children undertaking distance learning will undoubtedly result in an attempt to multi-task, rush about, and feeling overwhelmed. This stress will be counterproductive not only to your children’s schoolwork but to your family’s well being.
Unfortunately, there is no miracle cure; however, employing mindfulness activities in your daily routine will help. I had the first-hand experience of its results when implementing it in my classroom, and I try my best to incorporate it into my daily life. There is an abundance of activities available through an online search; however, the following are a few of my favourite and most straightforward to try at home.
Find mindfulness colouring activities online and print off a few pages. If you feel your children won’t sit quietly together, ask them to go into different rooms. You could offer a small reward if they keep colouring between the lines. It is also beneficial to put some relaxing music on in the background, and a search for ‘relaxing classical music for children‘ or ‘Disney classics on the piano’ will help. This mindfulness activity should take hours and spread over a few days, giving you some precious relaxation time.
Children’s yoga is another fantastic method to practise mindfulness and one that needs little parental input. There are suitable videos on YouTube, and it’s a great way to start the day or relax before afternoon learning. Another activity you could quickly implement is hiding a few objects inside and outside the home and providing a checklist of items to find. A treasure hunt helps focus children on one task at a time and helps promote mindfulness.
Breathing activities are renowned for encouraging relaxation. Slowly, blowing bubbles can be a fun way to include this activity into your routine. Go on a nature walk and prompt the uses of senses through stopping and asking questions such as: What do you hear? What do you smell? Etc. Put on some relaxing music and ask how many instruments can they can hear. Again, this activity helps focus on a single task and provides an escape from hectic daily lives.
Implementing mindfulness at home will take time; however, it is a wise investment to make. It will help with mental health, patience and relaxes children, especially those who otherwise find it difficult to focus on schoolwork. Play around with the activities and see what works for your family and more importantly, don’t give up.
Focus on the Basics
On the educational side of distance learning, look at this as an opportunity to zone in on areas of difficulty. If you feel that there are multiple issues, focus on one or two core areas in which you can assist. With a maximum of thirty-five pupils per class, it is almost impossible for a teacher to afford pupils the same quality time. Regarding maths, I would recommend perfecting the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division). You can find the age expectations of your child online; however, please contact me on the information below if you would like more specific information. For English, the best activity at home is reading, so ensure your child reads every day and practises their spellings.
Unlock your Child’s Potential with Education Support Hub
Education Support Hub provides assistance to help primary school children reach their full academic potential. Following a free assessment, your child’s learning gaps and needs are identified, which will be communicated to you. They are then placed in a small group of similar academic ability. The small group dynamic helps mirror a classroom environment whilst encouraging some healthy competition! Each child is continually assessed throughout the session, immediately alerting me to any areas of concern. We provide support for children from P3 – P7, including GL Transfer Test preparation.
Sessions are delivered by fully qualified teachers (Access NI cleared) through the online platform Zoom, ensuring that classroom bubble guidance is adhered to in the comfort of your own home.
Contact us today for a FREE assessment.