With the latest government announcement declaring another national lockdown, our educational offering had to move online once again. Although we were very disappointed to not be able to welcome all pupils back to school this January, it was in the interest of safety and our united efforts will hopefully lead to ‘normality’ returning as soon as possible.
For many parents and guardians, the news may well have filled you with dread – we know that many of our families will be working and learning from home, and it can be difficult to stay positive and navigate your way through your new home/office/school environment.
Here at Bredon, we have put together our 10 top tips for learning from home – these may be fairly simple steps, but don’t underestimate the importance of small wins and focusing on the positive!
Keep reading to find out our top pieces of advice for a healthy and happy home school lifestyle…
1. Set up a designated work space for your child.
Living and learning under one roof can be chaotic. Set up a designated learning space for your child; This doesn’t mean that you suddenly need an extra home office, just a designated space, be that the kitchen table, dining table, or a desk in their bedroom. What is important is that this space is somewhere they can walk away from at the end of the day to separate home life from school life. Having a specific area to work in each day can help to put your child in the right mindset to work once they come back to that area each morning.
2. Keep up your morning routine.
It can be tempting to adopt pyjamas as the new school uniform, but it's important to maintain a good morning routine. Getting up, dressed and enjoying a healthy breakfast will create a positive start to the school day and put your child in the best mood to learn. Our structured daily timetable should help with this as your child will need to log on to Google Classroom by a certain time each morning to meet with their tutor/teacher.
3. The importance of getting a good night's sleep.
Studies have shown that children who regularly get an adequate amount of sleep have improved attention, behaviour, learning, memory, and overall mental and physical health. Set a sensible bedtime and stick to it!
4. Limit the distractions.
A number of distractions such as siblings, mobile phones or noise from a television may take your child's attention away from learning. Make a family rule to be as quiet as possible while your child is engaged in their online lessons.
5. Show an interest in your child’s school work.
Whilst we continue to teach our pupils virtually, it's important for you to show an interest in your child's work. Catch up on their day over lunch or dinner and engage with topics and
tasks as this will inspire children to work harder. If you are ever in need of further information or updates on your child’s studies, be sure to get in touch with us and we can let you know how they are doing, what they have been studying and any additional support they may need.
6. Maintain an active lifestyle where possible.
We all know the benefits of a healthy and active lifestyle. Taking time each day to exercise is a great way to keep your family feeling motivated and productive. Going for a walk outside or following an online exercise class is sure to get those endorphins pumping. There are a huge number of online exercise sessions on YouTube that you can follow along with at home on those rainy days, or if you prefer to exercise indoors, and with Joe Wicks starting up his online PE sessions again, it’s hard to avoid the physical activity!
7. Take time to ‘unplug’.
Learning from home can mean that children are spending a lot of the day in front of a computer screen. It's important to 'unplug' and take time away from screens and devices. Try going outside, reading a book or creating some art. If social media, or watching the news everyday is causing your child raised anxiety, encourage them to step away or ‘unplug’ for a while. A good exercise to encourage your child to do is to spend time each week looking through the accounts they follow online and unfollowing any that may be causing them worry/posting content that is contributing to any negative thoughts and/or feelings.
8. Try listening to music whilst you study.
Everyone learns differently; for some, listening to music can help them to focus whilst working. Choose instrumental music, as lyrics can take your attention away from the work. In a busy home environment, noise-cancelling headphones may also help.
9. Actively encourage a positive mental attitude.
Let's face it… it can feel a bit doom and gloom at the moment. Try and focus on the good rather than the bad in order to create a positive environment for your children. If your language is often negative when talking about the current climate and the situation we all find ourselves in during lockdown, it will influence your child and can lead them to feel negative too. Keep in touch with extended family , keep up hobbies and practice gratitude each day by writing down what you are grateful for. In times like these it really is all about the small wins. Encourage your child to set achievable goals each day so that they feel that they have accomplished something and been productive.
10. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Although your child may be learning remotely, we are still here to support you. If, at any time, you are in need of extra support, guidance or advice, please do get in touch and
we will be happy to help you
in any way we can.
