COVID-19 - Motivating Your Child to Learn at Home
Saba Safdar • 31 March 2020
COVID-19 - Motivating Your Child to Learn at Home
Finding ourselves in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and suddenly becoming a primary carer, parent and teacher is proving to be a test for many parents across the UK. While some have set up schedules and make it look like its easy, others are struggling to keep their child focused while trying to get on with their own jobs from home. We take a look at some tips to inspire and motivate your child:
Learn How Your Child Learns
While you try and emulate the school day to keep your child educated from 9 am – 3 pm, the reality is that we aren’t teachers. We don’t have the knowledge or the experience to stand up and teach a class, what we are trying to do is the work that the teacher sets during a lesson. Try and focus on what works for your child.
If they learn better in bitesize chunks at the beginning of the day then start the day with maths and the more academic subjects. If you discover they will quite willingly learn at the end of the day then let them play outside, bake and do other activities in the morning and set them academic work in the afternoon. Homeschooling in such times as these requires a little fluidity.
Let Them Set the Schedule
If you find that your children are great at focussing for 30 minutes and then suddenly lose focus, don’t try and push them into more academic work, let them go outside and have some free time or watch something on the TV for a while.
Maybe they work well for a couple of hours (with breaks) and then that’s all you are going to get out of them. In the short term, remember this is not going to do them any harm. Perhaps you can find some online resources where they can sit and answer some questions for a while. Use this time yourself to do the work that you need to do or get into a routine where you work before they wake.
Motivate Children by Letting Them Choose
If they feel more motivated to do what they want to do then let them choose. You will get much more out of a child that is doing something they enjoy rather than something they are being forced to do.
If they want to learn a new language, you may be wondering how that is going to help them at school – any learning is good learning and it may just help them in other areas that you haven’t considered like retention of information. Learning should be fun and it has got to be better than forced learning.
Think Outside of the Box
A nature walk can be a field trip for geography – they can spot the different types of butterflies and wildlife, learn about trees, discover more about the seasons and, if you know your local history (Google may be good for this), discover how the area was used many years ago.
When you get home, get them to write a report of their work. Maybe they can draw pictures of something they picked up or something that they saw on their walk. All of a sudden, you have delivered a history lesson, a geography trip, a literature creative writing exercise and art. Boom – now you are winning at homeschooling.
COVID-19 and the Coronavirus are new for all of us and putting pressure on ourselves will only add to the stress for both parent and child. It’s time to get creative and encourage your child through motivating them to learn rather than trying to rigidly stick to the curriculum. Perhaps you can use incentives to get them to do the things they don’t want to do like promising them their favourite subject once they have done the one they don’t want to do.
As we enter the strange and unchartered territories of COVID-19 and the impact it is having on our lives, we suddenly find ourselves our children’s educators, which for many can feel daunting. What should we be teaching our children, how and at what times of the day? Many parents will be wondering if they should try and stick to the routines of school, what subjects should be taught when and how often and experiencing genuine concern as to if they are going to get this right and will their children miss out on too much education? The truth is that everyone is finding their way in the dark through the unknown world of the Coronavirus with some feeling more prepared than others. While we watch our friends set out the perfect schedules while seeming to have everything perfectly under control, we may be feeling the pressure to do the same. Let’s take a look at a few tips that will help you to keep on educating your children until such a time that COVID-19 stops dictating our lives and the children can return to school.
How to ensure your child is sticking to their study schedule
With four subject areas to tackle in order to try and gain a place at grammar school, the 11 Plus examinations can be daunting for even the most academic of students. If you’re hoping to send your child to grammar school, then you’ll want to give them the best possible chance of getting through the exams with good results and minimal stress. To do this, the support of an experienced tutor can make all the difference to your child’s grades, so here’s just a few benefits of working with the team at the 11+ Study Centre …
With the government choosing to scrap the traditional A* to G GCSE grades in favour of a brand-new grading system in 2017, many students and parents are struggling to get their heads around the totally different marks system. Starting with English, English literature and maths, it is expected that most GCSE results will utilise the revised system this year with all subjects using this system by 2020. But for parents who’ve only ever known the previous system, how do the new grades measure up? Previously, we saw eight grades from A* to G, but the addition of a ninth grade (grade 9) is confusing many parents who aren’t 100% sure why the system was changed in the first place. According to government sources, the grades have been changed following a national curriculum review in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. With findings that around 60% of students achieve a B or C grade, dividing grades up even more will make it easier for teachers, colleges and potential employers to differentiate between the good and the great students. It also comes as reports show that UK students are falling behind other countries on international educational rankings; therefore plans have been put in motion to make the GCSE examinations more ‘rigorous' to bring them in line with the rest of Europe and further afield. Here’s a simple comparison guide that details the new numeric grades against their traditional alphabetical counterparts. The top two grades of A and A* are roughly equivalent to a grade of 7, 8 or 9, but fewer grade 9s will be awarded to students than A* results prior to the changes. Grade 9 will only be awarded for exceptional performance in any subject. The good to average grade passes of B and C – which are the minimum grades expected by colleges for entry onto A level courses - have now been replaced by grades 4, 5 and 6. At the lower end of the scale D, E, F and G grades will now be scored 1, 2 or 3 with a fail graded U as per the alphabetical scale. According to the government, not only will this make it easier for employers and colleges to see which students gave the best performance in their examinations and coursework, but it will also mean that students will have to work harder to achieve the top grades than they would have done prior to 2017. With this change, it might be worth investing in a GCSE tutor to help your children get the results they deserve under this more taxing new system.
Studying for the 11+ exams doesn’t just stop when the school day ends, students will need to carry on with their revision sessions at home too in order to have the best chance of gaining a place at grammar school. Our homes are often busy and bustling hives of activity, so if your child needs to continue with their studies at home, then you'll need to help them create a perfect study environment at home. This can be easier said than done, so here are a few tips to help you get started and provide your child with the perfect space to study.