I am excited to introduce you to a new guest blogger, Laura Pearson. I met Laura through the world of blogging and like what she brings in terms of excelling creatively with family during this time of distance, hybrid, and virtual learning. In today’s post, she shares some tips for helping our kids excel creatively as they learn in this new pandemic-style learning approach. If you’ve been feeling a little stressed, try some of these tips.
Here’s a little about her:
Laura is passionate about teaching and loves writing to help teachers, parents, and students. She is passionate in advocating that learning should be fun and should not just be confined in the classroom. Edutude is her brainchild to be able to share free resources for teachers and parents.
Creative Ways You Can Help Your Kids Learn Outside of Online Lessons
School looks so different this year! Across the country, kids and parents are all still trying to adjust to all of the changes and some are having a harder time than others. So if your own children are struggling to adapt to online or hybrid learning, or maybe just need a little extra help, know that you all are not alone. That’s why having a few educational and motivational resources on hand can be helpful, including these knowledge-boosting ideas for fun.
Work On Some Fun Writing Activities
If your kids are struggling in English class, you may need to help them develop a greater love for writing. Encouraging children to write outside of school could be as simple as parents taking the time to write out their own family folk tales and sharing them with their little ones. You could also create a friendly contest out of your writing activities, or you can plan educational sessions that focus on using writing in the real world.
Educational sessions can be very simple and fun. For example, you could sit down with your kids and work on writing out thank you cards or you can get more creative with your writing fun. If you need some added motivation, think about whether Shell’s workshops and classes could help.
Make a Game Out of Online Learning
There’s no doubt that kids these days love to spend time on the internet. Of course, they tend to love that time when they are gaming or watching videos. So when it comes to online learning, many children are still struggling to pay attention, and many parents are struggling to keep them focused and learning. Which is why if your child is having a hard time adjusting to virtual classes, you may want to find ways to combine games and learning.
Start by making sure that your home is connected to an internet service that is fast and reliable enough to handle online gaming and learning, including Virtual Reality (VR) learning or online coding camps. Once you have your home connected, look for games that will keep your child learning without knowing it.
Make the Most of Hybrid Models
In addition to online learning, parents and children are having to adjust to hybrid learning. As you may already know, schools that are utilizing a hybrid model are cycling students in and out of classrooms throughout the week.
While this sort of schedule can be confusing for your family, also know that having a few extra days free can help you plan more fun and educational activities to help your kids succeed in school. If you don’t want your little one to feel overwhelmed, for example, you could use cooking activities to help teach them valuable skills and lessons. Break out a family-friendly recipe during after school or in-between school hours and watch your kids pick up insights into chemistry, math and even reading comprehension.
Get Outside For Low-Stress Learning
When you’ve been cooped up inside all day, you might start feeling stir-crazy right? Well the same thing can happen to your little ones when they have been stuck inside staring at a screen. So do yourselves a favor and take some breaks outside, for some stress-relieving sunshine and maybe even some sneaky learning fun in your own backyard. Put together a scavenger hunt list to get your kids moving and exploring plants, insects and other elements in your backyard. If you want to work on those writing skills mentioned above and explore more nature, you could also encourage your children to keep their own backyard exploration journals.
While we’re all hoping and praying for an end to this pandemic, hybrid and online learning are likely here to stay for a while. So make sure that you are arming yourself with educational activities and family fun that will help your little ones keep on learning and thriving. Most of all, try to keep your spirits up and know that eventually this crisis will be over. Until then, be compassionate with your family and yourself, and remember to turn to The Essential Creative when you need information, inspiration, or support for your parenting journey.
Which of these tips will you try this week or have you already been using?
These are very good tips, my friend. For teachers as well as parents
This is so good to hear! I’m truly honored that Laura joined our small but growing community!