10 Tips From Homeschooling Parents
Feeling nervous about taking on your children’s education during COVID-19? Five veteran homeschooling parents share their secrets for success…
As schools around the world close their doors due to COVID-19, millions of parents have taken on the intimidating task of homeschooling their children. We asked five experienced homeschoolers to share their top tips and essential tools.
10 Homeschooling Tips
#1 Don’t try to be a schoolteacher
“Let go of the idea that you have to be like their classroom teacher – they aren’t at school and this isn’t a normal situation. Read books, play board games, bake, go on a bug hunt, jump on the trampoline, watch awesome documentaries, write to friends, connect with others using technology, build Lego, and ask them to think of ways to help others feel more calm.”
Kylie, mama of one, 7
#2 Harness the power of your children’s interests
“Connect your children’s learning to their interests in order to engage them and keep them interested. Ask them to write a letter to a beloved relative or friend to strengthen their writing skills. If they love dinosaurs, add, subtract, multiply and divide groups of dinosaurs to learn math skills.”
Sabrina, mom to two kids, 5 and 7
#3 Accept that your house will be messy
“Forget about keeping the house tidy! Once you let this go, happiness and learning will follow.”
Sarah, mama of four, 7, 5, 3 and 1
#4 Know when to walk away
“It’s more important that children enjoy the experience than get it right every time. If they feel pressured or begin to not enjoy something, let it go and come back another time. Unless the lesson is persistence or pushing through when things are difficult – in which case, gently encourage them to keep trying!”
Corrine, mom to two kids, 5 and 8
#5 Teach them independence
“This is a great time to support the building of your kids’ self-help skills, such as making their own breakfast and lunch, making their bed and tying their shoelaces.”
Kylie, mama of one, 7
#6 Turn everyday moments into learning experiences
“Forget the idea that learning only happens at a desk with a pencil and paper. Learning can occur anywhere at any time! Gardening can be science, language and math all at once. Baking is also a great way to practice math skills. Children are naturally curious, so let them choose activities they’re interested in, and then find opportunities for learning in them.”
Sabrina, mom to two kids, 5 and 7
#7 Don’t be afraid to tackle current events
“I get my teenagers to watch a documentary a day – today it was about Africa’s deadliest animals. We also do a Word of the Day and today it was virus! I know, straight into the hot topic, but it led to a productive discussion. And they’re also journaling about homeschooling and coronavirus updates.”
Jacqui, mom of three, 16, 13 and 11
#8 Don’t expect all your children to learn the same way
“If you have more than one child, they may not always want to do the same thing at the same time. Mine certainly don’t! Try to learn more about what each of your children is interested in and how they learn, and do your best to give them tasks and activities that are adapted to their interests and needs.”
Sabrina, mom to two kids, 5 and 7
#9 Maintain routines
“Make sure to keep the same morning and evening routines. Think of them as your arms! They – like your arms in a hug – offer support at a time of upheaval and something to lean against when everything else might seem a bit nuts.”
Kylie, mama of one, 7
#10 Nurture emotional intelligence
“Emotional intelligence is just as important as academic skills, so encourage your child to identify how they’re feeling during activities. Take a break if they’re feeling frustrated, but use it as an opportunity to identify those feelings and strategies to deal with them. Wait until the big emotions have passed, though, or it won’t be pretty for anyone!”
Adam, dad to two kids, 4 and 6
The Best Homeschooling Tools
Here are some of our favorite educational toys, games and sets to extend on your children’s learning.
- Children’s desk set
- Educational toy + activity sets
- Tracing boards & magnatabs
- Blocks
- Math puzzles
- Garden kit
- Books
- Craft supplies
Scroll down to see our picks…
Franklin + Emily Desk Set
Modern, minimal and made in the USA, the Franklin + Emily wooden kids desk set is intended for kids ages 3 to 9 and is finished with environmentally and kid-friendly finishes.
Franklin + Emily Desk Set
$320
EXCLUSIVE
The Tot Play + Learn Sets
Wondering if your child is meeting their developmental milestones? Not sure what activities you should be doing with them? Looking for safe, fun and educational toys and activities? We’ve got you covered.
Together with expert early learning educators, we’ve curated the tools you need to help your child reach important milestones, learn important life skills and build confidence. Each Play + Learn Set includes detailed, teacher-recommended activities and tips to aid your child from infancy to early Kindergarten in achieving developmental and educational milestones. Scroll down to see our sets for 3 to 6 year olds.
The Tot Play + Learn Set 3 – 4 Years
$150
EXCLUSIVE
The Tot Play + Learn Set 4 – 5 Years
$150
EXCLUSIVE
The Tot Play + Learn Set 5 – 6 Years
$100
EXCLUSIVE
Tracing Boards & Magnatabs
Important for strengthening the fine motor skills needed for kids to form correct pencil grip, tracing boards and magnatabs are also fantastic for teaching literacy, numeracy and sequencing skills.
Q Toys Capital Letters Tracing Board
$29.99
Zephyr’s Nest Double Sided Play & Learn Tray Bundle
$95
EXCLUSIVE
Guidecraft Magna Tablet Deluxe
$39.95
Blocks
Block play encourages creativity and enhances children’s problem-solving, math and language skills! With many sets doubling as puzzles, these open-ended toys are a must for every homeschool curriculum.
Raduga Grez Mountains Building Blocks
$125
Q Toys Rainbow Blocks
$69.99
Rock Blocks Natural Set of 16
$64
Math Puzzles
When it comes to learning numbers, math, shapes and colors, the below options from by ASTRUP and Janod Toys make it fun and easy!
by ASTRUP Shapes & Fractions Game
$37
Janod Toys I Am Learning How To Count Cresendo
$32.99
Gardenuity My First Garden Kit
Your kids won’t notice that they’re honing their math skills and science knowledge with this gardening kit because they’ll be too busy getting their hands dirty and having fun with the Gardenuity My First Garden kit!
Gardenuity My First Garden
$98
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Books
Reading aloud is a great way to connect with your child and improve their literacy skills. I particularly love the Little People Big Dreams and Habbi Habbi gift sets because they offer kids historical information while also introducing them to new cultures.
Little People, Big Dreams Black Voices
$39.99
Habbi Habbi Starter Set + Reading Wand – Spanish
$109
Also available in Chinese
Arts & Craft Supplies
Great for honing hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, arts and craft activities can also provide a fun sensory experience, which is important for cognitive development.
Kid Made Modern Arts and Crafts Library
$39.99
Goober Crayons – Peanut Crayons
$26
Plum Discovery Create & Paint Easel
$299
Land of Dough Learning Numbers Kit
$24.99
Want more homeschooling advice?
- Read 2 simple homeschool lesson plans and The best educational apps, games and TV shows.
- Check out our entire range of educational toys for kids in The Tot Homeschool Essentials Shop!
