Home is where the classroom is: Leading Developer reveals top tips for home schooling

Even without the Coronavirus pandemic forcing children to stay at home, the number of parents choosing to home educate their children has increased by 40% in the last three years[1] and Tutor House, an online platform providing accessible tuition is positive about the benefits that can be had from transforming your home into a classroom

Betsy Kharas, Marketing Manager at Tutor House, said “This is a stressful time for everyone including our children who thrive on routine but with some simple adaptations at home, educating your child can be a rewarding experience for both parties.”

Keep children learning

Whilst most exams have been cancelled, that doesn’t mean that children should see this time as an opportunity to cease all learning. Creating a space separate from home life will help children to concentrate as they won’t be distracted by games and television.

Betsy said: “It is vital that children continue to read, write and engage with academic materials as much as possible, otherwise they will likely end up struggling once school starts again.”

Make your child the teacher

Betsy continued: “Letting your kids do the teaching is a great way for you to keep them interested in their studies, as it stops the learning process from becoming repetitive and boring.

“One of the best ways to do this is to find the national curriculum online and go to a specific topic that your children need to study. Then, compile the resources that they need and ask them to go away for an hour and write notes and draw pictures related to the topic. Once they have done this, ask them to come back and present the information to you.”

This technique will not only give children a great sense of achievement, but will have also helped them retain the information they’ve studied without having to revise or study in a ‘traditional’ manner.

Read, read, read! 

Reading not only provides a great escape from what is going on in the world, that doesn’t revolve around a screen, but is also a great way to enhance children’s vocabulary and keep their brains ticking over. Whether before bedtime, or on the sofa during free time, reading is a fantastic activity to keep children learning without them realising.

Screens are inevitable in today’s society, and in truth, they will provide a useful distraction for your children at times. However, try and avoid letting your kids spend all day long on their phones or laptops, especially if they are looking at social media, as this can fuel feelings of isolation and anxiety.

Betsy added: “This is a great time for you to help your children develop a love for reading or encourage those who love reading to do more of it!”

“It is also a good idea to set some ground rules from early on regarding screens; for example – how and when phones are used during the day.”

Create a classroom

Creating a classroom space with a desk or just table and chairs where the children come back to every day will create the illusion of a barrier between home and school.

Using the garden space for outside activities is a fantastic idea as everyday items could become a circuit, keeping children entertained and allowing them to enjoy fresh air.

Another top tip, is to paint a blackboard onto the wall or even repurpose the family notice board and use it to post the daily timetable, so children know what they’re doing each day.

For more information about any homes in the area, please visit the website at www.dwh.co.uk or www.barratthomes.co.uk.

For more information about Tutor House please visit the website at www.tutorhouse.co.uk.