How to Continue Providing A Great Home Learning Environment Even When Your Child Is Back To School

Now that your child has returned to school, you can sigh a huge sigh of relief that homeschooling is over. For many students, their education is now back in the safe hands of their teachers which can only be good news for everyone. Nonetheless, home learning will continue to play an important role in your son or daughter’s development. Now is the time to invest in a strategy that can be employed for the long haul. We are sharing tips on how to continue providing a great home learning environment.

It may sound like a slightly daunting prospect, but you’ve already overcome a far larger obstacle over the last 12-18 months. Focus on the following features, and your child will gain world-class education at home to support their classroom studies.

10 Ways to continue providing a great home learning environment

#1. Build A Designated Workspace

If your child has been homeschooled over the past year, you’ve probably turned the garage or the dining room into a temporary classroom. While this idea cannot last forever, you can create a long-term solution with relative ease.

In an ideal world, we’d all like to boast a designated home office space. Aside from supporting your child, it would open the door to remote working for you. If your family home isn’t blessed with the additional space, a high sleeper bed with a workstation built under it can work wonders. Not only is it a place to work, but it is one where they can do it in private.

Another option is to build a summerhouse or outbuilding that can serve as their home study area. Whatever option you choose, be sure to have a clear barrier between schoolwork and leisure. Your child’s development will be far greater as a result.

#2. Invest In Quality Equipment

A bad worker isn’t the only person that blames their tools. If your child is supported by top-class equipment at school, they need to have it at home too. Otherwise, they will become very frustrated and disillusioned. Sadly it will show in their homework.

It’s likely that your child already has access to a good laptop and tablet. However, it’s the extra features that make all the difference. School headphones are a great investment because your child will be able to learn without distractions. Furthermore, having their own set is probably safer and more hygienic than sharing with other children at school.

You must also pay attention to your internet connection. A growing percentage of homework is handled via online modules. If your broadband signal drops on a frequent basis, it’s going to affect your child’s attention and concentration in a big way.

#3. Monitor Your Child’s Work

When your child is at school, you trust that the teachers and faculty will take all necessary steps to keep your child safe. This includes their online activities as well as their physical safety. Once they are working at home, the responsibility is on your shoulders.

On the one hand, you want to give your child privacy and independence. On the other hand, though, online interactions are potentially dangerous for many reasons. Therefore, learning to parent the internet in an efficient manner should be a priority at all times. It’s the oldest cliche in the book, but it truly is better to be safe than sorry.

In addition to tracking their safety, you want to know that they aren’t cheating online. After all, actually learning the work is more important than getting 100% scores. Students who take classes and assignments online aren’t necessarily more likely to cheat than they would in a traditional classroom setting. Instead, they engage in particular types of academic dishonesty when they cheat in online environments. For example, during tests, they may use unauthorized materials like crib notes, share their answers with other students, and access answers online. Similarly, they may use note-sharing sites like CourseHero or paraphrasing tools like QuillBot to produce unoriginal work. Taking online classes for money has also increased in popularity, so students may hire someone to complete their tests and assignments and even take entire degree programs on their behalf. Take time to observe your child’s reading and writing. And don’t be afraid to impart your wisdom.

#4. Aim For Consistency

While your support at home will go a long way to helping your child’s academic growth, it mustn’t lead to confusion. Your teachings should supplement what their school teachers show, and vice versa. The only way to achieve this is to make it a team effort.

Attending parents’ evenings is a great start. However, it’s important to keep regular contact. In the current climate, emails and phone calls are the most likely scenario. This is your opportunity to raise any concerns or ask the teacher for advice on what elements you should focus on going forwards.

By tackling your child’s weak points in a consistent and supportive manner, they will stay motivated to improve. Frankly, the winning mindset is the most powerful tool at their disposal. Likewise, when parents and teachers celebrate successes, kids take note.

#5. Consider Non-Academic Learning

While English and math are central ingredients in the recipe for successful learning, it’s not all about academic learning. Social development, physical growth, and emotional comprehension all play key roles. While the school will aid the situation, you can take control.

Having instruments or art materials around the home can help. The garden can be a great way for promoting physical growth too. Signing your child up for Little League is another option. It’s a move that will develop hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness. It can also have a huge influence on developing their social and leadership skills.

Teachers have to look after several kids, so many struggle to pick up on all of these attributes. As a parent, you have the chance to stay more responsive and receptive to their communication and personality. Embrace it.

#6. Incorporate Alternative Learning

As well as looking for ways to support physical and social development, you can use different methods to support a child’s academic growth. At school, kids have to follow a syllabus. At home, though, you can teach the same lessons in a personalized way.

Children are shown to soak in more info when the work is engaging and relates to something they care about. A math lesson, for example, can become far more exciting by relating it to their favorite sport or musician. Using basketball scores can be a great way to learn basic addition, subtraction, and multiplication.

Field trips are another major part of learning. And it’s one issue that schools may struggle to get back to normality. After spending so much time locked inside, there has never been a better excuse. Combine fun with education and you won’t go far wrong.

#7. Consider A Tutor

School teachers are great. However, the fact that they have to manage so many pupils, on top of added safety issues, cannot be ignored. As a parent, you have a chance to enjoy some one-to-one teaching. It may be possible to go one better.

Hiring a private tutor, either locally or digitally, can work wonders. They have the tactics, learning materials, and communication skills to help your child with any subject they have fallen behind in. Similarly, they can aid gifted children by encouraging them to take on bigger challenges. Either way, the benefits will vindicate the expense.

A tutor brings the best of both worlds. The one-on-one elements of home learning are coupled with avoiding the confusion of having a parent teacher. At a time when kids have missed out on so much, the value could be greater than ever.

#8. Encourage Creative Hobbies

It is important for children to learn discipline and other key skills attributed to learning. Nonetheless, kids are allowed to be kids too. For the best results, though, you can look to promote creative hobbies that encourage the development of key skills.

As mentioned, sports, music, and art are all great examples. Additional ideas can include fan writing or creating their own comic strips. Building and upcycling can be equally beneficial for your child’s development. The key is to find something that they enjoy as this will result in interactions without the need for you to promote it.

The creative hobby may encourage fine motor skills, logical thinking, or other transferable tools. There is no one right answer. If your child is developing in a positive way without even thinking about it, this can only support their in-school learning.

#9. Set Clear Goals & Schedules

As a parent, you naturally want to help your child thrive. However, simply saying “I want to support their learning” isn’t enough. You need actionable goals that are tailored to your child. Set learning goals that are aligned with what their school teachers think.

Once the goals have been set, age-appropriate rewards systems will boost their motivation levels. As they become more engaged, the pursuit of learning becomes its own reward. Nonetheless, knowing that hard work will pay off in the form of a treat is a great tool for keeping them on track. Particularly in their early years.

Routines are an essential feature for building consistency too. Having set times for homework, play, and chores is vital. Even at an early age, kids respond well to this approach. When it evolves over time, the strategy will deliver years of success.

#10. Do What Works For Your Child

Finally, you must remember that every child is different. As such, doing what’s right for their individual needs is the most important step of all. Nobody knows your little angel better than you do. Now that you also have the above advice at your disposal, it should be easy to make winning decisions.

And when you do, their overall growth and development will be quicker than ever. You’ve got this.

Meet the Author | Jenna

Jenna Berger is a mom & stepmom to 4 kids between the ages of 9 and 14. She loves staying up to date on all things kids and makes sure she is on point with the latest childhood trends! She is the owner of Savvy Sassy Moms and manages a team of creative contributors that work hard to keep moms up to date on the latest trends. Jenna loves social media and works on a variety of social media campaigns with brands big and small. Connect with Savvy Sassy Moms on Instagram