Tips and Resources for Parents to Support Learning at Home

As teachers and parents, we’re all feeling overwhelmed by the news about COVID-19
and the effects on our everyday lives. But, supporting learning and keeping a sense of normalcy and routine for kids is important, especially during sudden school closures. As schools and teachers are working quickly to create distance learning plans, parents are juggling many uncertainties including work situations and basic needs, all while trying to keep their kids engaged with learning at home.

While this new reality won’t be easy, the good news is that there are a lot of resources to help educators and parents navigate the road ahead. At Learning Heroes, a nonprofit organization that equips parents to support learning at home, we’ve come together with partner organizations to update the Learning Hero Roadmap, a free K-8 interactive guide for supporting social, emotional, and academic development at home. The bilingual (English/Spanish) digital tool is research-based and parent friendly—a great addition for your Edmodo page and family outreach.

In addition to the roadmap, here are five ways parents can help keep their child on track when school is closed:

1. Focus on Key Skills

The Readiness Check is like a game but shows your child’s progress with key math and reading skills. As part of the results, it connects you to videos, activities, and more to support learning at home and on your phone!

2. Keep a Routine

Create a daily schedule with your child that includes math and reading as well as choice activities such as drawing, building, or dancing. It doesn’t have to be perfect so don’t stress. Parents and teachers have been sharing lots of great examples online and you can find examples on the Learning Hero Roadmap.

3. Turn Off the News and Talk

Limit the news which can be scary, especially for young children. Remind your child they are safe and that life will get back to normal. Ask them how they are feeling. They can draw or write about it too.

4. Stay Connected

Your school is likely creating a plan for digital learning. Stay in touch with teachers and other parents to work through it together. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

5. Enjoy Family Time

Play cards, cook a new or favorite recipe, make up silly songs, look at old family photos and write a story about them. Your child will be learning and having fun!

While this is certainly a stressful time, it’s also an opportunity. With extra time at home, talk to your child about their strengths, interests, and where they might need more support. One positive thing that might come out of this situation is that us parents (myself included!) will get a more up-close look at how our children are progressing and what they need. With this information, we can best partner with teachers to support learning more holistically.

 

We’d like to thank Windy for sharing these trusted tips and resources for parents! If your school or child’s teachers are looking for resources to continue learning online, check out the Distance Learning Toolkit we’ve put together to help schools quickly get started. We’ll also be updating the Toolkit with more resources for parents to help you support learning at home.