5 Reasons why schooling at home during lockdown is hard for parents.

Our little learn at home set up for Miss Scribbler, including one of our printable affirmation cards to help keep her calm and confident in her work.

There’s millions of suggestions, ideas and free resources out there. Schools are setting work for children to complete. I even used to be a Primary School Teacher! So why is schooling my kids during lockdown becoming so hard?

I’ve been thinking about this over the last week. Why is it so hard? Why does it feel like I'm not doing enough? The answer is because it is hard! Schooling our children during a pandemic is a steep learning curve for many of us. Even those of us that used to teach this stuff to a class of 30 kids! And whilst social media is flooded with images of mums and children sat side by side at laptops, or smiley 3 years olds writing their letters whilst yours is bouncing on the sofa, I’m pretty sure the reality behind the image isn’t always picture perfect. Here’s why learning at home during this lockdown is hard:

1. Your child is unlikely to be OK with you taking a teacher role. It's a relationship they are used to having with another adult. So drop your teacher voice. Home is the safe bubble, a place to relax and where they can be themselves. Home can’t replicate the time children usually spend their hours between 9am and 3pm. So I'd advise you don't try to.
2. The school at home routine needs to be flexible and follow your child’s interests or moods. But you’ve got stuff to do. How do you get your work done when you’re still on a 9-5 routine, just from home? You've emails popping in every 5 minutes that need to be responded to. But schooling at home doesn’t have the same formality or structure as your 9-5 job, and your child can’t complete tasks independently. Learning at home is interactive and informal. It takes time, resources, planning (even if directed by class teachers) and energy. Which you probably don’t have. 
3. The biggest asset any teacher has in educating children is themselves. Not worksheets. Not whiteboards. Teachers inspire children's learning. Which means, the biggest asset you have when educating your child at home is yourself. But you didn't choose this form of education. What if you shudder at the sight of an online lesson on fractions? What if you’re not a generation that learned to read through synthetic phonics? What if you don’t know what a subordinate clause is? How can you inspire your child to learn if you're still getting to grips with HOW to enjoy teaching them?
4. Most children self regulate well at school. Less so at home. Because you are their safe person. Home is the place they can safely let those big tears or angry feelings out. But it means you're helping them manage more big feelings more often, which means stress levels get high for you both. 
5. Children don’t learn when they’re stressed. Neuroscience shows that memory is impacted by stress. Concentration is effected when you're anxious. This pandemic is stressful for our children in a number of ways, from being anxious about the virus itself to the changes it's brought to their lives. Learning content that is usually presented to them in a classroom environment is strange, has a different level of immersion and can feel more intense with out a group of friends sat around the table. They need time to adjust to a new way of learning. 

There's no magic way of making this easier. As they saying goes, the only way is through! We're all out of our comfort zones. A lot has been asked of our little and young people. And of parents. You’re doing great. Whatever learning at home looks like for you, that’s just right. 

​If you're interested in grabbing our affirmation cards as seen in the blog image, you can CLICK HERE to have a closer look!