This post has been edited from it’s original version to include pictures and thoughts in response specific questions readers had for more advice.

Now that we are all taking CoVid-19 seriously many families are staring like a deer-in-the-headlights down the path of homeschooling, likely against your will. You may be asking yourself, “how on earth do I do this?!”

Here are a few tips for jumping into the deep end of homeschooling when you didn’t want to in the first place:

1) Take a breath. You CAN do this, it IS possible. 

 2) Your house is going to be messier than normal. Let that sink in now and come to grips with it before you proceed. Build in time for chores and house work. A little here, a little there. It will be fine, I promise. One thing that helps around our house with many people is that everyone washes their dishes between meals and puts them in a rack next to the sink to air dry. Then we reuse those dishes through the day, putting them into the dishwasher after dinner. This cuts down on the ENORMOUS pile of dishes our family would go through if we used a new plate for each meal.

3) Take a day (or more) to organize your game plan. This WILL look different at home than it does at school. It will take a bit to transition, even temporarily, for you and the kids. Let the kids play and veg a little during your planning time. They need time to mentally adjust to the change, too. Most of us who switch to homeschooling in the middle of the school year take a big break to adjust mentally. You may not have that option because of your state requirements. But take a small one, if you can. Organizing your schedule will not only help you survive, but thrive.

How to make a plan:

-Decide what you NEED to accomplish every day. Maybe teachers have sent home curriculum or plans for you. If so, cool! Lay it all out into your day and decide how much time you need to allot to each subject or assignment/student. Include breaks, lunch, and work for yourself if you are now working from home. Remember you can work during their breaks, or while they are working if they are independent enough.

-Figure out what you DO NOT need to do. Remember, most schools do not have the students doing every subject every day. You might not need to either. Look at the week’s worth assignments and figure out if there are some you can combine into one day to lessen the workload over the week. Typically each day will have a little reading, writing, and arithmetic. Some teachers will ask for more, some for less. But these are the biggies.

-You will likely work faster at home than they do at school. School may only take you a couple of hours total, especially for younger children (typically Kindergarten – 4th graders) vs the 8 hours they are in school. THAT IS A GOOD THING. Go with it! Allow them to play, take breaks, and wiggle. It’s perfectly ok and even good for their brains (and your sanity!). When you are planning, shoot for more time than necessary and be pleasantly surprised when it takes less. Or if it takes that much, you’ll have it set aside already.

-Remember that, at home, school can be done anytime during the day, not just during set “school” hours. So if you don’t get to something in the morning, it’s OK, come back to it after dinner! Especially if you or the student(s) need a break during the day. Remember your relationship is more important than your checklist!

Here is a sample of a typical day’s schedule for our seven kiddos. I keep it super flexible with lots of time build in to work with younger students throughout the day. Sometimes the older kids enjoy working with youngers if they get done early!

4) Figure out what subjects they can do independently and build in that time into your day. *Many* older students, say 3rd grade and older, can easily do work on concepts they have already been taught, independently. If it is a new concept plan time to sit down with them and walk them through it (or watch the videos your teacher may have organized for you). Once they’ve got the concept, set them up with what they need, answer any questions they might have, then give them time to work. This gives you a chance to help another student, take care of the baby (more on them later!), do house work, or work on your job that you are now doing from home. Most middle schoolers and definitely high schoolers, should be ready to work independently for nearly every subject with little assistance. 

5) For younger students, say 2nd grade and below, set a timer for work. They likely will wiggle too much or whine if they are sitting for more than about 15 minutes at a time (at least mine do!) and you might go mad sitting there trying to force something neither of you wants to be doing after 30 minutes! So set a timer for 15 minutes and tell them if they work hard for those 15 minutes they can take a break, get a snack, whatever you choose. Then either come back and continue that lesson, or move on to something else. Mix it up if they are struggling. Sometimes the brain just needs a little break to process the information. Coming back can help build in the processing time and allow for deeper understanding after the (or multiple) break. 

6) Don’t try and replicate their classroom. It’s home. It is different. That is OK! If you try and replicate their exact classroom you will likely both get irritated and frustrated. The exception might be if you only have one student at home and you can put ALL of your time into that one student. Most of us will likely have to learn how to juggle more than one student and so you need to develop your own system. Do what works for you. If something isn’t working one day, try something different the next day. 

7) Spend lots of time outside if you can! CoVid-19 is not contagious through the air, so go out into your yard and play with your kids! We all love summertime, because it’s more relaxed and you can spend time together as a family. Truly the best part is that you don’t have to get up and rush out the door in the morning! Embrace this opportunity to do that NOW! Watch the world wake up with spring. Go online together and research the bugs and plants you discover, and maybe didn’t even know were growing in your own yard! Take mornings more slowly and enjoy your evenings without the burden of extra homework and activities to rush off to.

8) Homeschooling with babies and toddlers is…tough. Not going to sugar coat it. However, it is do-able! 

a) For mobile babies who do more than sleep in your arms, or play in a stationary place, try doing school in a location of the home that the baby can easily move around in without getting hurt. Move locations as needed to help keep baby entertained, but also keep the focus on school work. It’s a balance, but again, doable. Find yours.

b) For walking babies and tots, station yourself in a central location of the home for school work, like the kitchen table, and have areas of the home you cannot easily monitor from there blocked off with baby gates or other furniture. Let the toddler get out pots and plans, tupperware, etc. to keep themselves entertained. Also, have a box of toys that the little one doesn’t normally get to play with and only get them out during school time. This makes the toys novel and interesting, thus holding their attention for longer stretches of time. Allow them to sit at the table with you strapped into a high chair, with Cheerios or whatever you prefer. It doesn’t have to be the most nutritious snack, it just has to keep them occupied while your other little people need your attention during their 15 minute timer. If this is a temporary situation for your family, just remind yourself that you can do anything for 2-4 weeks. Their nutrition isn’t going to suffer for the rest of their lives by one month of survival mode.

c) For preschoolers who are used to your undivided attention while older siblings are at school: Again, pull out toys and coloring books/blank paper, playdough, blocks, or a bin with beans and cups, and ONLY have those out during school time. Rotate them daily so as to keep it interesting. 

9) Unless your child is in high school, what you do or don’t do at home this month isn’t going to make or break their college application. So calm down and prioritize your relationship over the checklist the teacher gave you. If your child IS in high school, make sure to be in regular contact with their teacher regarding expectations and progress. These students *should* be independent by now and should only need support and boundaries from you.

10) Remember that you LIKE your kids and you LIKE spending time with them. You are stuck together, you might as well make the best of it! Be organized enough that you build in time to be flexible within the schedule. Plan big breaks for lunch and play time. Older kids need it, too! This isn’t your opportunity to be the BEST teacher out there. This is your opportunity to be the best YOU you can be, despite a situation you didn’t ask for. 

May the force be with you!

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