For the last year, some of us have been working from home in order to keep ourselves and our families safe. And while it has been great to work in our slippers, it has been tough on parents. Let’s face it, it can’t be easy trying to prepare spreadsheets while you are teaching mental maths. But, it looks like this could be coming to an end soon, you might want to make the most of it while you can, and this is how you can do it.
Practical classes
If there is one thing that the kids don’t get to do in school, it is get their hands dirty. We are not suggesting that they go and dig in the garden, but they could do that too. When it comes to getting their hands dirty, we mean with practical jobs around the house. For example, they could learn to work the coffee machine and bring you the odd cup of coffee. Or they could learn how to prep the meals for the family so that you don’t have to. This way, you can continue to work and they have made themselves useful, you could even reward them with some ice-cream.
Keep them amused
As tempting as it might be to pop them in front of a screen, you will not do them any favours. If you think that your homeschooling has fallen short of what they need, you could enlist some learning. Learn How Sherpa are changing Online tutoring and can help fill in any gaps that you might have missed. Not only can this help your kids, you could also get a fresher with some of the skills that you might have forgotten. Homeschooling was tough on everyone, and you probably managed a lot better than you realise. But, if in doubt, keep them busy with a tutor.
Teach them
You might have had it to the back teeth with home schooling, but there is another way to teach your kids. At the moment, they have the opportunity to gain some work experience and learn skills that they don’t teach in school. You might be surprised with what they understand. If you have teenagers, you could even add it to their Achievement files as a form of work experience. Although, they will have to do more than bring you coffee.
Listen to them
Sometimes, all our kids want is to be listened to. It can be hard to make the time to have a proper chat. If you are all still at home, take this as a great time to blast down those barriers and get to know your kids. This will have no impact on your job or their school life other than knowing that you can speak to each other. So, if either of you have a problem, you can talk it out with each other. Don’t discount the value that your kids can bring to the table when it comes to your work. They might not have all of the answers but they can still help in some ways.