Primary School Learning At Home

08 Feb Helping Your Primary School Child Learn at Home

Posted at 09:11h in The Learning Blog by

As primary schools remain closed due to COVID-19, many parents are juggling multiple balls including trying to work from home themselves and also considering how to best support their children learn at home. Kids may be less interested in schoolwork without the usual routine the classroom provides. They may be missing their friends and feeling unsettled by lockdown life. While teachers have worked tirelessly to move their teaching online, we have compiled some tips and tricks for parents to support the little people you’re raising to learn at home.

  • Develop a daily routine. This might involve your child planning out their day in segments. Discuss with them about what they need to complete and the order in which they will do their tasks. You may like to organise tasks into order of priority. For example, some schoolwork is considered essential while others might be important and the remaining are an ‘added bonus’.
  • Consider the best time of day to start their schoolwork. The earlier the schoolwork can be done the more motivated and less tired your kids may be.
  • Set aside a few minutes at the end of the day to reflect on the success of their day. Encourage your child to set up their own space to work in. The more they feel like they own the space the easier it will be to encourage them to use it.
  • Prepare snacks, lunches and clothes the night before to make things easier on the day.
  • Embrace the move to online learning but monitor screen time and ensure your child has a healthy balance of screen time and “technology-free time”.

In addition to activities that may be provided by your child’s teacher here are some other educational activities you could consider:

  1. Ask your child to be responsible for writing shopping lists, and depending on their age, they could go one step further and organise meals for the week. Not only would they be practicing their writing, but they would need to plan quantities based on the number of people eating, which involves many mathematical concepts.
  2. Consider everyday items you have around your home to help learning, such as pegs. Your child could help hang the washing, learning their two times tables, with each item of clothing requiring two pegs.
  3. Ask your child to read and follow cooking or baking recipes to extend their literacy, numeracy and science skills. Measuring ingredients and doubling recipes are a great way to practice maths in everyday life.
  4. Teach your child about money. Not only do children love playing with money (you could set up a home shop for them to purchase items), but as they use it, they are counting, multiplying and learning basic maths concepts.
  5. Encourage your child to find a pen pal they could either write letters to or send emails to. Friends or family members would love to receive regular letters and it’s a great chance to practice writing. Maybe there’s an organisation your child feels very strongly about (like the Dublin Zoo) and they want to send them a letter.
  6. Encourage your child to make homemade cards for any birthday’s coming up, Valentine’s Day or Easter for example. This will allow them to practice their art skills and get creative.
  7. Set simple and age-appropriate chores that encourage your child to be involved in family life. For example, setting the table, pairing socks or making their bed.
  8. Plant seeds and grow something with your child. Peas, sprouts or herbs usually grow quickly, and your child could take daily progress photos to create a time-lapse video.
  9. Utilise the many great educational online resources, such as:

While there are many different ways to help your child learn at home, following your child’s interests will be a great way to keep them engaged.

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