With more than 124,000 schools closing to stop the spread of COVID-19, you may find yourself working as a teacher for your children. If you're new to homeschooling, here are some tips to help your kids learn:
- Set up a space at home for your child’s learning. Consider rearranging furniture or using spaces like the dining room table. Keep all school work and materials in storage tubs that can be packed up at the end of the day. Use the same space every day to build a routine.
- Be creative about what “learning” means. We’ve all heard stories of young adults going out into the world not knowing how to do the most basic household tasks. This is the perfect time for children to learn key life skills, such as cleaning, cooking, laundry, and pet care. You can introduce teens to financial literacy by including them in your checkbook balancing, budgeting, and online bill-paying.
- Take advantage of available online resources, projects, and learning experiences:
- The National Head Start Association has collected this list of free learning resources for young children.
- Sesame Street is offering special resources during the COVID-19 pandemic including a virtual hug from Elmo and animations about washing hands and caring for each other.
- The Smithsonian Institute offers a website that includes interactive tools to allow children of all ages to virtually “visit” the Institute’s museums and zoo.
- The Kennedy Center artist in residence, Mo Willems, hosts a daily lunch doodle session for children. The Kennedy Center also compiled a list of authors who are sharing stories and leading activities online.
- The Library of Congress has weekly drawling lessons on its website. Their page also includes content for teens and adults who want to engage with authors they love and provides ways to connect to the Library’s resources from anywhere in the world.
- NPR has several podcasts aimed at children and parents. From "What do dogs see when they look at the rainbow?" to "Do animals laugh?" the topics are designed to engage children’s curiosity.
- Tour national parks from your couch via Google Earth.
- Many local cable companies have made educational channels and programs free during this time.
Your Employee Assistance Program is here to help
Your Employee Assistance Program is available to provide support during these uncertain times. Your EAP provides resources to assist you and your family members 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including counseling services. For more information, contact your Component EAP, or send an email to worklife@hq.dhs.gov.
Last Updated: 04/28/2020