Southern Lehigh School District - Tips for Parents: Strategies to assist with learning at home

Prioritize you and your family's mental health during this time. There have been many quotes that children aren't going to remember the academic activities they completed during this time, but they're going to remember how they felt when they reflect on this many years from now. How we act during this time is really important. Let's help our students to feel safe, calm, and loved.

If you don't get through all of the assignments, THAT's OK! Complete what works for you. Prioritize the areas that your child needs a little more practice in. Sit with your child and read.

Reach out to your child's teachers for help! They are more than happy to answer any questions you have. If an activity is too difficult, let the teacher know. They may be able to provide other activities or assistance for the task.

Some structure is good but don't cause more stress by forcing a specific routine. Build in academic time with breaks in between. As a working parent, I have built in breaks, such as time to watch TV or use electronics, when I knew I couldn't be available for them and needed them to be quiet (i.e. when I had a meeting). As a result, our schedule may change a little daily.

This isn't their usual learning environment and there are many distractions at home that aren't present in school. As a result, kids may need some external reinforcement to complete the required activities. It can be very simple or more complex. Here are some ideas:

Simple- Print out a sticker chart (http://templatelab.com/reward-charts/)or make your own. For each assignment or required activity (chores too!), the student earns a sticker. Once a child fills in the entire sticker chart, they turn it in for a reward. It could be their favorite dinner, they get to choose the TV shows for a whole day, or extra time on electronics. It could also be worth a monetary value (such as $5) that they can choose how to spend or to save.
Simple- Each required activity without argument earns a specific amount of time on electronics. The more activities they complete, the more time they have on electronics.
A little more complex- Assign monetary value to activities using Monopoly money. Easy activities could be worth $1 while more challenging activities (such as mopping the floor) could be worth more ($20). Create a home store for them to shop in using their money. Your store could include specific treats, time on electronics, getting to choose dinner for the day, renting a movie, etc. Be creative!
More complex- Create a point chart for your child with a specific goal and reward for each day. Self & Match charts have a child rate his/her behavior on a specific question before the parent does. If the child is honest and admits he/she didn't perform the behavior, he/she still earns a low level of points. The child earns more points if there is a "yes match" between the child and parent to the question. These charts increase a student's self-awareness and reinforce taking responsibility for their own behavior.