Make a schedule or timetable

• Children respond well to routines and timetables, work as a family to create something that works for everyone in your family. Decide on times that your children can have some:

  • • • Learning time

      • Play time (think about what they would like to play)

      • Eating time (Breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner)

      • Family time (Doing something together, playing a board game, exercise or outside time)

      • Alone or independent time (what could this look like and for how long)

      • Make sure there is variety in the day—outdoors! cook! read! play games! socialize in safe social distancing ways (set up phone calls, Face-time or Zoom sessions with their friends)

Make sure this is done together, give your child ownership and it is okay for this to look different every day and during weekends.

Consider if the layout of your home supports home-learning

• Do you have a few different stations set up for everyone to have spaces to do learning? Can you be creative in how this could look - e.g using a coffee table and cushion to have lower work station, using dining table for art station and creative station.

• Quite space in your home - is there a place for some quite time for reading

• Entertainment space - is a space where the TV can be set up, lounging around?

• Can you rearrange things to optimize space in your home?

Recognise that children will be on screens more than usual

• Keep an eye on their well-being and yours

• Take regular eye breaks! Watch the time and set timers to help support this

• Select learning that is a balance of using devices and with no devices

Help your child develop key competencies

Your child is learning a range of skills and abilities (key competencies) to help them to do well in life. There are lots of things you can do to help your child develop and use these:

https://parents.education.govt.nz/primary-school/learning-and-development-at-home/helping-your-child-develop-key-competencies/

Don’t overdo it

Work with your child's teacher and think about your individual child. We all learn in different ways and have varying levels of engagement and attention. What one of your children can do, another will not and what your friend's child might be doing will not be the same for yours. Remember, maintaining a loving, trusting relationship with your child is the most important factor when you are working together.

Plan regular movement breaks

Dancing to music, playing Simon Says , singing, quick games, simple exercise (jumps, high fives, push ups), use equipment around the house.

ALWAYS Praise your children’s efforts and behaviour, not their achievements

This is critical when you are working with your child on something specific. Children can feel very vulnerable about their learning and achievements with their parents. There is a very different relationship with parents as teacher, compared to teachers. Focus on praising and rewarding effort, behaviour and attitude. They are likely to preserver when they see you are not being critical of what they are achieving.

It is a Partnership - work with your child's teacher.

We encourage you to work with your child's teacher, keep in touch, ask questions and problem solve. Your child's teacher is your greatest resource at this time. They are the experts in Education.