Are you still struggling to find success in managing school at home?
Set school time
If your child’s school is less structured in meetings, try to set two to three different “school work” times during the day; try to keep these times fairly consistent Monday through Friday, but be aware that sometimes flexibility may be necessary.
Schedule fun time
Also, schedule recess times into your child’s day. Kids need to be active and play, so try to balance a more physical activity after one of their scheduled schoolwork times. A great time for physical activity is before lunchtime, and it can be as simple as walking around the block, taking a bike ride, or watching an exercise video.
Match sibling schedules
If you have more than one child at home, schedules can be challenging. Try to match up their schedules when you can. Lunch and physical activity times are a great time to match up their schedules.
Create 20-minute increments
Even with a few generally scheduled dedicated schoolwork times, sometimes kids need shorter time increments to achieve goals. For instance, if your child does school work from 10-11:30 am, try to switch the topic or determine a goal for roughly 20 minutes at a time. A goal can be small and simple, such as having your little one work on their math problems for 20 minutes and then getting them a favorite snack, as you transition to a next task.
Take it day by day
Be kind to yourself when things don’t work out with the school work! It is hard to juggle a ton of different tasks, such as work, caring for other children, trying to teach, be a short-order cook, and so much more. If one day is a bust for schoolwork, just try to get back on the schedule the next day.
Dr. Megan Alsop, Psy.D is a licensed psychologist with Jefferson Neurobehavioral Group and can be reached at 504.780.1702 or [email protected].
