Please can you give me best home schooling tips for next week.

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DS is in Y5 and whilst his school is great we’re not really being given much guidance as to how to actually educate during lockdown. We started off pretty well but by the end of it (pre Easter) it was all very chaotic. So not to drip feed he’s also dyslexic. I’ve subscribed to Twinkl which is great but it’s so hard to get him to sit and concentrate. Also just discovered Minecraft have educational coding games on switch so we can do that too. Me and DH both working full time at home but it’s apparent we both need to make more effort. TIA

We’ve made a timetable for our DC - might sound draconian but it works for us. DC are 12 &9

Timetable has no more than one hour at a time dedicated to home learning, followed by a break for 15 mins. An hour for lunch where they can play on devices. Work for an hour in the afternoon and a daily walk followed by some sort of crucify not involving a screen - baking, cards, trampoline, treasure hunt, etc. Timetable finishes at 3:30 as school would.

It worked for us as there were clear expectations. DS9 is a reluctant learner and needs lots of encouragement but we get more out of him in a morning.

Also WFH, I’m a teacher, and the balancing act is tricky. I find myself dealing with the majority of my work load at 3:30 once home learning for my DC is over.

*crucify?!?! Should be activity 😂

Very similar to Dhiraz here, Joe Wickes at 9, shower and sat down for CGP workbooks by 10. Snack at 11, schools worksheets 11.30 to 12.30, lunch, educational TV 1.30 to 2.30, then piano practice. Another learning activity 5.45 to 3.30. Then day over and they can have technology. Family walk in the evening.

I wondered about the crucify!

I also agree that breaks every 45 mins to an hour so periods of sitting and working aren’t too long. Some schools are setting unrealistic amounts so do what you can without undue stress to you all but don’t do it all if it’s causing you all to be having a bad time.

A simple timetable with lots of kinaesthetic activity built in as well as fun and joy. Don’t forget a bit of fun and joy in there.

I’d think sitting and concentrating for long periods might feel like education but was really used more often for crowd control.
One to one/two education can be so much more exciting and interesting.
Use practical maths.
Bake and sew.
Make patterns and puzzles
Play board games
Read together lots
Write a diary or play
Act out a play
Do PE activities- balls skills, yoga,
Sing and dance
Learn about garden insects and plants
Do a project
Do computer skills like excel and word
Measure things and estimate
Play an instrument
Track countries being affected using maps. Learn about those countries and the specific challenges they face
Make soap or candles
Build lego creations
Do jigsaws to boost concentration
Find out what he’s interested in and use that.

I'm not stressing over it. They've had 2 weeks off school apart from the holidays. Lots of parents I know take their kids out for extra holidays then anyway.

The actual written work in school doesn't take up as much time as the talking/ explaining etc, so I'm not expecting school work to take all day. I start work at 830. Kids at 9. They tend to finish by about 1230, depending on how much procrastination has been going on. After that, as I'm still working, as long as they've played outside for an hour, the day is their own. Yr 5 and 3.

We struggled a bit at first, but now have found a routine that works for us. We start off with an online workout (we use Jump Start Jonny), then a 15 minute break, then 1 hour maths, 30 mins break, 1 hour English & topic, then lunch. Afternoon is then free for non-structured learning such as reading, online maths, art, baking, home science experiments etc. We also fit in a walk/scoot at some point, often after lunch.

BBC are doing lessons next week from Monday for each year group

www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize

At that age a max of 2-3 hours of formal learning is more than enough. Mine are primary age and we do 9.30-10 workout, 10-11 writing activity, 11-11.30 snack and play, 11.30-12.30 maths and reading, then lunch and half an hour screen time. Our afternoons have been topic based- fun and educational doing art, science, etc. We are taking it easy and slow and not getting too stressed of we’re having an off day.

I have three DC, each has a selection of activities to complete each day. They have a ‘to do’ board and a ‘finished’ board, and they can choose which order they do the activities in.
They have things like maths worksheet, maths game (tt rockstars, Prodigy etc.), writing task, reading, but also music practice, household task, watch a documentary, bake a cake etc.

These are all great suggestions - thank you. We still have his tutor on Zoom once a week and she's amazing and getting him engaged and and he sits really happily and does worksheets with her but with me it's another matter!

Monkeytapper thank you - the BBC bitesize stuff looks like it'll be great.