How to help your child to transition from school to home-schooling

The Ministry of Education last week released homeschooling packages to enable self-study in amid coronavirus lockdown.

Ministry of Education says it worked with a consortium of different stakeholders, under the guidance of the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC), to develop standardized study lesson packages.

Self study materials

All the materials are in the core subjects for primary and secondary levels, to be distributed to all learners.

Education Minister Janet Museveni says model teachers will continue preparing lessons to be delivered through on radio and television stations across the country.

Here is how to help your child to transition from school to home-schooling.

Talk to your child

Most children associate being at home with school holidays and an opportunity to spend time playing or with friends.

It’s important to explain what home-schooling is, why it’s happening and what is expected from them. This will help them to understand what to expect and why it is important.

Involve them in decision making

Creating a new home-schooling routine can be challenging, but involving your child in some of the decisions will help them feel a little more in control and reduce on the confusion and tension.

For example, you could ask them how they would want to spend their break time and what snack they prefer.

Create a ‘classroom’ environment

Create a routine and specific home study area where they, for example, cannot glance at the TV. Try to remove as many distractions as possible and make sure it’s a comfortable spot.

It’s a good idea to set up the area in the morning and then put it away once the school day is finished to clearly mark when they’re ‘at home’ and when they’re ‘at school’.

Talk to other parents

You may have to find your own support system and the best way to do this, is by coordinating with other parents and comparing notes.

Try experimenting

All children are different. While some kids will easily adjust to the new status-quo, others will find it difficult to concentrate at home, be away from their friends, or learn in a new format.

Experimenting to find the right thing for your child is going to be essential to making this work