At this point most children and teens have some type of online learning in place from their school, generally consisting of assignments on Google Classroom or Zoom meetings with a teacher a couple of days a week. Parents may still worry about their kids running out of academic activities or falling behind in their schooling. I see many parents quickly turning to “learning apps” or online worksheet generators to keep their kids busy and to fill this perceived void in their education. While I understand the motivations behind this, the reality is that these apps, worksheets, and other “traditional” school activities are not the only thing you can lean on to further your child’s education—nor may they be the best way in every circumstance. If you’re thinking that this is only possible with you spending 100% of your time as “teacher”—think again. Learning opportunities in the home environment don’t have to involve constant adult attention. There can and should be times when you leave your child alone to engage in creative play, complete chores, or work on other projects without you hovering over them. With proper instructions and guidance, kids can take the lead and complete many tasks and activities independently. This allows you to focus on what you need to while knowing that they are engaged in meaningful learning endeavors. Here are ideas for supporting skills in the main three academic areas: Another great activity for elementary-age kids is to have them count and roll all the loose coins that are sitting around the house or in a change jar. This is an easy and rewarding task for kids and keeps their math skills fresh. Young children can count things around the house, make patterns with toys or found objects, sort blocks by shape or color, and play simple board games. Teens can learn how to do things like balance bank accounts, estimate grocery costs, complete tax forms, calculate discounts, construct models, and just generally learn about financial wellness. Anything that involves time, counting, patterns, measurement, estimation, rhythm, puzzles, or building something engages kids in the process of using math concepts and skills in a meaningful way. Aside from books, a plethora of other daily tasks involve reading. Cooking from a recipe, creating and following to-do lists, reading email and texts, following instructions for art and building projects, playing board games, and listening to podcasts or audiobooks all flex kids’ reading muscles and ensure that they retain and improve their reading skills while at home. Even for older children and teens, there is great learning value in allowing them to create and explore their own interests (both on- and off-screens). These kinds of tasks and activities give kids exposure and practice with things they will need to know how to do to succeed in life as they grow. Even more importantly, they help children maintain the academic skills they’ve developed so they can jump right back into school-based learning when school reopens.
