Homeschooling During Crisis

We are living in a strange time right now. One that will go down in our history books. So many families are facing extreme financial difficulties and stress. All our events and activities have been cancelled. We can’t even attend church. To top that all off, all of America is now homeschooling during crisis.

When I was thinking of what we are all going through as a nation and as a world, the first word that popped into my mind was the word crisis. Let’s dig into the meaning of that word to better understand where we are at.

The definition of “crisis” from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary online describes a crisis as three things:

Here are some ways to continue or to even begin Homeschooling During Crisis:

Let your Kids be Kids:

Let’s be honest, we parents are stressed out right now! The kids can sense our stress and it just gets passed down. Many families have one or both parents that are unemployed at the moment. Schedules are all out of whack, and all extra curricular activities have been cancelled. Our kids are missing their friends, missing church, missing their social activities that we did on a regular basis. We are busy homeschoolers that are out more often that we are at home. This has been very hard for all of them. 

The best thing we can do right now is to cut them some slack and let them play. We are still doing a light school, but I am allowing more play time. It seems to really relax them. They are doing lots of crafting, creating and playing games. My youngest is pulling out toys she hasn’t played with in years and mixing them with new toys. The house is a mess all day, but they are having a blast.

Have a Relaxed Routine:

I have never been one to stick to a tight schedule, but kids thrive on routine. We need to continue to have routine in the midst of crisis. We have been staying up pretty late at night with Dad home more and schedules are a little messed up. Since we are up later, we are sleeping in since we never have anywhere to go. We are having a nice, late, big breakfast/brunch and then do some light school.

We are sticking to the 3 R’s right now. Basically we are doing math, reading, and our language arts curriculum. The older two still have to complete their science curriculum they were doing in a teacher paid co-op. When they are finished with school work they have a create and craft time. Lots of painting, art, sketching, fun art videos, tutorials and more. 

Take Advantage of Technology:

I am trying to be more intentional with our time, since we have so much of it right now. Technology has been fabulous, but I am not letting them stare at a screen for hours. Right now we are using technology to our advantage in our homeschool. There are lots of free resources they are using in their free time such as live online art classes, virtual field trips and live dance and music lessons. We are doing online Bible studies with friends from church and online coop classes. It helps to keep us connected to the outside world during this time. We are also reading library books on our Kindle Fire Tablets.

 

Get Outside:

Being outside, in the sunshine and breathing fresh air is super important. Make a point to get outside with your kids. We love to garden, and my girls started their own flower pots this spring, so we tend to our garden daily. We are also putting up a pool so we can get some sun and have something to keep us busy each day. If you don’t have a yard, you can still take a walk or go for a bike ride. Just make sure that you are being intentional with getting some outside time. It will help everyone’s mood, and the exercise is so important during this time.

Nightly Family Meeting:

During this time of crisis, we are making sure to connect as a family each day. Night time is a great time to really speak to our children and talk about what is going on. We started doing this just a few weeks ago, and it has made a huge difference. My husband calls it our daily family debriefing. We go over the news for the day, our older kids enjoy watching the daily press conferences with us. Then we go over any questions anyone might have. This can take some time, but I feel it is super important. Their little minds and hearts can hold on to some pretty heavy things. We make sure to let them know that they can ask us anything. Then we take the time to pray together as a family. 

The next day we start all over again. Right now it is really just a one day at a time thing, but I hope these suggestions will help you with homeschooling during crisis.

Here is some more encouragement and fun activities for your family during this time:

How to Stay Home 24/7 With Your Spouse and Kids

Activities to Fight Boredom With Kids

GIANT List of Easy and Independent Crafts for Kids

5 Fun Ideas to Try With Kids This Week

Tips for Homeschooling Through Unexpected Circumstances – The Fervent Mama