Category: Education

Whether you are a parent assisting kids for the first time at home in a distance learning situation, or a regular homeschooler, home classroom management strategies plays a major role in a students success.  Or you may be a parent who simply wants to supplement what your kids are already learning in a regular school classroom.

Whatever your situation, here are some valuable tips to help you enhance your child’s “at home” learning experience. We will cover home schooling structure to ensure kids stay engaged, as well as teaching ideas for parents which can be implemented on a daily basis. Throughout the article you will find helpful resources to equip your home school with the latest educational resources available to ensure an effective learning environment.

Learning Strategies at Home

Some learning strategies happen naturally at home.  Providing quiet areas for independent older students who need to work on a paper is important, especially when younger siblings are being loud.  Making the environment more conducive to study can also help.  Using music, games, role playing or charts to present information are excellent ways to engage students. You can take it one step further by having them help create the games or make the charts to further engage through in active learning while teaching at home.

Breaking up the lesson into twenty-minute segments can help.  Before returning to the lesson, review what was learned before moving on to new material.  And of course, one should always give prompt specific feedback about a student’s work.

Allow for Flexibility Within Structured Learning

Interacting with adults is much easier to do at home, but teachers in classroom have also seen success in allowing students to move away from their desks and interact with classmates.  This can be done in a form of activity or allowing the student to freely go for a drink of water throughout the day.  At home, this is a good example of keeping things free flowing within a structure.  Getting up and moving around allows for blood to flow and keep the mind alert.

This brings up another important point about exercise. While you may not be able to have structured sports daily, make sure to include some kind of exercise routine throughout the day. It can be simple floor exercises or going for a walk.  If you find that your kids are having trouble paying attention, it may be a good time to stop the lesson and so some kind of physical activity for five minutes. It also brings additional benefits such as reducing screen time to ensure more balanced life.

The Importance of Asking Questions

There are other strategies that might not occur so naturally at home, such as allowing three to five seconds of wait time after asking questions throughout the presentation.  These pauses allow students to process the information before, during and after the presentation of the new concept.  It will also help you determine what the student knows and correct any misunderstandings.  Don’t be afraid to adjusting your presentation to re-teach anything that needs clarifying.

As kids get older be sure to ask questions that involve critical thinking, such as…

Do you agree with why or how something happened or is the way it is?”

How would you prove is there a better solution?

How would you rank the importance of various situations or options?

This helps students develop critical thinking skills.  Using words like “evaluate, justify, support and critique” when discussing material can help them make judgments about reality.

Remember too that the high school student is naturally interested in questions that challenge the status quo. In subjects such as Social Studies, kids care about whether a proposed course of action was expedient or inexpedient.   They care about whether someone deserves praise or blame.

If any of these suggestions are making you feel overwhelmed by the sheer notion of having to supplement or replace the teaching your child was receiving in school, start with the fundamentals; Language, Reading and ways to homeschool math.

Educational Games

Educational games play an important role in helping kids get a grasp of their subject, help them see how things actually work through gameplay, and enable them to learn subjects at their own pace. Moreover, educational games help kids feel rewarded after completing a task / exercise as in-game rewards serve as gratification after they finish games and score well in after-game questions, which encourages them to think critically and try to find the right solutions. These games also help them keep a track of their lessons and mistakes, and help them assess where they need improvements. Such games do not bore kids and keep them interested for long without making studies feel like a burden.

There may be innovative educational resources that are already in your home.  This is a great benefit to parents working hard to bring new teaching ideas and techniques into the homeschooling experience. Consider opportunities outside of daily teaching routines, such as the introduction of educational video games.   For your children who already play online for entertainment purposes, you can engage their interest during “school hours” by allowing game play during the day with an educational focus.  

The Importance of Continuous Discussion

Whether or not asking questions leads to a discussion about a topic, creating an environment for open discussion throughout any lesson is vital to keep students engaged and even excited about what they are learning.   Discussions can help participant learn and stay interested in a way listening to a lecture doesn’t.

A focus on starting a discussion can also be what it takes get the ball rolling into kids asking the questions they may not even be thinking about.  While this is going on, students are working out what they believe about ideas and concepts while being an active participant in learning.

Whether kids are receiving online teaching or tutoring through distance learning, parents can always enhance the education of their children.  After all, the most important reason we educate our children at home is to form their minds and hearts. This can’t be done without conversation, so the best learning strategy is to talk to your children.  It can often be easier to begin any discussion within an educational framework as simple as when you are helping them with homework. 

A Word About Online Jobs in Teaching

If you are a parent with teaching credentials you may want to consider exploring online jobs in teaching.   Let’s face it, your consistent presence at home with your kids prevents you from working in a traditional teaching job.  However, there are various opportunities to teach online.  These include teaching English as a second language (ESL), as well as seeking out educational jobs in an administrative role. 

Find companies hiring for online teaching jobs that may work with your goals to stay at home raising and teaching your kids, whether part time or on a full time basis that allow you to set your own hours.

Time to give your kids some knowledge of cooking to set them off on the right footing? It’s amazing how many children never really learn how to cook, and when they reach adulthood, they’re not able to make any sort of nutritious or healthy meal.

You don’t have to teach them every single aspect of cooking, and nobody is expecting children to be top-class chefs at the age of 10, but it is a good milestone in their development and a way for you to check that you’re imparting the right kind of knowledge to children. Besides, it’s just one of the fun activities kids can do at home as often as they like.

What Cooking Skills Should Children Learn?

Below, we’ve explained some of the crucial cooking skills that children should learn to start to understand their way around the kitchen, and most importantly, to stay safe.

Measure and Mix

Down to the very basics. Children should first learn to measure and mix food. This is great for adults who enjoy cooking and want to have that extra bit of help in the kitchen. You can recruit your children for help with the measuring, and you can handle the heavy-duty stuff like actually cooking the food.

Measuring and mixing can be the first steps in following a recipe, and this is a crucial skill for children to get to grips with. If you are able to follow a recipe, then it is unlikely you’ll go hungry due to not being able to cook, especially as we live in the age of hundreds of online recipes for baking and cooking all sorts of cuisines.

Basic Knife Skills

A lot of parents keep their children away from knives for as long as possible in the kitchen, and it is easy to understand why. It may make you very anxious when you see your child pick up a knife, and you should only start with specific safety knives to teach them skills but also remove any risk.

By making your child proficient with a knife and teaching them about the dangers, you are making it less likely that they will have any kind of accident in the future. Basic knife skills such as chopping and filleting are relatively simple to pick up. Make sure you use safe knives and don’t go straight in with potentially hazardous ones.

Baking Basics

Baking is a great way to teach your children about the world of food. For instance, they can learn about the role of sugar in baking and what makes all of those delicious treats taste so good, or they can learn about bread, what makes it rise, and how it has been part of human history for tens of thousands of years.

Baking basics don’t usually involve too much complex chopping, and you can cook things with your children that are great fun to make and fun to eat. Lots of parents love baking cookies or even bread with their children, turning it into a fun activity as well as an opportunity to learn about food.

If someone can bake to a decent standard, they are likely to always have a supply of delicious and potentially nutritious food, so it is a good skill to start teaching while children are so young.

Bake Something Sweet

This is definitely a way to keep kids interested, too. Teaching them how to bake something sweet can be really joyous and great fun for everyone involved. Why should it always be boring food that we teach children to cook?

They might not be excited at the prospect of boiling an egg, but you can definitely get kids more involved if you incorporate sweet treats into the baking. When it is somebody’s birthday, why not get your children involved in the preparation of a cake, or even let them bake a cake of their own design?

These sorts of activities are a great way to build some of the most important kitchen skills without it becoming a chore for kids.

Handling Raw Meat with Care

Another one of those skills that may not be the most glamorous or fun to learn, but it is definitely important. If you are going to have your children around the kitchen, then they really need to learn about meat safety and what can potentially spread disease.

Handling raw meat with care, and properly cleaning up wherever raw meat has been, is a crucial lesson to make sure your kids learn straight away when you are trying to teach them how to cook.

Clean Up, Pick Up, Put Away

You’re probably asking your kid to clean up and put things away all the time anyway, right? Well, in the kitchen, it is even more important.

A poorly managed kitchen that doesn’t have a good level of hygiene and organization can be a hazard as well as make your life a lot more difficult. Though this isn’t always an easy lesson to teach children, it is important to get them involved with all of the cleaning, picking up, and putting away of food and drink to make sure they know how vital it is to keep everything in the kitchen clean.

It’s not a fun job, and we’d all rather the cleaning happened magically without us, but this is never going to be the case, so it is a good idea to learn this early.

About the Author:  Jordan River is an experienced baker, along with an event management specialist. She went into a marketing and customer care role working with JB Cookie Cutters to educate and share her experience. She has had her fair share of kitchen and cooking tools and knows exactly what works best and why.

Before she started writing and customer care, Jordan got a graduate degree in marketing and communications. She is a mom of two, so when not writing, she loves cooking and testing new recipes, improvising in the kitchen, and creating unique things that turn into family events.

Learn more about healthy ways to feed your kids and get them involved in the process.

With online coding classes for kids, you will surely reduce the burden of homework; however, there are several things to consider before getting your kid access to these classes. It is no good to think that your kid can skip their schoolwork anytime they want and join these classes.

Considerations for joining an online coding course

It can be a lot of fun to learn how to code on your own, but there are some things you should consider before you do. Here are a few things to think about:

1. Location – Are you comfortable learning from home? If not, is there a location where you can meet with the instructor once a week?

2. Time Commitment – Enrolling in an online coding course isn’t like taking a class at the college level. You will need to be able to dedicate at least two hours each week to the class.

3. Skill Level – If you’re new to coding, it can be helpful to start with a beginner course before moving on to more advanced lessons. This way, you’ll build the skills you need before trying more difficult material.

4. Motivation – Do you have what it takes to keep up with an online coding course? If not, be honest with yourself and find an alternative learning method that’s more accommodating for your schedule.

Reasons to take classes online

1. There are a lot of benefits to taking online coding classes for kids.  For one, you can take them from anywhere in the world. This means that you can take them during breaks or dinner time, which is great for busy parents.

2. Another advantage of taking online coding classes for kids is that you can be sure your child is receiving the best possible instruction. Many online coding classes are run by reputable instructors, so there is always a high level of quality control.

3. Last but not least, many parents feel that their children learn better when they are actively engaged in the class instead of sitting passively in front of a screen. Taking online coding classes for kids encourages creativity and problem-solving skills, which are key principles of learning.

Coding with children

There are a number of things to keep in mind before joining an online coding class for children and Private tutoring in coding for kids. One of the most important considerations is the child’s age and developmental stage.

Young children are typically very enthusiastic about learning to code. However, some experts recommend waiting until the child is at least eight or nine years old before starting any coding classes. This is because young children’s brains are still developing and they may not be able to understand or complete the exercises in a coding class correctly.

Another thing to consider is the child’s attention span. Many parents report that their children excel when they’re taught coding using animated characters and visual examples. If your child struggles to focus on written instructions, it may be difficult for them to follow an online coding class.

In addition, make sure to research online coding classes that are available before enrolling your child in one. Some are better suited for older children while others are more appropriate for younger children.

Who will be teaching the courses?

If you’re considering taking an online coding course for kids, it’s important to know who will be teaching the classes. Quality online coding courses are typically taught by experienced coders who have a deep knowledge of the subject. This is important because you want the instructor to be able to explain the material in a way that’s both interesting and accessible.

Another important factor to consider when choosing an online coding course is the course syllabus. This document will outline what topics the students will cover and how they will be graded. It’s important to make sure that the syllabus accurately reflects what you’re expecting to learn. If there are any changes to the syllabus, be sure to note them on your enrollment form so you’re aware of them ahead of time.

Finally, it’s important to verify that the course provider is accredited and licensed by a relevant regulating body. This is important because you want to make sure that your son or daughter is being taught by qualified professionals. A verified provider will have all of this information available on their website.

What programs do students learn in? Are they hands-on and personalized for individual students?

When considering whether or not to enroll your child in online coding classes, there are a few things you should keep in mind. First, what programs do the classes cover? Are they hands-on and personalized for individual students? These days, many online coding programs offer computer programming courses that teach kids how to build their own websites, apps, and games from scratch. This is great for kids who want to learn programming from the ground up, but it can be difficult for those who would like to use the skills they’ve learned in class to create something practical.

Another thing to consider is cost. Are coding programs offered by the schools affordable? Many of these classes are priced at around $30 per week or less. In addition, many of these schools offer a money-back guarantee so that you can be sure that you’re getting a good deal if you decide to enroll your child.

So whether you’re looking for a program that will teach basic programming skills or one that will help your child create practical projects, look into online coding classes for kids before making a decision.

Does the student get help from a teacher and does it vary based on their learning style?

Before joining an online coding class for kids, it is important to make sure that the student is getting help from a teacher. Different kids learn best in different ways, so it is important that their learning style is taken into account. If the student is having trouble understanding concept explanations or code challenges, a teacher can be contacted to provide assistance. Additionally, if the student encounters difficulty with any aspect of the class, they should reach out for help as soon as possible. Online coding classes are designed to enable students to STUDY ON THEIR OWN, but if a student needs help along the way then it can make a big difference.

Conclusion

There are a lot of great coding classes for kids out there, and it can be hard to decide which to take. What do you want your child to learn? What’s best for their development? How much time will they have to spend working on the class materials? There are plenty of things to think about before signing up for a coding class, but hopefully, this guide has helped give you some ideas. When it comes to learning how to code, there is no one-size-fits-all answer – just choose a programming course that is right for your child and get started!

Reading is a skill developed through the activities and experiences of daily life. Many children learn to read by themselves. However, some children need reading help from their parents or other adults. The following are ten ways to engage elementary school students in reading.

1. Begin the Lesson with an Interesting Fact About the Topic

One way to engage elementary students in reading is to begin the lesson with an interesting fact about the topic. For example, if you are teaching about dinosaurs, you might start by talking about a fact related to dinosaurs.

You might talk about how long they lived or how they looked. You may also want to talk about other facts that relate to dinosaurs.

2. Start with a Picture

Another way of engaging elementary students in reading is by starting with a picture. For example, if you teach about farm animals, draw a picture of each animal and have your students identify it and write its name on their papers and the board.

As you go through your lesson plan for the day, have each student add one more picture to their documents or an additional word or phrase to the board.

3. Have Students Clap or Give a Sound as They Read

Another way of doing this is by having students clap or give a sound as they read. For example, you might say, “Clap your hands if you know what this word means.” Or, you might have them say “Good” as they read, or you might have them make noises when they are reading. This is a fun way to engage students in reading, and it helps to develop their listening skills as well.

4. Read Aloud and Do Story Problems

This is also a good way to engage elementary students in reading. For example, you might say, “Let’s read the story about the cow, Henry.” Then have your students read the story aloud and do some of the problems that follow it. You can also have them read the book or chapter and do some of the same problems at home.

5. Have Students Identify a Book Character

This is an excellent way to engage students in reading. A book character is a fictional person who appears in the book. Students are asked to identify the character in various books. This is an excellent way to engage students in reading.

6. Have Students Identify Story Elements

Story elements are parts of stories that help tell the story and make it interesting for readers. These include characters, setting, plot, theme, and subplots. By identifying these story elements, students can begin to understand how stories work and how they affect their reading.

7. Help Students Identify Story Questions

Students can get involved with a reading by asking questions about what will happen next during their read-aloud or class discussions about books they have read. For example, you might offer a selection of picture books about perseverance to your younger students and have a discussion about the themes and how the pictures made them feel. This is a good way to engage students in reading and it helps them to become more independent readers.

8. Have Students Share What They Have Learned

Many children love to share what they have learned and are eager to tell others about their experiences. At the beginning of the school day, students share what they have learned from the day before.

This is a great way to get students to articulate and put into their own words what they already know. It also helps them focus and remember important things that happened during the day.

9. Set Reading Goals for Your Children

You might read the same books to your child every day, or read different books each day. You might ask your child to read a certain number of pages a day, or a certain number of pages. The goal should be reasonable, and it should be challenging enough so that children can do it.

10. Have Students Create Reading Logs

This can be a fun way for students to record their daily reading activities. Students can make a log with the title, author, and book title. They can also include the number of pages read and how many times they read each day.

Closing Thought

As children grow, they will soon be enticed by social media and various forms of online entertainment.  Therefore, it is vitally important to engage students with reading as early as possible.  If you are working with children in a classroom, you should know that they are more than capable of reading and being enthusiastic about it. You can help them by creating an environment where they can feel safe, supported, and encouraged to read. Teachers should provide students with the various resources needed to be successful readers.

If you have younger kids in your family that are not yet in school.  Discover why preschool is good for your child.