You may have already eased into your new “stay at home” routine, or you may still be adjusting. Education from home is new for many of us, so today we’re going to highlight valuable resources and online teaching tools you can use at home.
Math Resources
Math education from home can feel daunting for parents who learned many of these skills years ago using completely different strategies. Fortunately, there are a number of resources out there, from instructional videos to games for kids.
- Building math minds for deep understanding is one helpful strategy. This blog has a wealth of ideas for teaching number sense and understanding rather than memorization. It also features links to some great games and resources you can use at home for e-learning with kids!
- If you need another math resource, check out our post on how today’s teachers are currently teaching math concepts. It’s probably pretty different from the way you might have learned it growing up, so make sure to watch our video on multiplication and fast facts.
- Khan Academy is another great online teaching tool for math instruction. It features lessons by grade level all the way through 8th grade, and then moves on to specific skills in courses like algebra, statistics, and even AP calculus.
Literacy Resources
From preschool all the way up through high school students, here are some literacy tools to use when e-learning for kids. These can help your child build foundational reading skills, improve vocabulary, and master high level content.
- Teach your child to read using the 44 phonemes in the English language. This strategy helps young children build a strong foundation in reading so they don’t encounter difficulties later on in school.
- Improve your child’s vocabulary using simple strategies like asking questions instead of giving commands. (And not just questions that require a yes or no answer!) Create progress by keeping a running dialogue with your child.
- Again, Khan Academy also has a number of reading lessons for students in grades 2 to 8 that follow both informational and literary standards for each level.
Critical Thinking Resources
Specific content instruction is important, but it’s just as important to teach your child how to think. Below are some ways to improve your child’s critical thinking skills through puzzles and projects.
- Engage your child using simple strategies that we featured during the Chicago teacher’s strike last year. This post focuses on logical thinking and problem solving and features a useful 7-day survival guide for busy parents.
- Use puzzles to teach visual spatial skills. This post reviews the benefits of puzzles and offers some online resources for printable puzzles.
- Think back to last summer and your summer activity ideas that built critical thinking skills. Many of those listed in our blog post will keep your child’s brain fresh during an extended school break. Consider reading and discussing the news, completing logic puzzles, and incorporating the arts!
Logistic Resources
These articles and online teaching tools will help you figure out how to put it all together. Within are lots of ideas for keeping your child focused, and for balancing on-screen and off-screen learning time.
- Make sure your child can stay focused while learning online by taking frequent breaks, choosing one device to use and avoiding cell phones. It’s also helpful to model good online habits yourself.
- Balance on-screen and off-screen learning by choosing high quality apps that aren’t just entertainment, but also function as online teaching tools. Create a structure around both types of learning, and stay involved in the process while letting your child explore on their own.
- Review our tips on creating a home study space for your child. Remember to keep their supplies close and organized and warm up your child’s body and brain before beginning home learning.
Create Academic Resilience with Education from Home
We understand that education from home can create difficulties for any student or parent, including unforeseen snags that you couldn’t anticipate. It’s helpful to have several high-quality resources and online teaching tools to return to when you need new activities and strategies to help your student thrive. Return to these as often as you need. Happy learning!
