Getting Your Child’s Education Back on Track

It goes without saying that this school year has been unlike any other in recent memory. The scholastic calendar was abruptly taken for a ride by the coronavirus and dumped off in uncharted territory. Depending on where you lived, your kids were left to carry on with online learning or even left to their own devices entirely. As a parent, how do you pick up the pieces and get your child’s education back on track?

You’ll likely want to supervise your child’s learning more than you may have in the past, and the first thing you need to do is to know your kid. How do they learn? Visually? Hands on? Do they do better with independent study or in groups where they can learn from other kids? Many schools, even some of the better private ones, have to resort to a sort of one-size-fits-all method in the best of times. One of the few advantages you have in this unfortunate situation is a unique opportunity to customize your child’s education. 

Without the more rigid structure of a regular school year, you have more time for passion projects, i.e. stuff your kid is interested in learning anyway. Allowing your child to explore interests, whether it’s making managerial decisions on a farm game or satisfying their inner artistic calling is a great way to keep their minds engaged. As a bonus, it’s a lot easier to get them to do it.

Although encouraging free expression is great, it’s also a good idea to set aside a specific time and place for learning. Kids of all stripes do better with an established routine. Try for quality over quantity. Like most of us, kids have a limited attention span, so try to be flexible.

Most of all, remember it’s a stressful time for everybody and you won’t get everything back to normal in a day or even a week. A positive attitude will go a long way to help the situation. Relax, have fun and try to make the best of things. You might be surprised what creative solutions you come up with.