20 Helpful Resources for Supporting Your Child During School Closures

Our world is undergoing rapid and considerable change as schools close and parents scramble to figure out how to support their children as they learn from home. In this post, I will share some of the best Education.com resources for parents who are taking on this new role as their child’s primary teacher.

If your child is experiencing confusion about why their daily routines have been flipped upside down, please review the post “Tackling Tough Topics with Young Children” as a primer to help navigate these uncharted waters.

Here are some additional blog posts to provide information and ideas about how to best use your time with your child while at home:

• Social Emotional Wellness. These blog posts feature important mental and emotional tools to help for children to develop. This includes handling stress, feelings, and different situations.
  • “4 Ways to Support Your Kid’s Self-Regulation at Home”
  • “4 Ways to Use Art to Teach Social and Emotional Learning”
  • “3 Family Mindfulness Practices to Start Today”
  • “5 Ways to Support Social Emotional Growth at Home”
• Reading. These blog posts focus on ways to support your child as a reader.
  • “5 Ways to Motivate Your Reluctant Reader”
  • “Want Your Child Excited About Reading? Show Them How!”
  • “Reading Strategies to Incorporate Into Your Day-to-Day”
  • “5 Ways to Make the Most Out of Read-Alouds with Young Children”
  • “3 Back to School Routines to Build Your Child’s Literacy Skills”
• Math. These math-focused posts share ideas about how you can incorporate and strengthen your child’s math skills in fun and creative ways.
  • “Daily Activities to Strengthen Math Skills in Young Children”
  • “3 Ways to Boost Your Child’s Math Skills”
  • “Math Games for the Whole Family”
• Art and Music. Along with the academics,it is super important to establish time for creative activities–especially during stressful times. Allow your child to move, create, and express themselves. These posts offer some ideas for amazing stress busters, too!
  • “5 Ideas to Teach Children Creative Expression Through Dance”
  • “10 Recommended Netflix Shows for Young Children”
  • “Using Sensory Play to Support Brain Development”
  • “3 Mindful Twists on Classic Games for Young Children”
  • “10 Quick Brain Breaks to Increase Your Child’s Focus”
  • “12 Art Activities to Build Literacy Skills”

As many of us are thrown into a role we are unfamiliar with (Hello, homeschool!), the post “How to Help Your Child with Homework” highlights a realistic approach to supporting your child. Dealing with struggles is a normal part of the process.
Hopefully the strategies outlined in this post will offer some support and comfort for you and your family as you navigate the world of at-home learning.

By Caitlin Hardeman, former third through sixth grade teacher specializing in English Language Arts.