Many parents fear that if their kids receive an at-home education, all they will do is watch TV.

However, there is so much more than just watching tv that you can do with at-home learning!

In general, to prevent the experience from being just watching a screen all day, a structure is needed to encourage variety and engagement in learning. Luckily, there are many people who have successfully accomplished doing at home educations and we are here to share the best tips on how you too can do the same.

1. Make the learning environment unique
No matter how hard you try, an at-home education will not look the same as a regular school classroom and that is okay. Take the time to make the learning space as inspiring as possible and give your children the freedom to choose some theming elements that they particularly enjoy. And definitely do not put their desk in the same room as the television!

2. Create a scheduled day of learning
Just as in a regular school environment, it is really important to break up the day and be mindful of the time that is being spent on each subject. There is only so much continuous time people can focus before they get bored or distracted. So create a schedule that allows your child time to focus and then recover with a min-break. And mix up the time between you sitting down with them to go over the curriculum versus the time they need to learn to focus and study on their own.

3. Engage with a tutor
We get it, sometimes you too might be too busy with your own work obligations or adult chores to have multiple hours in the day to teach your child. This is where engaging with a tutor can be really helpful. As you will have someone else to ensure the structure of the learning is followed and that your kid doesn’t’ simply go watch television in the living room while you are busy. The best thing is that thanks to the internet, you can engage with a tutoring service for your child either online or in person.

4. Get out of the house
Just because you are doing an at-home education for your child does not mean you solely have to remain at home all the time! Some of the best educational experiences can be had outside of the house. Go to a museum for the day and learn about dinosaur bones. Take a trip to the beach and learn about marine life. Or even bring your child to the grocery store with you and ask them to add up the cost of all the items you will be getting. At-home learning gives you the opportunity to but the school lessons into practical use!

5. Plan study groups
Chances are your child is not the only one doing at-home learning in the community, especially this year! Do some research and join at-home education groups that will connect you with other families who are doing the same. This way you can organize for your child to study and socialize with other kids their age while you can connect and plan with parents who are going through the same thing you are. These study groups are both a great support group and recourse group and make the at-home education much less daunting.

There are so many families making the shift to at-home education this year. While some fear that their child will struggle to receive the same quality of education and just be glued to their screens all day long, there are a variety of options and tactics you can implement to ensure they receive a great education with minimal television time!