Surviving Social Distancing While Homeschooling (+ Fun Activities!)

With all of the news surrounding COVID-19 and school closures, my social feeds have been inundated with frustrated parents trying to homeschool their children. After schooling my boys for nearly nine months now, I totally get it. But in those past nine months, I’ve learned a lot about homeschooling – or wildschooling, as we call it. I thought it might be helpful to share those sentiments here… as well as some really fun ideas to fight boredom! I’m here to encourage you that YOU GOT THIS!

*Washes hands. Sends you a virtual fist bump*

A quick side note – this is not intended to replace any curriculum supplied by your child’s school. Some of these ideas and resources are simply ideas to break up the monotony of things, and also provide suggestions for parents whose children weren’t sent home with lesson plans.

Keep It Simple

I should probably emphasize this in big capital letters: KEEP IT SIMPLE. I was so guilty of piling on all the things this when we first started. Are the kids doing enough? Am I using the right lesson plans? Crap – I don’t have an actual lesson plan! The questions will go on and on in your mind if you let it consume you.

Homeschool doesn’t need to be an all-day thing. For our kids, they work through 6-10 workbook pages a day. This takes about an hour or two, depending on how the day is going. Read that again. We spend about an hour or so on the pencil-to-paper work. Take frequent breaks and have a snack together if they get frustrated. Some days are better than others, so don’t stress if you’re having a hard time adjusting. It took us a good week or so to acclimate our family to this new way of doing things.

Also, your kids might react much differently to you than their teachers. Just as they like to push your buttons with day-to-day life, don’t be surprised if they push hard when it comes to schoolwork. Moaning and groaning comes with the territory until you find a good rhythm. You’ll get there! ?

Work as a Team

One thing that has helped us tremendously is splitting the kids up for school time. Steven takes Harv, and I work with Levi. Our oldest is pretty competitive, and really gets worked up with his little brother finishes first. Or if Levi believes Harvey is learning something “easy,” like how to write the alphabet. We found that when the kids are in their own spaces, with 1:1 guidance, things move MUCH faster and they aren’t distracted by each other.

I also recognize that this suggestion doesn’t really work if you’re a single parent. If you’re in this boat, try having the kids sit in separate rooms and rotate around as much as they require hands on help. I did this quite a bit when Steven was still working an 8-5 and I was on my own for wildschool!

Try New Things

When we first started wildschool, I utilized a great resource called Teachers Pay Teachers. You can find free to low-cost printable worksheets that are fun and grade-appropriate. While this worked for a few weeks, I found that printing out the sheets every week time consuming. However, this is a really great resource for parents looking for quick and easy learning!

We also utilized online courses through Time4Learning.com. It’s perfect for all ages! There are lots of subjects by grade that can supplement your child’s existing schoolwork. Our youngest Harvey loved these lessons so much that he’d ask to hop on the computer even on his days off from school.

Remember – anything can count as schoolwork!

Here are a few of our favorite thought-starters for wildschool:

• Go for a walk and watch the sunrise.
• Better yet – have you ever caught a moonrise? The next full moon is April 7^th!
• Download the Sky Guide app and discover the stars and constellations at night. Pro tip – Venus is almost always visible in the night sky!
• Watch an animal documentary on Netflix together. Or discover plant timelapse videos on YouTube. Sounds silly, but it’s mesmerizing for the kids!
• Listen to a Story Pirates podcast. It’s hilarious! Snuggle up on the couch or in bed. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, the kids lull into a nap. #winning
• If you have a library card, check out your local library’s online resources.
• Purchase a FlashKids workbook via Amazon and let your kiddos work through a few pages a day. Here’s another good workbook for pre-schoolers!
• Don’t be afraid to spend time out in the yard! Check out Growing Up Outside’s Daily Dose of Nature Challenge on Instagram and start checking things off of the list!
• Get creative and paint rocks. Hide the rocks in the backyard and let your kiddos hunt for all
• FaceTime family and friends. While we can’t hug it out in person, hearing one another’s voices is a great way to bring on the smiles and warm hearts. Our new goal is to video chat with our peeps once a day!
• Scholastic is offering FREE online resources during the crisis, including 20 days of lessons for grades pre-K to 9^th.
• Order a kinetic sand kit and let the kids go wild in the backyard. Add dinosaur figures or monster trucks for more fun!
• Pick a national park and watch YouTube videos about it. Make a plan to visit that park in the future!
• Count out 20 rocks for the littles. Take away a few and ask how many are left over. Keep subtracting and adding for fun!
• Create paper airplanes and have a contest to see who’s can go the farthest.
• Ask your kids what they’re interested in, and go deep on a subject. For example, Levi really wants to buy a guitar. While he saves up his money, he practices on the Guitar app on his iPad.
• Pull out all of your card and board games. Have a game-athon! Our family fave is Uno. What’s yours?
• Build the most amazing, biggest fort possible! Pull your favorite toys and books together, and stay under it alllllll day.
• Download fun and educational games on your phone or iPad. We like Gus on the Go for Spanish lessons!
• Grab a chapter book and read 1-2 chapters aloud to your children each day. We really loved The Magic Treehouse series, and are about to start Charlotte’s Web!
• Write letters and send to family and friends. Having a pen pal – and getting a letter in the mail – is SO fun for kids!

Give Your Kiddos (and Yourself) Grace

This is a scary time for all of us. While we’re in Baja and largely unaffected at the moment, I can only imagine what its like to be in the States right now, holed up at home. Be patient with yourself. Be patient with your little ones. Don’t force schoolwork down their throats! One of the greatest benefits we’ve garnered from traveling as a family is simply the time we spend together. Whether that’s reading books, playing card games or inventing new crafts, enjoying the little moments together is what really matters. For some, this might be the most time you’ll ever have together as an entire family in one fell swoop! Enjoy it. Savor it!

What ideas have you implemented to pass the time with your kiddos? Share your favorite activities, shows, books and more in the comments!