Millions of children were thrown into a system of learning that nobody was truly prepared for, except for those that are homeschooled. Because of this, the system had a hard time keeping kids at the education level they should have at this point in their scholastic career.
They are behind the milestones they should be seeing and it is only getting worse as isolation wears on for many of them. And those that are back in school in person are having a tough time adjusting which slows down their progress even further.
This is called learning loss or learning slide. And it is going to be felt for quite a while. It is up to parents to get their kids back on track so they can catch back up as quickly as possible. In this article, I will give you some tips on how you can help your kids overcome the learning slide.
Recreate the school at home
One reason that kids are not able to stay focused when doing their studies from home is that there are a lot of distractions that remind them that they aren’t at school. You need to set up part of your home to look like it is specifically for studying. A seat at the kitchen table with a laptop is good for a short term solution, but if this drags on for a while you need to set up your house properly.
Have an area that acts like a classroom. Your child’s desk is a given, but also add some posters nearby that replicate the elementary school themes in each classroom. Make sure that they have everything they need for their class just as they would in school so they stay seated for the duration of the class. Again, just as they would have to do while in school.
Hire a tutor
If you have never homeschooled your children then you are probably not sure how good a job you are doing at helping your child learn. Video lessons from school are helpful, but it isn’t the same as attending a full time courseload.
Hiring a tutor is a good way to close the gap so your child is still learning at the same level as they would had they still been attending school in person. The nicest part about a tutor is that it is one on one with your child so they get even more out of a lesson than they would in a class with twenty other students. They also have a chance to ask a question in a timely fashion to get clarification on something.
Yes, it costs money to hire a tutor which is unfortunate, but if you fear your child slipping behind then a few lessons may be the right move.
Don’t worry too much
Even if there is some learning slippage, don’t assume it is going to be disastrous. All the other students in their school will be at the same disadvantage. So things will sort of even out.
There is also the fact that there is a learning slip every year even in ordinary times when kids are out of school for the summer.
