These are unprecedented times for Singapore, with the vast majority of the nation advised to stay home from 16 May until 13 June as further restrictions are implemented to manage the COVID-19 outbreak.
For most families, the government’s measures have meant multiple different worlds collapsing into one, as the workplace and the classroom both converge into the home environment.
Working from home while your child is on school break may seem like a nightmare, but you can structure his or her HBL learning activities and take this opportunity for your child to make progress on his or her learning.
Furthermore, you and your child had your first foray into HBL and WFH last year during the circuit breaker measures when you and your child had to simultaneously work through tasks alongside each other. If you can remember the arrangement that worked best for both you and your child, you can set them into effect once again.
To ease the pressures of structuring you and your child's WFH and HBL schedules, here are 5 tips to help with maintaining your work and your child's learning at home over the June school holidays.
1) Give yourself some time to adjust
As is typically the case with sudden changes in life, you should not expect everything to be smooth-going immediately.
This may seem obvious, but it is important to remind yourself of this when you begin to feel overwhelmed or unable to cope with focusing on your work while overseeing the learning needs of children of different ages at the same time.
Your child may also be stressed and uncertain because of the disruptions to their everyday life. Settling into a new normal (once again) will take time for both you and your child, so don’t be too hard on yourself if the first few days are a bumpy ride.
2) Set routines...
In the absence of the structure imposed by office hours and your child’s school timetable, it is up to you to create new routines that will govern your day.
This can involve starting the day with breakfast and chores, before you and your child begin working or studying respectively. You can plan to settle lighter work that allows for distractions when your child is studying, for example, and concentrate on heftier projects during their playtime.
Or you could set aside time for independent study for your child and also supervised sessions when you are available to answer any questions your child may have.
If you have more than one child, getting the older child to supervise the younger for chores and study time can also have a positive effect for both children. By setting routines, you let everyone know what to expect and establish a new daily rhythm, which goes a long way in alleviating uncertainties during this period.
3) ...but stay flexible
At the same time, setting routines does not mean setting a rigid and inflexible schedule. The latter can quickly spiral out of control and snowball when the unexpected crops up at home, whether it is a tricky bit of homework or preparing for lunch that takes up more time to settle.
The WiFi might start acting up, or perhaps it’s your company’s virtual private network (VPN) that has an issue.
It’s important to accept that while you can order your day around a routine, you also have to adjust and prioritise on the fly. Move work around to fit the blocks of uninterrupted time you have, when you have them.
For example, if you need more time than usual to work on something urgent, you can ask your spouse to assume sole responsibility for supervising the children for a few hours, and return the favour later in the day or the next day.
4) Help your child develop good independent learning habits
The ability to learn independently is crucial for your child to flourish and stay on top of their schoolwork during this period.
While you may have gotten relatively used to working from home owing to your company’s business continuity plans, chances are your child will be much less prepared and equipped to deal with the challenges of being productive at home.
For a start, you may want to remove from the easy reach of your child unwanted distractions such as toys, devices or games during alloted study time. Now is also a good time to make sure that they are willing and capable of handling smaller tasks such as sharpening pencils or refilling pens on their own, so they do not have to constantly seek your help.
A homework routine, including a set time and place, and with regular short breaks, also goes a long way in helping your child stay focused. Useful habits like keeping a record of what assignments are outstanding become more important at this time for both you and your child.
Finally, let your child know that fun times or rewards will come their way should they hold up their side of the bargain and complete their homework!
5) Be realistic with what you and your child can accomplish in a day
While you may feel obliged to ensure that your child is making full use of his or her time, do take some time to consider just what your child’s and your workload consist of. Don’t worry if study time doesn’t look exactly as it’s supposed to in school.
For example, expecting your child to spend all of their usual ‘school hours’ studying at home may be unrealistic.
In school, they have recess, lunch breaks and PE classes, and more time is needed as well for teachers to cater to classes of 40 students compared to just the one or two kiddos at home for you.
You should also consider your own workload from day to day. If you are already rather hard-pressed over a looming project deadline, this could be a sign to relax a little on your plans to sit down with your kids for enrichment homework, or other extracurricular activities. You don’t want to burn out from trying to juggle too much.
Taking Home-Based Learning to New Heights
At The Learning Lab, we have also made the shift to home-based learning for our students.
Through interactive and innovative activities conducted in our online lessons, we home in on eradicating students' knowledge gaps and giving them a head start for the new topical content that awaits them in Term 3.
This means that our students still get the benefits of our rigorous curriculum that they know and love, except that this curriculum has now migrated online, and children can continue to enhance their learning in the safety and comfort of their homes. Click here to find out more about what we do in our online classes over the June school holidays.
Learning from the safety of home need not be daunting and can be fun with the right tools and resources. We have curated a list of complimentary activity sheets that will lessen the pressures and celebrate the joys of learning at home. Take your pick from the myriad of enjoyable and educational activities and guides such as:
Here’s a printable checklist of what
you can anticipate about home-based learning. You can also read more on ways to create a conducive learning space at home.
Create a daily schedule for the month to serve more as a guideline than a fixed timetable so that you can have the flexibility to balance working and supervising your child.
Have some fresh air and take a brief walk around your neighbourhood. Be sure to check the National Parks’ portal for information on visitorship and take the necessary precautions.
The Learning Lab is now at 9 locations. Find a location that suits your needs.
If you have any questions about our programmes, please email us at enquiry@thelearninglab.com.sg or call us at 6733 8711 and we will be happy to assist you.
