14 Activities for Homeschooling Children During the Pandemic

The coronavirus quarantine may be driving parents to the looney farm as their kids are going stir-crazy during this period of isolation. To limit this, be smart. First, provide your children with a simple schedule. According to Education.com, “Schedules give children a means to organize their lives. It fosters responsibility and independence because children will be able to perform more activities on their own if they have done the same activities many times before in the same environment.” Also, designate an area of your home for learning and stick to that spot every day when children are doing their assignments. 

Here’s a typical schedule you can adapt to your needs:

*Monday-Friday Schedule:

8:30-9:30- Wake up, dress, breakfast

9:30-10:00- Family walk. If have a dog, even better. Discuss the planned day.

10:00-10:30- Writing Assignment

10:30-11-00- Art Project

11:00-11:30- Snack Break/Free Play

11:30-12:00- Math

12:00-12:30- Science Project

12:30-1:30- Lunch Break

1:30-2:00- Reading

2:00-2:30- Social Studies

2:30-3:00- Snack/Free Play

3:00-3:30- Elective Project: Baking, building, creating

3:30-4:00- Family walk- Discuss Day

*The age of your children will affect the time schedule. Older children need more time for Math, Reading, and Writing. 

I taught elementary and middle school for twenty-eight years. During that time, I found that preparing lessons for my students prior to class time was essential. Below you’ll see a list of 14 activities children may enjoy with a few links for more information you might need. You’ll note the activity is coordinated with the Monday-Friday Schedule printed above.  

1. Have your child write a letter using paper, pen, stamps, and envelopes. Your sons and or daughters haven’t seen their grandparents or favorite aunt or uncle in weeks due to the quarantine. Encourage your children to write a letter about their life during the pandemic. {Writing}

2. Drawing Challenges. Below is a chart with 52 projects. Have your child pick one and do that assignment. You can use this chart for a few months. {Art}

3. Do you know your child’s Math abilities? If not, check the Internet for your child’s grade level in Math and then go to this website for academic printable. https://teachables.scholastic.com/teachables/subject/math.html Make sure you check the work. Any problem that is incorrect needs to be corrected and understood before you continue to the next lesson. {Math}

4. Set up a treasure hunt. While the kids are sleeping, write a clue for where they can find the next clue. Each stop will lead them closer to the treasure. {Reading}

5. Teach your child Math by baking cookies, a cake, or perhaps brownies. Make sure you provide a measuring cup and spoons. {Math}

6. Read a book with your kids where everyone reads the same book together. Think something like Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White.When the book is finished, have your children write a summary with their evaluation of the story. {Reading, Writing}

7. Set up a card table in the living room for a jig-saw puzzle. When children finish their assignments, they can work on the puzzle. {Math}

8. Teach opposites. Prepare a list of words, perhaps on flashcards, with examples like off, top, bright, etc. Go through twenty cards and for each card a child knows the antonym, he gets to keep the card. Once you finish the list, have your student write a short story using as many of the words he can. {Writing, Reading}

9. Listen to an astronaut tell a story from space at http://www.Storytimefromspace.com. {Reading}

10. Your student will pick their favorite animal and develop a fact sheet showing a picture of the animal, facts the child knows, and facts researched. Once a good copy is developed, save it in a notebook for future fact sheets. {Science}

11. Teach your student how to conduct an interview. Once it’s determined who will be interviewed, have the child write questions to ask. When the student is ready, he or she can conduct the interview on FaceTime or Skype. Naturally, her job is to take notes. Once the interview is complete, the notes need to be transposed into an essay about the person interviewed. {Writing}

12. Have your student learn about writing opinion pieces. Remember the show your son and or daughter watched on Netflix last night? Have them write a quick summary and their opinion about the show. This should be at least one page long. {Writing}

13. You know about Bill Nye, the Science Guy? Visit his website at billnye.com, watch his experiments, and try to do them at home. {Science}

14. Learn what Social Studies topic is taught at your child’s grade level. For example, fourth graders learn about the state in which they live, fifth graders begin their studies of American History, and sixth graders learn world history. Do some research and purchase a book on a topic your child shows interest and read about it together. {Social Studies, Reading}

To do a good job homeschooling during this pandemic takes time and planning. However, it’s worth the effort so your children don’t fall behind in their studies. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me at [email protected]. I’ll get back to you ASAP with a few answers.