Tips for homeschooling during COVID-19

By Linda Bonnar-Ivery, MA, CCC-SLP, ATP,  Director of Communication Pathways, Pine Tree Society

With the developments over the course of the past few weeks, families have found themselves in the position of homeschooling their children.  Making the transition to homeschooling can be challenging – especially when it happens with no notice.  Here are some tips that might be helpful.  These tips are applicable to children of all abilities.

1) Make a schedule for the day. 

What are the goals you hope to accomplish? Create the schedule together. 

You can remind your child of the things that have to be done, but giving your child some control as to when things happen in the course of the day can make them a little easier to complete. Remember:  Most people do better and are more motivated when things are done with them, not just to them.

2) Remember to be sure to work in breaks, movement and fun time.  

We all take a break from our work at times during the day! 

Childhood development experts give ranges of attention spans as loose rules to follow, but there really isn’t any strong empirical research that holds these ranges as tried and true.

Attention span can vary from person to person and might need to be adjusted depending on how effortful or motivating the task being presented is, and what kind of attention is necessary for completion!  People often refocus frequently during tasks for a number of reasons, so keep your learning blocks long enough to get something done, but short enough to not lose them all together.  (These ranges are suggested by  brainbalancecenters.com)

6 years of age:  12-18 minutes

8 years of age:  16-24 minutes

10 years of age:  20 to 30 minutes

12 years of age:  24-36 minutes

14 years of age:  28-42 minutes

16 years of age:  32-48 minutes

3) Remember, you are not alone! 

We are all in this together and Pine Tree Society is here to help.

Be sure to go to this link on our website to find a lot of helpful COVID-19 resources and support for people with disabilities.  We’re adding new content frequently.

We are also offering remote services like Speech Language therapy.  This is a great way to retain and continue to build skills during this time.

Contact me at 207-386-5931 or lbonnar@pinetreesociety.org to schedule an appointment or learn more.

~ Linda