Non-Podcast

Maybe you and your kids need a break from homeschooling lesson plans, or you’re having A DAY and you suspect assigned activities will lead to meltdowns. Try switching gears and teach your kids about something you actually enjoy doing. You and your kids will feel like you’re getting a break from the usual, and there’s still learning going on.

Fortunately, you are (most likely) a fully-grown, real-life human who has had years of experiences, learned skills, interests and hobbies that you can now share with your kids. Take this opportunity to spend time teaching them something that you know about, or sharing an activity that you love with them. They will enjoy the attention, gain confidence knowing you believe they can learn this new skill, and it’s been proven that kids benefit in a number of ways when they feel like they’re learning or contributing in some way (here’s an article for more on that).

Remember, you can learn new things too

Keep in mind that you can also learn how to do something together, if there’s something you’ve wanted to get into but haven’t yet. It will be good for your kids to see you learning something new too – a reminder that curiosity and learning doesn’t stop when you grow up. This is also a chance for you to model positive behavior – trying something new, asking questions, learning, and practicing something to get better at it.

Some ideas if you need a little inspiration

Cooking and Baking

Cooking and baking with kids takes time, and usually parents have to prioritize speed when preparing food. Now is a good time to slow down and teach them a few kitchen skills. Depending on their age, you can start with something basic like making pancakes or eggs or sandwiches, or you can walk them through how to make some of your family’s favorite recipes. Show them the recipe and the steps to make a dish, and let them help as much as they are able.They can help you measure ingredients, taste and tweak recipes, and learn any cooking tips you can teach them. You can go over the science and math involved in cooking, or just get them excited about helping to prepare a meal or treat.

Gardening

Gardening with kids is an opportunity for them to learn how to take care of a living thing, and to observe the transformation from seed to fruit (or whatever you choose to grow). They can help you pick what you plant – after talking or reading about what is best to grow in your area – and help plant, care for, and harvest what grows. This is a great chance for you to spend some time outside together. If you’re new to gardening, check out this article by NPR to get started.

And if you don’t have the space for an outdoor garden, here are some options by New York Magazine for indoor garden kits.

Sewing

The benefits of learning to sew are numerous. This is an opportunity to practice and improve fine motor skills and dexterity, and kids can learn how to fix things instead of getting rid of them (just think of all the pants with no knees that can be fixed).

Even just being exposed to the idea that something broken can be fixed instead of thrown out is valuable. Also, the focus required to sew stitches means this is usually a quiet activity, which all parents can appreciate. Start with a few simple stitches, and depending on your skill and resources and your kids’ ages, you can even teach them to use a sewing machine. Here are some handy tips by Red Ted Art to get started with kids.

Knitting

If you know how to knit, this is a good time to teach your kids (and if you don’t, this is a good time to learn with them). There are lots of knitting projects they can get into here, once you’ve taught them the basics. Just like with sewing, this will help improve fine motor skills, and it’s another (potentially) quiet activity for kids.

Play an instrument

Do you play an instrument? If yes, you probably know the value of starting to learn when you’re young. Most kids will be really excited to learn to play like you do, and there are a lot of resources online specifically geared towards teaching kids. For information on best approaches based on age, check out this site. Or just do your own thing, and help your kid practice as much as you can.

Read a map

Some of us are, shall we say, slightly directionally-challenged, and it can seem like no one ever taught us to properly read a map or use a compass. Spatial awareness is an important part of a child’s education, and it can also help them if they get lost. You can teach your kids to follow a map by creating a treasure hunt for them, and show them how to map their neighborhood or a favorite park. Use an old-fashioned map and compass and let them help navigate a drive or walk, and let them help follow directions on a phone.

Write a letter

With social distancing, now is a great time to teach a kid how to properly write a letter. Break it down for them into sections (you can write these on a note card that they can refer to for help): greeting, body, closing, and signature. Give them some extra tips, like: ask the recipient some questions, tell them about something interesting that has happened to you, tell them how you are feeling, ask how they are, etc. And then practice! Have them write letters or emails to friends, family, their teachers, the mail carrier, a neighbor, and “send” them a few letters of your own that they can respond to.

Emergency response

Your kids can (and should) be taught some basic steps to take in an emergency, and to recognize when there is an emergency.

Go through steps they should take in a few scenarios – such as a fire in your house, someone falling and getting hurt, a family member not responding. Make sure they understand where they should go in the event of an emergency. Write a few phone numbers down and display them somewhere accessible – yours, your spouse’s, the police. Keep it simple with just a few so they don’t get overwhelmed, and teach them how to dial these numbers on a phone. 

Teach them these basics:

• Use ice on an injury
• Cold water for a burn
• Apply pressure to a bleeding wound
• Pinch nose for a nosebleed (don’t tilt head back)
• Stop, drop, and roll if clothes is on fire

Build something

Try teaching your kids some basic carpentry skills. They’ll be thrilled to have something of their own that they helped create, or to have helped make something for the house. Also, this is a skill they will always be able to use. It will also be a lesson in how to take care not to hurt themselves when using tools. Either let them watch you and help whenever they can (if you’re into building things yourself), or check out this site for inspiration.

Photography

If you are a photographer, or even if you just enjoy taking photos, try teaching your kids how to take a good picture. If you’re able to you can also teach them how to edit the photos, and show them how they can upload a picture and use it on a computer. There are lots of resources online if you need some inspiration.

Chores

This one has the added benefit of taking some work off your plate (but to be honest, they will probably add to your work until they learn to do these things well). Teach your kids how to do the laundry, clean the bathroom, load and run the dishwasher, vacuum and dust, make a bed, hang and fold clothes. Help them recognize when a room looks clean and neat, and when they need cleaning or organizing. Psychologists agree that chores are good for kids (here’s an article, we’re not making this up) – they boost self-esteem and contribute to a child’s sense of community, and remind them to be appreciative of others.

Teach what you want to teach

These are just a few life skills that you can teach your kids. You might want to teach them how to create a budget – walk them through a shopping list, show them how to compare prices, teach them how you pay bills.

Or if you’re more technology-minded, you can teach them how to create and edit a website, video, or podcast, or how to use a digital illustration app. You could help them develop strong public-speaking skills, or teach them how to be effective in an argument or debate.

There are countless things you can teach your kids now that they will benefit from, and if nothing else, they will get to spend time with you learning about something that matters to you.

Need a complete break from homeschooling? Then print out some riddles for kids or have them listen to a podcast. (you can always check out ours (7 in 7 – An educational podcast for kids)

Need ideas to keep kids busy or help teach them at home? Enter: The Internet. Here is a list of online homeschool resources that are free, educational companies waiving subscription fees, and podcasts that are entertaining and educational. These are the ones we’ll be using to help our elementary-age kids learn and hopefully stop parkouring in our house. If anyone has any suggestions I might have missed, let me know and I’ll add it to the list. (I mean. Maybe. We’ll see.)

Homeschool Resources Free

Here are some excellent homeschool resources that are always free, and some that have fees that have been waived. There are lots of them, but we’ve picked these for a reason – some are really basic and uncluttered learning tools, some include engaging games and activities that will keep your kids occupied (and learning!), and all of them are worth checking out.

Educational Podcasts for Kids

Sometimes everyone has had enough of worksheets and reading and you’re feeling some serious guilt about your kids’ screen time. Fortunately for us (parents and kids alike), we have access to some truly fantastic podcasts, so someone else can teach your kids or read them stories, and everyone can get a break from each other. This is clearly the podcast’s time to shine. Here are a few that we love.

A Few Tips: How to Homeschool For People Who Never Thought They’d Homeschool

1. Try to relax – you’re not going to know the best way to handle this right from the start. A lot of homeschooling is figuring out what works best for you and your family, and being flexible when it comes to creating a schedule. Try a few different things out and see what works for you.
2. Let your kids’ interests help guide what you do next. What do they love doing? Ask them what they want to learn about, and think of ways to incorporate it.
3. Be mindful of giving your kids breaks when they need them – if they’re getting frustrated with a math problem or some other assignment, having just a 15-minute break will help everyone. For my kids, getting outside for awhile and getting some exercise always helps.
4. There are A LOT of free homeschool resources out there (see excellent suggestions above). You really don’t need to spend anything to get started. Seriously. Check out the ones we recommend here.
5. Don’t try to cram too much schooling into one day. Kids learn over time. If you start obsessing about how much they’re learning every day, you and they will get stressed and burnt out really quickly. 
6. Take notes. Write down what you’d like homeschooling to look like for your family, some goals you have, what you’re worried about, what success looks like for you, ideas for activities or topics – write it down somewhere.
7. Decide on a schedule and start planning your days with learning time, chores, meals, quiet solo time, and other activities (include things you know your kids love and will look forward to). Students are used to having schedules at school, so having one at home can feel familiar. Be reasonable though – kids aren’t learning the entire time they’re at school. And if you’re mindful about not filling the day with too much work and keeping your expectations realistic and flexible, this is going to go a lot better for everyone. You can be flexible and switch things around depending on the day, or you might find your schedule needs some rearranging. Make a schedule, and then adapt it till it works best for your family.
8. Try to learn some things that excite and interest you as well – it’s good for your kids to see you get excited about learning.

More Ideas for Kids Games and Activities

Here are some other ideas for activities, because suddenly we all have a lot more hours to fill and sometimes ideas are hard. Most of these can be adapted for any age and most can be done individually or together – encourage your kids to engage in these together if they have siblings, or alone if they need “alone time” (we know that’s best sometimes).

Math Activities and Games

• Cook or bake with an adult
• Add, subtract, multiply with cereal, legos, or other small objects
• Use dice to add and subtract and record on paper if they can- use a timer to see if they can beat their time
• Use playing cards to practice math fact fluency – add, subtract, and multiply – make it a game with siblings/parents or beat their own time using a timer
• Play store – practice buying and selling – use fake money if you have or any small items as “units of money”
• Build towers, mazes, traps
• Make a map: your room, house, community or school – you could also have your kids create a treasure map and have them hide things for each other to find
• Shape hunt/scavenger hunt: find something red, something small and square, a piece of string, money, three puzzle pieces, etc

Reading Activities and Games

• Read – to themselves, adult, teddy bear, friend, through phone/video chat, or just read with your kids if they’re not reading yet. You can also have nonreaders “read” to you by telling you the story using the pictures.
• Find nouns in your house – if possible have them write the words and add a checkmark when they find them.
• Use adjectives to describe the nouns – happy, silly, super, smart, gigantic, tiny, enormous, short, brave, bright, fluffy, adventurous
• How many verbs can you do? Have them do them and write them down in a “physical activity log” each day.
• Rhyme – you can play a rhyming game where one person says a word and the next has to rhyme with it.
• Write a letter to family or friend.

Health and Fitness Activities

Your kids can:

• Help plan and prepare a meal with your family 
• Try a new food and write a food critic review
• Have a dance party, or lookup dance tutorials on Youtube so they can learn new moves
• Stretch and breathing exercises (Cosmic Kids is a very entertaining online yoga class for kids on Youtube, (think Pokemon and Harry Potter yoga), and there are many free online yoga videos
• Workout – jumping jacks, high knees, run in place, push-ups, sit-ups, arm circles
• Write or draw your feelings about: your family, friends, pet, yourself, etc
• Learn to ride a bike
• Go for a walk, bike, scoot. Ask them to find certain objects on your walk (pine cone, red bird, dandelion).
• Play catch
• indoor snowball fight with socks
• Charades – choose a specific category, like movie characters/animals

And for now, that’s it! Let us know if you have any great homeschooling resources or activities that your kids love. And good luck parents. We got this.