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Homeschooling hacks

Trying to work from home while helping your kids with online lessons? Try these simple tips to organise your time and space effectively…

Adjust your work hours

A normal school day is from 9-3, so chances are your primary-aged child will need some help during that time. Instead of trying to juggle emails and fractions, it might be worth setting aside an hour or two to focus solely on your child. Speak to your boss or team to find out if you can adjust your work hours.

Perhaps you could suggest adding on time early in the morning or in the evening when your little one has finished their school work. This will enable you to focus on one thing at a time, rather than trying to multi-task.

Create space

It’s important that you all have an area to work or learn, so organise your space to accommodate this. Even if space is limited, there are ways to zone a room to ensure everyone has their own area.

Hunt around for foldaway desks that can be turned into storage at the end of the day, or use masking tape to differentiate one person’s work zone from another.

Keep all your school equipment together in a box so it's easy to store away and lay your hands on quickly the next day.

Make a schedule

A timetable for the day will give everyone a focus, and help to break up the monotony of a long day at home. Hang up a noticeboard or use blackboard paint to create a chalkboard where you can write out a schedule for the day.

As well as lesson times, make sure you add breaks and fun activities to the schedule. Your child will find it easier to complete a tricky assignment if they know they’re doing some fun arts and crafts afterwards. Try not to feel guilty about letting them have some downtime in front of their favourite TV programme!

Learn something new

Take the opportunity of having a less structured school day to teach your child something different. There are a vast array of learning resources online such as the BBC website and organisations such as Oak Academy.

We even offer home schooling packs at Taylor Wimpey with loads of facts and activities to teach Key Stage 2 kids about homebuilding. You can download the curriculum packs in the link below.