Parents around the world are now dealing with a situation they may never have had to deal with before. Not only are they self-isolating and social distancing, but they are also learning how to keep their eye on kids as they homeschool. It’s something new and there is a learning curve associated with it. We may watch our children struggling for hours to get their homework completed but parents can be happy in knowing that there is a maximum and minimum time limit that experts say kids should be working on homeschool every day.
A chart has been provided by the Illinois State Board of Education and released under their “remote learning recommendations.” By looking at the chart, we can see how frequently our children should be logging into Google Classroom and how much effort should be put into homeschooling. You might be surprised that it is less than most people think.
When you look at the chart, you might realize that your kids are spending a lot more time homeschooling every day than is recommended. Having this information at our fingertips can be quite useful, especially considering the fact that most parents are not teachers. If you push a young child too hard and too long, everybody ends up frustrated. That is why it is not recommended that an elementary school child spend six hours or more a day doing homeschool work.
It is important to recognize that each state may differ in the recommendations from the Board of Education. There are going to be certain guidelines that have to be followed but this chart can help to give you an indication as to whether your children are doing too much or too little.
Along with the chart, the Illinois Board Of Education gives suggestions on activities that kids can focus on along with academics. It includes family relationships and physical health.
Some of the ideas may include puzzles, writing stories, dancing, coloring, gardening, and telling jokes to family members. As we do our best to work our way through the homeschooling situation that we are all now facing, there are going to be difficulties that come up from time to time. Perhaps it is just a matter of being creative, such as if your kids want to go outside, you can turn it into a science lesson. They could even do dances on TikTok and it can be a great physical education project!
Nobody expects parents to be perfect with the new homeschooling curriculum, but the more you know, the less frustrated everyone will be.