Homeschooling 7 Top Tips and Links for Single Parents By Single Parents

We asked our amazing single parent members what advise they had for other single parents as we enter into the world of homeschooling again during this pandemic. We hope you will find comfort in their words of wisdom and be able to pick up some useful advise and resources. We’ve rounded them up into our 7 top tips. We have also included a section around the advise from teachers and for SEN children. The message that we want to echo is that what ever homeschooling you are doing, you’re doing a brilliant job, and your best is good enough. We all have different situations, different children and different circumstances that we are dealing with during this pandemic.

“We are not all in the same boat. We are all in the same storm. So be kind.”

1- Get organised but be flexible 

“Have a plan for each day. Don’t be afraid not to stick to it.”

“Make a list of activities your kids can do, including ones that don’t need much supervision. Refer to it in moments of boredom. Keep adding to it whenever new ideas come along.”

“For primary kids, prep some maths and basic literacy stuff on a Sunday evening for the week.”

“Prioritise and plan what needs to be done. Start small and take one step at a time.”

“It’s maybe not the right tact for all but I work in a school so I lay out my expectations for the day and explain when we’ll have fun (of her choice). We read the tasks together and decide what level of work she will complete. If I have a meeting first thing she’ll use Sumdog / Nessy whilst waiting. Then she works independently (I know dream kid) until 11am then is allowed Roblox until 12 (regardless of amount of work done) then a lunch break. Then re-assess what’s left and set her up to start again. She also made me a list of things she would like to learn / do and I tried to put some time aside each week to do this.”

2- Communicate   

“If you are working from home, make sure you speak to your boss about your situation. They will need to be flexible and support you. If things are getting too much, let them know.”

“Reach out to your support bubble for extra childcare support.”

“Reach out and communicate to your child’s teacher if you are struggling with homeschooling. If there are also any mental health concerns then you can also contact the school for their Wellbeing Leader so that you can get support around this. The message from teachers is don’t suffer in silence. Remember lots of teachers are single parents too.”

“Perhaps negotiate an interim lockdown homeschooling rota with the other parent, where possible.”

“If you are a key worker apply to see if you can get access to a school Hwb (in Wales). They have now taken amended the application so just 1 parent needs to be a key worker.”

3- Screen Time 

“Don’t feel bad about screen time.”

“If your child spends the next 6 weeks (or however long this goes on) having more screen time than ever before they will be OK. You will be OK. They need to feel loved and safe right now.”

“The bite size program was a saviour for me last lockdown. My criteria was that it had to be somewhat educational, so any nature programmes, operation ouch, brainchild etc. after 3 then was up to her. She’d also occupy herself drawing, making dens in house as well. All with minimal input from me... and I’m a teacher” 

“See if the kids can FaceTime their friends from school. That way they can get some social interaction from kids their own age.”

“My kids’ school is doing a daily class video call, which they weren’t doing in lockdown 1. It’s a pain trying to coordinate but has made a world of difference in how motivated they are to do their online school work.”

4- Get Outdoors 

“Try to get outdoors to enjoy the brief moments between rain. Seriously though, as there is a scientific link between going outdoors and emotional well-being.”

 “Pop your wellies on and grab a brolly and get out in the rain too. Jumping in puddles is a great way to unwind.”

“Exercise! It's a must for keeping positive and energetic.”

“Get fresh air. Every day. Be kind to yourself.” 

“We also try and get out for fresh air - even if it’s just before bed!” 

5- Think Outside the Box 

“Get the kids involved in helping around the house.”

“Snack basket been my saviour put the snacks in for the day if they eat it all first snack time it’s gone they soon realised to make it last for the day, this also saved my sanity of mum is it snack time mum mum mum mum.”

“It's a great opportunity to shake up the education framework from a one size fits all system and develop more holistic learning. We are all learning, all the time, in different ways, about different things and that's great.”

“Be inspired by what's around. Saving seeds from different foods for example ready to plant later. You could link this to a website about how plants grow.”

“I try to educate in ways other than the conventional because, well, current life is anything but. Life lessons are just as educational so I'm trying to include, personal responsibility, cleaning up after herself, maths through money, getting her to open a bank account, teaching her to regulate mobile/computer game usage, healthy meal prepping, community litter picking on our daily exercise, writing cards and letters to people she hasn't seen for a long time etc.”

6- Pick Your Battles

“Learn when to let it go and when to chill out. In the first lockdown I stressed about getting it all right, doing the best for my daughters education and putting my all in to helping her. I think this stressed her and me out. I’m much more chilled this time around, we’re doing a third of what I attempted before but it feels more productive. Now if I think we ( me) are getting near frazzled point we finish for the day and do something silly.”

“Try not to compare with other people. We are all totally different! I don’t ask anyone else how much work they have done anymore.”

“I have decided to relax about the homeschooling, kids catch up, that has been proven time and again, but instead I'm concentrating on their (and my) mental health, and using everyday times to add some learning in as best I can.”

“Bribes are also fine. Life’s too short to argue sometimes.”

“Some days are good and some days not so much. Draw a line under the bad ones and start fresh the next day.”

7- Lower your expectations

“Families that choose to homeschool don’t follow a ‘school day’ approach, we don’t either, feel free to leave those expectations at the school gate. Our children will learn so much from seeing us work, study and play.”

“You cannot be everything, everywhere, at all times.”

“Maybe don't get stressed trying to achieve too much set by the school (primary kids). There's loads of material out there to have fun with.”

“We do maybe 3 things a day. I think that's enough and is prob what they'd manage in school.”

“You can’t get everything done every day. Learn where to draw the line before getting too frazzled.”

Advise from single parents with SEN children

“Homeschooling is hard work, I’m currently trying to homeschool my 6 year old and my 2 year old son who is autistic. Although his flying start was open yesterday, I was too scared to send him as he has low immune system. My boy is a stickler for routine so everything is on his time clock. I’m lucky my two girls are so flexible and go with the flow. But being home all day everyday with a little one who is non verbal and non stop all day is realy hard work. I make sure I use prompts a lot, and also we’re learning sign language to help with his communication. I find that having a snack basket helps otherwise he would eat the contents of the snack cupboard in one day. My To other single parents with SEN children, we’re not alone, and we will get through this. I have days where I feel like I’m failing at least one of my children. But I do the best I can right now, which is the same for all of us.”

“Some things I’m finding helpful home-schooling are: Sharing achievements, upload a photo to their home-school website of them enjoying home-learning such as colouring a picture etc. My child enjoys singing and dancing to songs on Zoom with her nana, her cousins and her friends. Allow time for you,10 minutes watching tv, chat with friends and zoom catch-ups.”

“My son is 7 and is SEN and homeschooling can be too difficult. I have basically just looked at the work that school has sent us, and some work I have just emailed the teachers and said sorry no can do. But other work I've looked at and adapted as much as I can. I've got him to write down what he wants to say and he copies it on the computer or film his saying the words. I find a short amount of school work then time to play alternatively works for us and not worrying about if it doesn’t get done today.”

Advise from teachers

“As teachers we appreciate how hard it is to get on board with the different educational platforms that schools are providing but we are so thankful. We advise parents who may be struggling to do what they can. Use the resources provided where possible but don’t be afraid to think outside of the box. Children learn in a variety of ways. Something as simple as pairing the socks in the dry washing can contribute to their learning. Little and often is key. Take it easy on yourselves, pick your battles and have fun with it. Lots of movement breaks and snacks for all involved! Never lose sight of the importance of playing a game together or listening to a story and talking about it after. Also reach out. We are here to help. We are all juggling life and navigating our way through it. But we can do it together.”

“Everybody’s world has been turned completely upside down and we were never meant to be educating our children at home, during a crisis. For me, I’d say, don’t let them forget the basics. Whatever age they’re at- count, read, spell, add, subtract, recite times tables?! If that’s counting cars on a walk, playing a times table game online, practising sounds when they’re in the bath, it doesn’t matter- make it work for you, fit it in when you can, even choose just one thing per day. And talk to the child’s teacher! We can’t bear the thought of people struggling, I’ve had so many parents cry down the phone to me who have felt so much better by the end of the call. Oh, and it feels hard because it is so bloody hard!”

”My advice is start small, and build up gradually in relation to school work. Develop a timetable (visual if possible using photos of your child) that incorporate key activities such as reading, web based times table-maths programme and spelling and an art/D.T/ craft or baking activity punctuated with physical activity- a walk/ joe wicks/ cosmic yoga each day.
Engage with age-appropriate BBC bitesize learning. It’s all about having a routine and doing what you can, when you can.”

Homeschooling links and free resources:

Updated 11th Jan 2021

Free audiobooks and ebooks on https://libraries.wales/my-digital-library/borrowbox/ - for us as well as the kids!

Games and stories https://santatracker.google.com/likealight.html

Blockly Learn computer programming skills https://blockly.games

National Geographic Kids Activities and quizzes for younger kids https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/

Cbeebies Radio https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/radio

Nature Detectives https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2020/03/nature-detectives/

Blue Peter Badges https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/joinin/about-blue-peter-badges

The Artful Parent https://www.facebook.com/artfulparent/

The Imagination Tree https://theimaginationtree.com

Twinkl https://www.twinkl.co.uk

Cymraeg: Cymorth i Addysgu yn y Cartref https://www.facebook.com/Cymraeg-Cymorth-i-Addysgu-yn-y-Cartref-Home-educating-Ideas-and-Support-107654340867354/

Books from Wales Online http://www.gwales.com/intro/

BBC Bitesize https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2020/bbc-launches-biggest-education-offer-ever

SchoolBeat is a bilingual site from the All Wales School Liaison Core Programme https://schoolbeat.cymru/

PE with Joe Wicks https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAxW1XT0iEJo0TYlRfn6rYQ

Cosmic Kids Yoga https://www.youtube.com/user/CosmicKidsYoga

An inclusive skills/child-led curriculum for young people with additional needs and for those who might be struggling to engage with work at home - free for families

Transition passport Providing individualised support during school transitions - for children and young people, who might struggle with anxiety, changes to routines and who might require a personalised approach to transition

Huge List of Resources on Chatterpack https://chatterpack.net/blogs/blog/resources-list-for-home-learning

Seneca for GCSE revision https://www.senecalearning.com

Let us know your top tips and links in the comments and come and join our FB Group if you’re a single parent in Wales.