If ever there were a time where we needed to focus on the strengths of home versus school, it is now.
One of the reasons all of us struggle with bringing education into our homes is that we are focused on duplicating what happens in the building called school. Schools are designed the way they are because that’s how you teach a huge number of children at once with adults who are not their parents.
But now, you are at home. Home where you wear slippers and take off your bra and flop on the couch and tease each other and open the refrigerator looking for food whenever you want. How do you get a child to do a math lesson when their entire body says “I’m home; I get to relax”?
One way is to draw on the forces of enchantment.
- Children love surprises. Pair the read aloud with muffins and a tea party.
- They love mystery. Create a secret code treasure hunt that leads to a board game you’ll play.
- They love risks. Stand them on a chair, drill their math facts, and each time they get the right answers, ask them to jump to the sky and land in pillow clouds scattered on the floor.
- They love adventure. Reread your favorite adventure tales. Play video games where your children can indulge a fantasy life outside the house. They are living an adventure right now that they’ll never forget. They are part of a heroic narrative in real life!
Dig through your basement and your cabinets. Look for all the art supplies you haven’t used and use them up. Eat lunch on the floor as a picnic. Have big juicy conversations about politics with your teens.
It all counts as learning when you’re at home.
