How To Support Your Child When They Return To School
Now that the schools have reopened across the country, you may be looking for ways that you can help your child to settle back into the routine of learning in a classroom. But did you know that there are many benefits of learning outside the classroom that could actually help improve their performance in school?
Learning Beyond the Classroom or Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) is when teaching and learning happens outside the four walls of a classroom or school building. The idea behind this is to get young people and children out of the standardised school environment while they learn. ‘Beyond the Classroom’ provides children, and young people access to different experiences that are unique, exciting and most importantly, challenging.
How Does ‘Beyond the Classroom’ Boost Academic Ability?
This is an important question to ask yourself when thinking about ‘Beyond the Classroom,’ as for years we have been led to believe that learning at a desk in a classroom was ultimately the best thing for children and young people.
However, it has been proven that teaching outside of the classroom significantly raises standards while also aiding pupils personal, social and emotional development. While it helps development, it is also beneficial to attainment and achievement and can improve behaviour.
If your child is hard to engage with inside a classroom environment, don’t worry, as ‘Beyond the Classroom’ will improve all groups of pupils’ engagement.
Supporting Your Child with ‘Beyond the Classroom’ Techniques
Will It Help Them Build Confidence for When They Return to School?
The answer to this question is yes, absolutely! No matter what age your child is or what their learning style might be, supporting them throughout their online learning experience can make a massive difference to their confidence levels. Especially when they face going back to school after several months of learning from home. The better prepared they are mentally and emotionally will lower their anxiety levels and will, therefore, give them a confidence boost.
So how can you support your child to grow their confidence and better prepare them for returning to school no matter what age they are?
Please see below for a few suggestions;
Create a structured schedule
There is no doubt that once lockdown started, your family’s routine changed, and your child likely started sleeping longer in the mornings and going to bed later. So, to get them ready for school, start to gradually get them back into their morning and bedtime routines as you near their return date.
His or her teachers and the school should already schedule your child’s classes via online learning. However, helping your child plan how much time they spend on each subject outside of their class time – whether for class projects, homework, independent studying, tutoring etc, – will help them to rebuild their confidence when they return to school.
Plan Ahead
Being prepared is vital to success. Your child can’t do their best if you don’t allow them enough time for each task, assignment etc. Sit down with your child and make a plan together, so they know exactly what to do when it comes to each task or class. Planning ahead will help your child maintain a positive outlook on their work. If you help them break down large projects into smaller parts, they can see that their workload is more manageable and not feel anxious or overwhelmed.
Talk and Reassure
During our time in lockdown, the population has continuously received instructions to stay at home, keep two metres apart from others, wash our hands regularly, and wear face masks or coverings. To children, this might make the transition back to school more difficult as in some ways it goes against what they have been told to do during the entirety of the pandemic.
Sit down and talk to your child about how he or she can stay safe while at school, such as washing their hands regularly, letting you know if they feel unwell and wearing masks where possible. Reassure your child that their school is taking all precautions to keep everyone safe. Many children are feeling anxious about reintegrating with their friends, being behind their peers in their studies and entering into a situation that is unfamiliar. By supporting them before they return, you can help them to readjust easier.
Provide as much information as you can about your child’s school day
If you can get any information about your child’s school day, then make sure to get a copy of it to discuss it with your child. Any information you can find will help them prepare for changes that may have been made to their timetable, the new layout of their classrooms and who will be in their class. Change is always scary at any age.
Talk about their feelings.
Initiate a conversation with your child about how they feel about going back to school. Ask them if they have any negative emotions, such as worry or fear, or if they are excited and looking forward to being back in the classroom. This will allow you to discuss why feeling a mixture of emotions is entirely normal and expected and that everyone will be feeling the same way.
Look at hiring a tutor.
If your child has fallen behind during the lockdowns, it’s likely that their confidence in their ability to complete work to a good standard, may have dropped. Hiring a tutor for your child will allow him or her to catch up with their workload while also providing the essential extra practice that they need in order to get their grades back on track.
Here at Aim High Tuition, we prioritise our students in order to help them achieve their best results in not only school, but in later life. Our qualified tutors offer out-of-school tutoring in subjects such as Maths, English and Science, with the option of having the sessions online so your child can learn from home.
Your child’s online learning experience has been an extremely bumpy ride for months, with ups and downs at every turn. However, with your continued love and support, you can help your child ease back into a school routine without much of a fuss as long as you communicate with your child and their school, plan as much as possible, and reassure your child when they are feeling unsure. No matter what you do to support your child, they will feel confident to tackle going back to school life once their start date comes up on the calendar.
If your child is feeling concerned that they are falling behind with their studies, or you feel that the last twelve months of lockdown have slowed your child’s progression, Aim High Tuition can offer you a solution. Here at Aim High, our goal is to improve our students’ grades by 1-2 grades in half the time it would take in school. We want to help children between the ages of 5-16 and in KS1-KS4 to improve their grades quicker, develop their understanding and build up more confidence.
With our methodology, we implement 4 simple steps to help children who are struggling to improve their grades. Our 4 steps have quick results as they really help to target their problem areas. If you would like to book a free trial lesson, click here.