I’ve seen so many posts on social media recently about parents and children struggling with home learning, and we haven’t done a full week yet – but that is ok we know it isn’t easy.

All our teachers are setting what they believe to be achievable work each day but every child is different, as is every parent, the majority of you are not teachers and probably never wanted to be either! It isn’t easy to teach your own children at the best of times but if you are working from home too that makes the challenge even harder.

We recognise for many there are other hurdles, it will be difficult for children to access work on small tablets or smartphones. All we ask is that you do what you can. What we don’t want is to be creating unnecessary stress for you or your children during these difficult times. Here are a few suggestions for getting through each day.

• Take lots of breaks.
• Ask for help if you need, whilst all our teachers are in school teaching keyworker children they are checking emails and will happily help where they can.
• Don’t be afraid to move on to something different.
• When it all gets a bit much read a book to your child or why not put on an audio book for them.
• Get them to write thank you cards (for Christmas gifts)
• Let them learn some life skills. You are never too young to sort the coloured laundry from the whites or match the socks are you?.
• What about teaching money management. Give your child a budget and let them pick the weekly shopping. They can add the items to your online basket and when you are free later on you can go through it with them and see what you will be eating for the week. Have they forgotten anything? Discuss it with them? Have they remembered the toilet rolls. It could be fun and will definitely teach them about where the housekeeping money goes!
• What about learning some basic first aid and the recovery position? I’d love to see your photos if you try this! First Aid for primary school children
• This is a lovely resource Kindness Activity Pack
• Do some gardening, or perhaps grow some herbs on a windowsill?
• Learn some basic DIY for our older children they could learn to wire a plug?
• Create a scrapbook of all the life skills you learn. This can be mostly pictures in the case of very young children.
• Who doesn’t love baking? Hopefully many of you have the lockdown cookbook for recipe ideas. If it isn’t too stressful get your child to clean up afterwards too.
• Put on the television, there are lots of educational resources out there and its ok to say enough is enough and just watch a film!

Don’t believe everything you see on social media, your friends’ children might have worked solidly for six hours and completed all the tasks. In reality they possibly haven’t. One sibling might be studious and have excellent concentration another may not be able to concentrate for more than 5 minutes. That is ok, our children are unique and that is something to be celebrated!

Hopefully this will make you smile. I’ve just had a message from my daughter, my grandson is in breaktime detention. He just suggested his younger brother measure Mummy’s waist because it is a ‘big’ circle!