Helping your child organise their day

Positive and productive days through school closure!

We know that supporting your daughter or son through the period of school closure may seem a little daunting so hope that the guidance below will prove helpful.

Teachers and support staff have worked tirelessly to produce a good range of resources for students to work through each day, these are on google classrooms, through showmyhomework and on the subject pages of the website https://brunepark.gfmat.org/curriculum/.  Teachers who remain well will be contactable through google classrooms too.

At a glance:

  • Access google classrooms
  • Access showmyhomework
  • Go to the subject page of the website
  • Use the advice and guidance below

Help your son or daughter organise their day

The best way to manage a period of school closure is to keep a sense of routine. This helps a young person maintain motivation, keep up energy levels and stay positive.

Structure and routine is the answer and setting this up from the start is a great investment, ideally planning and agreeing this together with your child at the start of the period of closure.

Use the activities and resources provided by school within a structured timetable. Have a look through the mass of online resources and decide on those that best suit you and your child/children, use this ‘guide’ so each day is varied and productive.

We hope the template below is helpful!*,/p>

Include exercise 

Try to formalise some kind of exercise for each day and do your best to stick to this.  

There are lots of great ‘workout’ youtube sessions online, going for a jog or brisk walk should still be possible throughout school closures.

Why don’t you set yourself some ‘build up’ challenges? 

  • A two minute plank
  • 100 sit ups
  • 100 keepy uppys etc
  • Who can do the longest wall sit in your house?
  • How about a core workout? Only three minutes a day!

https://youtu.be/4gdL-I6rhFg 

Include creative time

Try to formalise some kind of ‘creative’ time each day – it may be that you plan a one hour slot each day and then try to do a different ‘creative’ activity each day.  Again set yourself some challenges:

  • Learn a skill like to knit or sew, or to play a musical instrument?
  • Learn a new dance routine – teach everyone a tiktok dance? 
  • Make a family meal each day – experiment with making a meat meal one day, a veggie one another – try a vegan one.  See if you can make a family meal for under £5 or a family meal only using ingredients you have in the house.
  • Here is an easy and tasty pizza recipe that everyone can try:

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/258013/easy-tortilla-pizza/

  • Bake and decorate a cake, and if you need any inspiration check out these very easy baking recipes!

https://www.olivemagazine.com/guides/best-ever/best-ever-quick-and-easy-baking-recipes-ready-in-under-an-hour/

  • Try to make or do one or more of these:  animation, calligraphy, graffiti art, illustration, mosaic, photographic collage, a video diary or montage, coding.
  • Make a cup and string phone and see how far away you can stand from each other!
  • Read those books or magazines that you haven’t had time to read yet!

Expert advice

There are so many different sites offering support to parents and carers, and to young people in how to have a positive learning experience through a school closure.

We are in unprecedented times across the country so everyone is learning together.

Teachers have not provided online learning to this extent ever before, and we recognise that young people are still developing their skills of independent planning and study, self organisation etc.  We recognise that many parents and carers have not co-planned timetables for a day of study and activity with their children before.

Seek advice online, keep talking to each other and finding ways forward.  See challenges as shared challenges to overcome together!

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/working-parents-school-closures-coronavirus/

https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2020/03/19/tips-from-parents-on-helping-children-study-at-home-during-covid-19-outbreak.html 

Dedicate a learning space

Sometimes it is better that the ‘study area’ is not hidden away in a bedroom or that a couple of ‘study areas’ are set up in the home.  Discuss this with your daughter or son.

Agree a set up in a social area, such as a desk or bit of table where your child can keep their laptop, textbooks and notes – they’ll find it much easier to focus and the rest of the family can continue life as normal.

Agree, set and stick to good habits around 

phone and screen use

There are so many positives to young people having phones and access to a lap top and/or screens.  Youngsters have access to social time, peers, information and learning resources at the click of a button and there are so many positives with this.  There are also helpful links for support should your son or daughter feel they need it.

Through a period of school closure it is important that phone use, and screen time is thought about and moderated at points.

Agree phone or screen time ‘free’ slots

Keep talking with your son or daughter about what they are seeing on social media (this is a great way to mitigate any risk that social media can fuel feelings of isolation or anxiety

Try as far as possible to have a ‘no phones during sleep time’ policy at home (this is advised practice at all times not ‘just’ during a school closure.

https://www.cnet.com/how-to/ios-12-screen-time-and-stronger-parental-controls/

Structuring your day

Use this timetable as a template to build your own – click on the image below and click the USE TEMPLATE button to open an editable copy of your own.

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  • Brune Park Community School, Military Road, Gosport, Hampshire PO12 3BU
  • (023) 9261 6000
  • enquiries@brunepark.gfmat.org

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