Along with the school closures brought about by the coronavirus, comes the need for new routines at home. Just about now we're all tired of the long and winding days that result in nothing. While your goal right now may be to simply get your child to pick up his room, you're on the right track to have a goal!
Now for a little daily learning. If you are suddenly finding yourself in the position that just doesn't come naturally to you — a teaching position — the good news is, there are plenty of tools at your disposal online. And here are five teaching skills all educators need to develop to help get you started.
5 Teaching Skills All Moms and Dads Should Foster
1) PATIENCE WHILE TEACHING SKILLS
The most important quality a teacher can have is patience. Children learn at their own speed, in their own way and you have to be able to recognize that and provide plenty of time for learning. Children also like to a teachers’ patience, so if you tend to be impatient or and get angry quickly, you will need to work on that with a few mindfulness techniques. If you feel your irritation growing, then take a moment to step back and take a few deep breaths. The more you do this, the easier it will be for you to settle yourself down in difficult moments.
2) CREATIVITY
Successful teachers use the ability to think outside of the box. They also use the resources that they have to create lessons and activities, and come up with ways to handle the different learners around them. If you just take the time to think and use your imagination, you can tap into your creative side.
3) COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION
The ability to communicate important information, and share different perspectives is important. Just as important is being a GOOD LISTENER. Listening well is one of the most important skills needed to be a teacher.
4) LIKEABLE PERSONALITY
You don't have to be a comedian and make your kids laugh every chance that you get, but you can be prepared with an engaging lesson plan so what you are offering your kids to work on is more interesting and fun to be involved in.
5) BEING A LIFELONG LEARNER
You may notice that you will be the most passionate in teaching with the subjects that interest you the most. But if you expand YOUR horizons, your enthusiasm for that will expand your kids' horizons. It's very important for you, as a teacher, to never feel as though you've learned it all and to be OPEN to new experiences.
RESOURCES to HELP YOU TEACH
Reading
Scholastic Learn at Home This site is really cool. There are readings with corresponding crafts and lessons for grades pre-k to 6th grade and beyond. I especially liked this journalism lesson for grades 3 to 5 — it's actually what's on my lesson plan for my kids tomorrow!
ABC Mouse ABC Mouse offers 850 personalized lessons across 10 different subjects — reading included. This site is best for ages 2 to 8, and you can get a 30-day free trial. Many schools are also offering codes for parents to use at home, so check with your local school.
Storyline This super cool site features various celebrities reading aloud children's books. You can set up a storytime session each day with your kids and watch them be read to by the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Chris Pine, Eva Longoria, Mark Duplass, and more! Each book also comes with a corresponding curriculum so parents can further learning.
Squiggle Play For ages 3 through 8 and up, the games and activities help little ones with reading skill and comprehension.
ReadingIQ For kids preschool-age to age 12, this site features reading assessments and read-aloud books, as well as the ability to monitor your child’s progress, and you can put up to 3 kids on one account.
Hoopla Hoopla is a free app that uses your library card to let you rent digital books. It has many audio books and e-books for kids, so you can practice reading new books together — or have them read a book on a tablet for quiet time.
ABCya ABCya uses Common Core standards in fun, easily accessible games to help kids improve their reading skills. Kids from Pre-K to 6th grade and beyond will have a blast with the colorful and engaging games.
Typing Club Does anyone else remember Mavis Beacon back in the day? No? Just me? For this, you don't even need to register for an account to do the programs, so that's super helpful.
Typing.com This site is also free, and many schools have log-ins for students, so check with your child if they are familiar with this site
Khan Academy You can filter lessons by grade, and there’s also an accompanying app, if you have multiple kids and need two devices for lessons.
Lakeshore Learning If printables and worksheets are your thing, this site has tons of free printable activities, games, quizzes, lesson plans, word searchers, flash cards, worksheets, and even awards you can give your kids — and it’s free.
Math
Adventure Academy Your kids can create customized avatars and play immersive game experiences, so they will think they are basically playing a video game online. Use code "SCHOOL7771" for a free login.
Khan Academy Provides all subjects for all ages. You can filter lessons by grade, subject, or specific category, like early math or algebra. They even have test prep if you have older kids who want to practice staying sharp for standardized testing.
Prodigy For grades 1st through 8th, with teacher-designed games that support essential math skills. This is an excellent resource that a lot of teachers and homeschooling moms recommend.
Dreambox Billed as an "intelligent adaptive" math program, many educators rave about this app. Kids play games promoting certain math concepts and the next game/or lesson builds on the concept your child just mastered. If they haven't quite nailed it yet, they'll keep getting modules that fit where they're at. Parents will also receive a progress report letting them what concepts their child has (and hasn't) learned that day. They are currently offering a free 90-day trial for families until April 30, 2020.
Math Playground Free math games for grades 1 to 6.
Online textbooks If you have much older children, it may be helpful to follow along with the actualy textbook. Every textbook that your child uses should be available in an online format.
Science
Adventure Academy Your kids can create customized avatars and play immersive game experiences, so they will think they are basically playing a video game online. Use code "SCHOOL7771" for a free login.
Khan Academy Provides all subjects for all ages. You can filter lessons by grade, subject, or specific category.
Mystery Doug A starter list of science lessons for grades K through 5 is now free during closures. The site also offers lots of fun, short informational videos that answer questions kids may have, like, "Why do we get goosebumps?"
National Geographic for Kids Find science experiments, videos, quizzes, and more.
Science Fridays This site teaches science concepts through engaging stories and podcasts. There are lessons for little kids, all the way up to high schoolers.
History
History for Kids This awesome site is totally free and has fun games, videos, worksheets, and quizzes to teach kids history.
Big History Project According to the site, Big History Project offers "a free, online social studies course that emphasizes skill development as students draw mind-blowing connections between past, present, and future."
