Pastoral Care

Support learning from home

The way your child learns at home may be different from how they have been learning at school.  As a parent or carer, your role is not to replace the teacher.  It is to support your child or young person’s learning provided by the school.  

You can support your child by:

• creating clear routines and expectations
• creating a supportive learning space
• checking in with them often to help manage and pace their work
• monitoring how much time they spend online and balancing this with physical activity
• encouraging your child to stay connected
• checking communications from teachers and staying in contact with your child’s school.

Develop a routine

Children and young people are used to the routine and structure of school. To support their ongoing learning, it is important they have as much routine and certainty as possible in their day. You can support your child or young person’s learning by:

• involving your child in establishing a simple, consistent, and responsive daily routine
• including times for eating, downtime and exercise.
• displaying their daily routine so everyone in the family can see it.
• creating a balance between more formal learning with time to relax. 

Creating a supportive learning space

Some students may have usual places where they do their homework. This space might not be suitable to study or learn at for a long time.

The best learning space is:

• a shared family space, such as a lounge room or dining room (not in their bedroom)
• a place that can be quiet at times
• near a strong internet or Wi-Fi signal
• somewhere that an adult is present and monitoring the learning
• near the items your child needs for learning, including stationery and power points
• open, with natural light and without glare
• somewhere with a comfortable chair and desk or table.

Communicating with your child

We encourage you to start and finish each day with a simple check-in. These check-ins can be a regular part of each day.

These questions allow your child to process the instructions they get from their teachers and help them organise themselves and set priorities.

You could also check-in with your child throughout the day. This depends on your child’s needs.

Morning check-ins

• What are you learning today?
• What are your learning targets or goals?
• How will you be spending your time?
• What resources do you need?
• What support do you need?

Afternoon check-ins

• What did you learn today?
• What was challenging? You could come up with a way to deal with the same problem if it comes up again.
• Consider three things that went well today. Why were they good?
• Are you ok? Do you need to ask your teacher for something? Do you need help with something to make tomorrow more successful?

Exercise regularly

Exercise is proven to de-stress us and get our blood pumping around our body and brain. This helps us focus and learn. Exercise can also trigger the release of mood improving hormones.

If your child is feeling restless, they might need to get up and move around. It’s important to exercise every day and find time for short movement breaks in-between learning.

Some ways you can do this are:

• physical activity apps
• dancing
• floor exercises
• walking around the garden
• home exercise equipment
• playing with the family pet
• a daily fitness challenge
• using home exercise equipment appropriate to your child’s age to do a family workout

Connect with family, loved ones and friends

Encourage your child to keep in regular contact with loved ones, family and friends. They could do this via phone, email or social media (where appropriate). This will help them to feel connected and not isolated.

Make room for some downtime

You know your child best – check in with them regularly. If you notice they’re feeling a bit anxious about learning, it’s ok to take a break and do something different. You could try another activity that your child is passionate about or just have some down time.

Some downtime activities are:

• yoga
• meditation
• reading
• gratitude jars
• acts of kindness
• walking around the garden
• spending time in nature

Further information from the College:

Article sources:

https://www.education.tas.gov.au/learning-at-home/supporting-learning-at-home/

https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/support-your-childs-learning

https://www.education.sa.gov.au/our-learning-sa/covid-19/setting-learning-home

https://www.education.sa.gov.au/our-learning-sa/covid-19/staying-healthy-and-active-while-learning-home

The Pastoral Care Team