Introduce school-day schedule for kids at home

As we move towards the autumn of 2021, the fear of lockdowns hangs heavy in the air. Children have not been to school for at least a year in almost all countries by now. Keeping this situation in mind, it’s important to set up a school-like schedule at home. Unstructured days end up in nothing, more time is wasted, and there is very little learning. But how will you, as parent, start with this schedule at home? Here are a few tips to help you.  
 
Fix the time when you can teach  
Start with yourself. In a typical school, your child’s teacher splits their time between 30 pupils, in 30-to-45-minute chunks. But at home, kids have one-to-one attention, and fewer distractions with their friends missing. Much more learning can happen in a focused half hour than in a busy classroom. So first fix the time when you will cross-check or help your kids with their lessons, then build the morning or evening around it.  

Find what suits your child best  
Figure out what you can realistically expect from your child. There’s no such thing as a right or wrong schedule. Of course, if your child's teacher is doing live lessons online, they will set the structure of the day by fixing the time for the lessons. But that apart, each kid has her own rhythm. Some children work best in short 15-minute bursts throughout the day, while others may want longer sessions and get over with work at a go. Some are more focussed in the morning, but others may be more alert only after breakfast or lunch. As parent, you are the best judge since you can observe the child, and set up a schedule accordingly.  

Make sure some subjects are practised regularly 
Skipping subjects that are not fun enough can result in last minute panic before an exam. Make sure kids spend about 45 minutes on Math and English daily, and 20 minutes on brain exercises such as reading stories or solving puzzles. Keep a closer watch on teens. They would have to ultimately clear all subjects in the board exams. If they keep up with the lesson flow, they will finish the syllabus on time, even if they are at home.