Home education tips and resources for parents during coronavirus school closures across UK

20 April 2020, 08:24

Schools have closed across the UK
Schools have closed across the UK . Picture: PA
EJ Ward

By EJ Ward

With schools across the country closed many parents are wondering how they can teach their children at home.

Children up and down the country should have been returning to school after the Easter holidays this week, but instead many are being taught from home.

At the weekend the Education Secretary admitted the Government can't give a date when classrooms will re-open.

Here are some home education tips for parents and guardians who want to keep their children learning during the coronavirus school closures across the UK.

Read more: Who is a key worker and what children are classed as vulnerable in UK school closures?

Teachers have urged that pupils who will not be in school remain busy to keep up to date with their learning.

Primary school teacher Elizabeth Oladipo told LBC News: “First things first they [parents and guardians] need to create a warm environment for the children. Don’t make them feel like a burden to be around.”

The Essex educator added: “Establish routines - this is helpful for parents too- because that’s what keeps them sane in school so it will work at home.”

Here are some resources that parents and guardians can use to keep their children up to speed during term time.

Scholastic has created a free learn-from-home site with 20+ days of learning and activities, while Travel and Leisure enables youngsters to pretend to travel the world and go on virtual tours of 12 famous museums.

A website called Twinkl is offering a month of free subscription, it has got everything parents will need from nursery to secondary school. Meanwhile, Pobble 365 is a good website for exercise skills.

Further online resources:

- BrainPop

- Curiosity Stream

- Tynker

- Outschool

- Udemy

- iReady

- Beast Academy (Math)

- Khan Academy

- Creative Bug

- Discovery Education

YouTube Channels:

- Crash Course Kids

- Science Channel

- SciShow Kids

- National Geographic Kids

- Free School

- Geography Focus

- TheBrainScoop

- SciShow

- Kids Learning Tube

- Geeek Gurl Diaries

- Mike Likes Science

- Science Max

- SoulPancake

Adults have also been encouraged to implement board games, library books (and Kindle), tinkering/upcycling with household junk into the routine.