Struggling with homeschooling already? Here's an edit of essentials from GLAMOUR mums that will make life easier
If you heard a collective groan across England on January 4th, it was the sighs of parents who found out that schools would, in fact, not be opening after the Christmas break. Almost a year on from the first lockdown, despite the tier system and Covid vaccines being slowly but surely rolled out, it felt for parents – and children – like being back to square one.
Holidays, eating out, browsing the January sales in person – those all felt like reasonable sacrifices to make. But going back to homeschooling your kids, especially if you’re trying to actually get some of your own work done from home, too? Goodbye, Dry January.
Of course, it’s not that we don’t love our kids, or want to keep them healthy and safe – but parenting and teaching are two very different skill sets, as last spring’s homeschooling taught parents across the UK. Arguments over whose turn it is to use the laptop, monitoring that they’re actually doing work rather than watching Disney+, trying to organise a healthy-ish lunch between Zoom calls – it’s no wonder that homeschooling during lockdown can lead to tantrums - from both parents and kids. Fortunately, we’ve learnt some lessons from the first lockdown and with a few items from our edit of everything you need for home schooling, the next few weeks will hopefully be a little bit kinder to us.
The basics of pens, pencils and paper are a given for home schooling, but there are a few well thought out, practical purchases that both you and your kids will appreciate. Our round up includes Glamour’s editor in chief (and mother of three) Deborah Joseph's must-have for this round of home-schooling - desks from Argos for each of her kids. After sharing the kitchen table with them during the first lockdown, giving them their own work areas is already a game changer in her household.
Other purchases to make the transition back into homeschooling that little bit easier include these child friendly headphones for them to follow any online lessons (whilst you Zoom) and a count down timer to keep them focussed for the amount of time required - allowing you too, to get some work done. Plus we've included a reward chart to motivate your child as they get through another day out of their routine and away from their friends. As for your reward? Well just leave our edit of the best wine subscriptions here.
We investigated.
Whilst we can't guarantee when schools will go back, we can promise the below purchases will make home schooling your child just that much more doable. Scroll down for our edit of what to buy now.
60 Minutes Visual Timer, £15.95, Amazon
You know how tough it can be to focus for an undermined stretch whilst working from home? Now imagine you're a kid, without the routine of lessons. Setting this handy, kid friendly timer will give them achievable chunks of time to work for.
HP 5AR83B DeskJet 2710 All-in-One Printer, £73.49, Amazon
A must-have for home schooling, this HP at home printer is pretty reasonable when it comes to printers. Plus it’s wirless printing function means you’ll be printing worksheets with minimal set up – one less thing to worry about.
Home Stars 2 Drawer Desk, £80, Argos
Give your kids their own dedicated work areas and you’ll quickly notice an improvement in their work output – and yours.
Weekly Planner Pad, £8.45, Amazon
Online ballet classes, streamed maths tutorials and upcoming spelling tests all too much to keep track of? This weekly planner pad will keep you - and the kids - on top of what's happening in their week.
PLENY 36" Kids Mini Trampoline, £79, Amazon
It's winter and instead of your kids getting a chance to let off steam in the day with their friends on their playground, they're most likely stuck indoors all day. When they're in need of a break, this mini trampoline is just the thing to give them some much needed sensory input and burn off some extra energy.
All-new Echo Dot, £29.99, Amazon
If your every video call is interrupted with questions like the size of a blue whale, an Alexa might just save your sanity.
Gamenote Wooden Pen Holder & Pencil Holders, £20.99, Amazon
Accumulated even more stationery for your kids over lockdown? This rainbow pencil holder will fit perfectly on their desks and give them a set area to store all their bits and bobs neatly.
Combination Whiteboard Bulletin Cork Board, £34.99, Amazon
Hang on their bedroom wall at an appropriate height, and let your child use this white board and corkboard combo to make notes, place reminders for the week and work out their sums when they need a change from sitting working at their desk.
JLab Audio JBuddies Studio Children's Volume Limiting Over-Ear Headphones, £14.99, John Lewis
With volume limiting capabilities to protect their ears, these kid friendly headphones are suitable for ages 6 -16 and will allow them to drown out any background noise and focus on the task at hand.
2019 Apple iPad Mini, £399, John Lewis
Whatever your child’s age, this iPad mini for them to use during home schooling will be a game changer. Set up all the necessary parental controls and hand it over to them for their Zoom classes, writing, doodling, research – you name it.
Tinc Flourolicious Neon Gel Pens, £7.50, John Lewis
Instead of running around trying to find the last pen in the house in the mornings, give your child their own set of neon gel pens to make their schoolwork at home a little more fun.
Personalised Pastel Stars Reward Chart, £29, Not on the Highstreet
Being away from school, their friends and routines can be tough on little people - figure out a reward system using this star chart to keep them motivated (and to bribe them when necessary, no judgement.)
