Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those who have been affected by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak; this tragedy has immediate and long-lasting effects that affect many families around the world.

When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.

– Fred Rogers

With all of the recent reports of school closings and social distancing going on, there has been a massive outpouring of help from the homeschooling community. We’ve collected tips from several homeschool blogs below, with links to read more on their blogs.

How to Homeschool During COVID-19

1) Enjoy the Time Together

“Have adventures, go exploring, visit museums, take day trips, play board games, read together, build with LEGO, watch great movies, exercise with sites like GoNoodle, or even just relax together. This is a uniquely special time to create memories that you wouldn’t have had otherwise. Use this opportunity.”

Read the rest of the tips from The Canadian Homeschooler.

2) Create a Routine

“I think the best thing parents can do right now is to try and keep a sense of normalcy for their family. If possible follow a similar routine that your kids were already on. For example, get up, get ready, eat breakfast. We like to do our harder subjects in the morning, take a lunch break, and then finish with more fun activities like science experiments, art projects, and group activities.

If you’re enjoying an extended spring break, try to use this period as a way to spend quality time together as a family. Have game night, movie night, bake cookies, play cards, prepare meals, and just enjoy this time together!”

Read the rest of the tips from Confessions of a Homeshooler.

3) You Won’t Screw Up Your Child’s Education

“Thousands of families have gone before you worldwide to home educate their children, and many of the top universities seek out homeschool graduates because of the positive results they’ve become known for.”

Read the rest of the tips from Simple Homeschool.

4) Homeschooling Varies From Family to Family

“[h]omeschooling looks different for every family. Some homeschooling families have a “school-at-home” approach where their homeschool looks very similar to traditional education, while others may have a more natural approach to homeschooling and use exploration and discovery to ignite their curiosity for learning. However, if you are planning to homeschool temporarily then you might want to consider the most straightforward and easiest to implement homeschooling methods. For example, there are many online homeschooling curricula out there that enable you to subscribe monthly and get started within a few days. For emergency homeschooling, this is a great solution because it will allow you to pick up where your students left off and then discontinue whenever you feel it is safe to return to the classroom.”

Read the rest of the tips on Homeschool.com.

5) Take Your Time

“It’s easy to get caught up in the pressure and advice about what you must do the moment you start homeschooling. Many parents feel like they need to run off and purchase curriculum right away and start immediately with a rigorous school schedule. Don’t do that. Give yourself some grace, give your kids some time. It’s okay to start homeschooling slowly. Bring the kids home, and take the time to read and research, play and explore the big beautiful world out there. Take time to get to know how your kids learn and how they tick. You really do have time. Take it.”

Read the rest of the tips from Demme Learning.

6) Be Compassionate

“It’s important that we in the homeschooling community do not panic and show kindness and compassion towards each other during these difficult times.”

Read the rest of the tips from The Wired Homeschool.

7) Plan for Breaks

“Kids don’t actually sit and work for hours on end. The public school teachers build in time to stretch or move around the room and they alternate between different activities to hold the children’s attention. A child’s attention span is probably less than what you are assuming. Check out this list of average attention spans per age.”

Read the rest of the tips from Catholicing.

Homeschooling 101 eBook

Our free Homeschooling 101 eBook is filled with helpful information from the history of homeschooling to going over the different homeschooling styles.