Make Homeschool More Manageable

Classrooms are special environments designed to help children focus on their learning. Sadly, we don’t all have access to fabulous interactive classrooms filled with resources and friends, and this could be creating some tough emotional challenges for your child. Thankfully we’ve got some helpful tips that you can use to reduce homeschool stress, regulate your days and stabilise emotions.

Concentration and Fidgeting:

Zoom lessons might be fun, but concentrating on a screen can be a challenging task, especially if you have a form of autism or ADHD. Although, positively distracting yourself could be the trick to helping you concentrate on the things you need to focus on most.

Vibrating Cushions are a perfect sensory aid to boost concentration by adding a fun bit of distraction. Sit down on the cushion, feel the vibrations, and ground yourself in the moment, so that you can focus on what’s important. Here’s a handy video to explain the benefits.

There are lots of awesome vibrating cushions out there, but we love these Furry Cow and Bumpy Turtle ones. They’re nice and cosy, and they also have an added tail that wandering hands can grab onto for extra tactile stimulation.

friends relaxing with their sensory cushions

Add Structure:

Hours, days and weeks all seem to be blurring into one another, and it’s super important that we try to stick to some sort of routine. Routines are well known for reducing anxiety and stress for those with autism, so structuring your homeschool lessons could be a great way of providing focus and stability.

Timers, especially Sand Timers, are a great visual way to add some structure to your school day. They’re colourful, visually stimulating, and help to ground the peculiar concept of time. So, decide what you’re going to be doing and for how long, then flip the timer over and watch the colourful sand pass through the hourglass; once it’s passed through, you can take a play break.

Break up your concentration periods with time for play, and use a timer to help you structure your day.

children discovering time with their hands, with colourful sandtimers

Classmates:

We are all missing our friends. And the isolation of learning alone at home might be making it even harder for kids to concentrate on their lessons. We recommend bringing some new (or old) friends into the classroom, in terms of teddies, dolls and even pets!

Soft and not entirely lifelike, but friendly enough to feel comfortable chatting to. Soft toys and pets are an excellent aid for bringing children out of their shells. Watch them learn, chat and express themselves openly without fear of judgement.

By reducing anxiety surrounding homeschool, your child might relax into their new situation a lot quicker and get their new learning journey off to a strong start.

Rhino Magic: Puppets can also be used as a great sensory aid within home-schools. Their familiar appearance and controllable mouthpieces give the illusion of a new classmate and a new friendly face for younger kids.

a group of childlike puppets brightening up a homeschool situation

If you’d like to learn more about how you can create a more autism-friendly home school environment, then we’d recommend you read this brilliant article written by National Geographic. And you can check out our full Sensory Learning collection here!

 

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