Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Packs of fun for Little Learners..
MY daughter is due to start school in September. Well, that’s the plan anyways but who knows what situation we will be in by then.
As she hasn’t been in creche since last March, I am hoping it goes ahead – for her sake and for mine.
She is keen to get back out into the world, to have fun, make friends and begin her educational journey.
And I am keen for a professional to take over the wheel of this journey as I am – like most other parents out there who are homeschooling – dangerously underqualified in this area.
Don’t get me wrong, I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching her the basics (A,B,Cs and 1,2,3s) and it is so satisfying and rewarding to see her grasp everything I clumsily throw at her in no time at all as her little brain soaks it all up.
I am lucky in that she isn’t at a more senior stage of learning as I would be way out of my depth, but I am also conscious of the fact that these early years are so vital to her future development and I really don’t want to do anything to mess that up.
But all across the country, parents have homeschooing their kids since the latest lockdown began on Boxing Day, and I’m sure they are all feeling the same pressure.
And the announcement of the phased reopening of schools next month, gives us a little ray of hope but, it is not yet set in stone and so homeschooling will remain in place for a little while yet.
WHile older children have the benefit of online tools and guidance from their teachers, but there is a lack of professional advice and help for children of pre-school age and P1.
One mum of two toddlers recognised this lack of support and so decided to help parents with similar-aged kids.
Ashley is a qualified teacher living in the North West who created her Little Learners activity packs during lockdown.
They have been a lifeline for parents who were in dire need of some help and guidance in homeschooling their toddlers who were missing out on the vital education they should have been receiving in pre-school.
Ashley said: “I had been making little educational folders for a few years, but only for close friends or family.
“In summer 2020, with the prospect of my eldest not being able to start his education journey due to Covid, I started to increase the number of educational tools around the house.
“With a few nudges from family and friends I began to entertain the idea again of creating learning packs for others to use with their children.
“I started an Instagram page in August 2020 and I started creating a range of resources that I thought would engage a variety of Little Learners. The packs are educational resources which are carefully designed to help parents focus on having quality learning moments with their own little learners.
“Our main aim is to provide an engaging and stimulating early learning experience which promotes each child’s social/emotional/cognitive development.
“Each pack comes presented in an A4 zip wallet enabling extras to be added in as the Little Learner progresses through their educational journey.
“The packs contain a variety of A4 laminated pages to promote fundamental educational skills by using a range of themes, such as numbers, colours, foods, animals, pre writing skills etc.
“Completing the activities in the packs helps the little learner to develop a sense of achievement, improve their concentration, train their visual memory, increase their short-term memory, improve their ability to find similarities and differences in objects, classify objects that are grouped by similar traits and improve vocabulary. “Parents will message me and ask for advice about how best to help their child learn and develop and I can then design a pack based on their specific interests and stage.
“The response has been humbling and overwhelming. I have sent packs to every county in Northern Ireland, Scotland, England, America and Australia. I’ve even had a request to make a pack in Swedish! I feel privileged to play a small part in the education journey of so many Little Learners.”
And as an educational professional, Ashley has some tips for parents who feel like they are failing when it comes to teaching their children and on how to keep the momentum going:
Do not stress about home-schooling, even an hour or two a day is plenty.
Use everyday experiences like cooking, sorting washing, playing with Playdoh to incorporate learning.
Praise their mini milestones and remind them what they have achieved that day.
Get outside for a while each day, it is amazing what some fresh air can do for everyone.
Play to their interests. For example, if your child likes farming, use this ‘theme’ to make learning more interesting.
Keep tasks short and sweet, a child should be able to focus for two to five minutes per year of age, so an average three-year-old is six to 15 minutes.
Set small achievable goals and reward them appropriately. A child who has the opportunity to be effective and experience a sense of achievement will develop positive self-esteem.” www.littlelearner.bigcartel.com