Homeschooling Help During Lockdown and Beyond
Navigating homeschooling during the lockdown is just plain difficult. Parents say they often find themselves running out of ideas. Frustrations mount and some children may flounder with too much time on their hands. Establishing good routines is crucial for maintaining a sense of normalcy and purpose during this time. One Smartick family is finding that our program provides one of the crucial pieces in creating a sense of normalcy and continued learning.
Finding Stability in Crisis
The Cotters are using Smartick specifically to help their son deal with long-term math phobia and anxiety. When 12-year-old Ike started using Smartick this year, the Covid-19 virus was barely even in the news yet. Fortunately, by the time the virus became established and all Ike’s activities for the year were canceled, his Smartick session had already become an established daily habit. Having to do his daily session has helped Ike deal not only with math anxiety, but his mother reports that it’s giving him a sense of stability in an uncertain world.
Balanced Learning While Sheltering in Place
Because math anxiety can present as perfectionism, Ike would often spend long hours attempting to get his math homework “all done, perfectly.” The lockdown certainly didn’t help much with this problem. His mother tried to help him by using a version of the famed Pomodoro Technique. This method can be helpful for perfectionists or children who tend to dawdle. Unfortunately, Ike found that the normally effective “pomodoros” caused more stress in his case, because he felt the amount of work he could get done in the time frame provided wasn’t “enough.” So Ike’s mom is delighted with the balance that is built into the Smartick method. Fifteen minutes of structured activities, and then he can play cognitive games on Smartick, or move on to other activities. Suddenly the lockdown didn’t feel as overwhelming.
Personalized Help
Smartick representatives are available to help personalize and tweak things for your child. We are always happy to help make your child’s learning as effective as possible! Ike’s mother contacted us to ask for advice about the timer and timing bar. We were able to help fine-tune their experience by turning off the timer since that feature was not helpful for him. His mom reports that his sessions are less stressful for him and he is better able to learn now. While most children benefit from timed practice, each child is a unique individual, and we are always glad to help!
Consistency is Key
Let’s face it— trying to homeschool during stressful times is difficult. Parents need all the help they can get. Staying positive and consistent is the key to success in mathematics or any other endeavor, especially during these unprecedented times. Smartick is here to help you and your child succeed and thrive during quarantine and beyond. Stay safe, stay healthy, and keep learning. Here’s to fifteen minutes a day to math success, in a lockdown or otherwise!
Learn More:
- Fearlessly Homeschooling Math with Smartick
- Can the Smartick Method Boost Your Child’s Math Skills?
- Homeschool Mom Reviews Smartick’s Math Program
- Top Tips to Beat the Summer Slide: Smartick Method Review
- 10 Steps to Introduce Routines to Kids
She studied Spanish Language and Literature at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts and went abroad to Buenos Aires, Argentina during her junior year.
You can now find her perfecting a new vegetarian recipe, listening to a podcast, or running in the parks of Madrid.
very interesting to learn from