Since the UK went into lockdown, parents were forced to take on more roles than ever before including becoming teachers for their children as home schooling became the new norm.Having worked in the education system myself for 29 years I understand how difficult it is to keep children engaged in learning. Throw into the mix that they’re surrounded by distractions in their homes and are also coming to terms with significant change, not to mention that home schooling is brand new for most parents, and it becomes an almighty challenge!I have such empathy for parents at this time, many of who are trying to work from home at the same time, as well as running their households – “trying” is the optimum word here.I think the most important thing for parents to remember is that doing your best is enough at this tough time. There’s enough pressure and uncertainty around that adding to this isn’t going to help anyone, nor your mental health.However, I do have a few ideas and tips I’d like to share in the hopes it’ll make home schooling slightly more productive and enjoyable.It’s worth pointing out that my experience in the education system was with primary aged children so these ideas mainly apply to younger age groups. Most points can be tweaked and still applied across the board.Establish a RoutineA typical day of learning will look very different at home to the usual classroom and therefore, setting up a rough timetable that you and your child can work from will help keep things on track. This is going to require their buy in so explaining to them that this is temporary but that their education is still important should help them to understand. Typically, younger children work best in the morning so try to start their day at their usual time. Don’t feel pressured to mirror their usual six/seven hours of learning, setting unrealistic goals is no help to anyone. Instead, aim for around 3 hours of learning per day and get them involved in creating their own timetable, giving them ownership of their learning.Set up a Designated Learning SpaceIt’s unrealistic to think that a child will be happy to sit at a desk all day but it’s also good to set up an area in the house that they recognise is a space to learn in. Ideally it would be a light and airy place with minimal distractions for example a kitchen or dining room table, away from the television. This will ensure their break times actually feel like a break because they can get away from this space in the garden or elsewhere in the house. Every child will have a different way of learning and you’ll know this best so be led by them on the kind of environment you set up, maintaining minimum distractions.Focus on the Core SubjectsDon’t put pressure on yourself to master an entire curriculum. It’s sensible to prioritise the core subjects, Maths and English as well as keeping your children active. You’ll find other ways to incorporate other subjects in for example watching educational TV programmes such as Blue Planet and allowing them to create online quizzes on apps like Kahoot. Many schools are offering online and virtual teaching so if this is the case, ensure your child has access to it and is utilising it. Get them involved in planning lessons, this way they’ll be even more engaged. Another good way to consolidate their learning is to ask them to teach back what they’ve learnt that day. Get them outside in the afternoons to burn off that extra energy!Let Them Work on a ProjectIf your child is passionate about something, why not let them embrace it create a project from their interest. This gives them creative freedom to delve into something they love. If they are a keen football fan, they could research into the history of it, learning a huge amount of facts. Research and reading are both elements of this style of learning so they’ll be covering key parts of the curriculum without even realising! It doesn’t have to be something traditionally academic either, it could be cooking, gardening, drawing or learning a language.Encourage Virtual Interaction with PeersIf your children are a bit older, maintaining human interaction during this uncertain is essential to their wellbeing. Encourage them to keep in touch with their friends, whether its messaging, video calls or speaking on the phone. It can feel hard to get the balance right knowing how much screen time to allow but if you feel comfortable, try to be more flexible at this time. There are lots of great learning apps and being online allows them not to feel cut off from their friends. Strike a balance that allows them to do both.This is unchartered territory for most parents and children alike so try not to be too hard on yourself or them. Mental and physical health are more important than anything else so if everyone is trying their best, that’s good enough!