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Routine fun times and praise

I found a pile of unused post cards, which I have sent weekly, one each. They have looked forward to their arrival and put them on the kitchen windows. They have served as a talking point. This week they had a picture of the Mary Rose and one of Nelson to mull over.

I think teaching my grandchildren English has had some benefits but it isn’t all rosy. I have been using zoom and the BBC bitesize as the daily lesson plan. I have interspersed the activities with star jumps, running around the kitchen etc. to help their concentration. Initially it was all great fun, the novelty of Nanny being the teacher was a great motivator and the children worked hard. As the time has progressed, they are more easily distracted, and I am finding it much harder to maintain their interest in what look like very interesting lessons. Expecting a young child to sit in front of the screen for an hour is asking too much of them. It is very difficult to assess any written work they have completed as it is difficult to read it as they wave it around in front of the camera. I do hope our relationship isn’t adversely affected by this period but I fear they now see me as ‘Nanny who makes us work’ rather than ‘Nanny whom we have fun with’. Time will tell. I was a very experienced college and university lecturer, but teaching young children is a completely different skill set to that needed for teaching adults.

being available and happy giving time to help with no pressure.

not doing to much of a routine more relaxed and even little lessons based on ply is good at lots of praise

Using apps on the iPad to make learning fun. We have read more stories in lockdown than we ever did before

We've been reading together via Whatsapp. The two sets of grandchildren also help each other as well, if one of them is stuck on a subject or topic they put a message on the group chat and ask if anyone can help.

rOUTINE, morning walk then schooling for a few hours lunch then some more then its family time

We kept in touch by FaceTime and now we can meet up again. The kids have been very good at understanding about Corona although we all miss hugging. They have had a nice balance of work and play at home, when we visit I try and simply give them time to chat or learn something new and take some pressure off of mum and dad.

Mine have benefitted from having a more relaxed routine , have still done school work but have had different learning opportunities like cooking with gran on a zoom call!

I started a silly story with granchildren on whats app and they took turns alternatively with me adding the next piece. Grandad kept looking up historical facts about colchester where they live and doing DID YOU KNOW items with them.

They have struggled with home learning but are giving it their best shot unfortunately the younger ones have seriously missed Granny and Grandad which has caused a bit of upset as they couldn't understand why they couldn't visit us like normal.They do love their online chats with us and we have sent treats to them now and again so they have adapted.

Sing along, play along, work along watch along and eat along. Keep everything fun, short bright.. fun is most important

My 6 year old GS (with Down Syndrome) loves to count - my lego bricks, my clothes pegs, play doh creatures he cuts - whatever you put in front of him he'll count! But the figure 7 does not exist! (The wee soul can't say it). He also loves to 'read' simple words on the black board - that is after he has scribbled numbers over it!

link normal household tasks into their home schooling eg shopping, cooking, gardening

Sticking to routine, the older one is fine and just gets on, the younger is a very sporty boy and he is harder.

Making learning fun and finding different ways to reward them...other than letting them use the computer games!

Have a well balanced routine, but be a little flexible too. Regular starts and finishes and breaks of course. Plenty of deserved praise and encouragement. I’ve been able to FaceTime my grandson several times a day to play and sing together, not ideal but a godsend for keeping the relationship going.

7 and 5 year old Gc live a long way away but have been FaceTiming and going through a lot of their school work. They have fun doing this which is the main thing.

My wife and I have been "shielding" so the only contact we have had with our two grandchildren has been on Zoom. We haven't been able to do any education that way as their attention span and ability to sit still would not permit it and their parents have both been around their house anyway as they have both been (and still are) working from home.
We did manage to celebrate our grandson's fourth birthday that way along with our daughter and her husband as well as his parents and sister (see below) and my wife got out her (small) collection of teddies, baked a cake and we found some household candles (including two red ones of the type that were used for our daughter's wedding) to get him to "blow out".
We've also just had a similar, though rather less structured celebration of our granddaughter's second birthday.
We are really looking forward to visiting them when the shielding advice is relaxed further on 1st August when, weather permitting, they are planning a barbecue to celebrate our and our daughter's wedding anniversaries.

Don’t patronise them with over the top praise but acknowledge good work. Join in so they see you enjoy learning and find it worth your time.

Definitely routine. Got them into a habit from the start of lockdown, now they know exactly what they are doing each day. I get tips from media and sites like Pinterest for inspiration. We made learning fun!

Having an agreed timetable at the beginning of the day.

Making learning fun e.g. when we are out on our walks in the park - looking out for signs and recognising the letters to aid reading skills

Sticking to a routine to keep normality