Many of these activities will have an accompanying demonstration video you will be able to find on the Unlocking Potential Youtube Channel. We hope you enjoy receiving our Weekly Well-being activities and find them useful!
Doing schoolwork at home can be tough for children and it is easy to get distracted. Try these tips and tricks to help your children stay focused on their learning.
Use these example timelines to help your children organise their learning and break times! Make sure to help your children refresh their brains with some fun brain breaks; these can be anything from dancing for 5 minutes to trying out different yoga poses.
This can be a quick brain activity for your child, or an activity for the whole family! They are fantastic for races and games. Watch the video below to teach you how to make the frog.
Home schooling is hard for parents too. Try these tips to help improve your children’s focus and concentration.
Create a designated learning space. Some children work best in their bedrooms, others do better with company so create a spot for them in the kitchen or living room. Set up a desk and chair in a light part of the room, facing the wall or away from the action. Remove any distractions, such as ornaments and clutter and any devices they don’t need for study – this should be a phone-free zone. Let your child personalise the space, setting out their books and stationary, including some paper and art materials. You could also help them make a timetable (you can use the template on page three) and stick this to the table or wall.
Work out with your child how long they can realistically concentrate for in one go. If you aren’t sure, start small and build up. As a guide, five-year-olds can usually concentrate for 10 to 20 minutes at a time and 10-year-olds for 20 to 30 minutes. But this will depend on the task and the child! Set a timer and when the alarm goes off, let them choose a five-minute movement break (see page six for ideas) or a snack or drink.
If your child is a wrigglebum, a fidget toy might help them avoid looking for other distractions and enable them to concentrate for longer periods of time. This could be a stress ball, a blob of Blu Tack or a pipe cleaner tied to their pencil. Try making a homemade stress ball by filling a balloon with rice or flour. You could also tie an old pair of tights around the front legs of their chair to create a stretchy band that they can bounce their feet against.
You could try giving your child something to work towards with a reward system or chart. Their target should be achievable in order to keep them motivated. For example, one day you could challenge them to complete three batches of 20 minutes uninterrupted work, or to complete their maths homework before lunchtime. Their reward could be playing a game with you, watching their favourite TV programme or their favourite dinner or snack.
The timetables in this pack are just for inspiration. If you feel stressed about your child not getting their learning done, they’ll feel anxious too and that’s the last thing anyone wants. Parents are currently juggling an awful lot and it’s not possible to recreate school at home perfectly. These are exceptional circumstances and we can all only
do our best.
