The recent outbreak of COVID-19 has forced us to adapt our lifestyles, especially when it comes to education and enrichment programs for kids. As schools figure out plans to reopen in the fall while social distancing, many options are being considered. Some schools have chosen to reopen schools with health precautions, while others have decided to do 100% distance learning for the fall. The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), for example, has decided to start with complete distance-learning.
While there has been lots of discussions on class-time learning, there is one major challenge that hasn’t gotten much discussion — After-school activities. School schedules have classroom learning (synchronous distance learning) ending at around noon, which leaves half a day open for kids, yet most traditional after-school activities such as sports, music and school clubs are no longer available due to COVID. enrichment programs for kids are crucial to their development, what are students and parents to do?
Here are the top 5 ideas for providing your kids with the much-needed enrichment programs for kids / after-school activities while ensuring the health and safety of your kids:
1. For low-intensity activities that don’t require internet access, consider puzzles, coloring, playing chess or board games together. Depending on the age of your child, they may want to try learning a new skill like jewelry making, knitting, woodworking.
2. It’s also important for kids to be able to play outside during this time, whether it’s kicking around a soccer ball or biking around the neighborhood. Go for family walks or have your child help you create your own obstacle course outside with objects placed around the yard. If you have other families in your COVID bubble, schedule outdoor activities with them and let the kids play together to get the social interaction they crave.
3. If you have access to the internet and some quiet time, look for online lessons in the subjects that interest your child. There are many free online classes together ranging from exercise to cooking to coding classes. Coding is a fantastic skill that will help students get ahead in school and in life. Virtual one-on-one lessons with a tutor like those offered by Koderon.com are the best because they offer personalized teaching with the teachers/mentors from the best schools such as Stanford, Berkeley and Ivy League schools, and allow for flexible schedules and social distancing. Kids can design games to share with friends and family in the comfort of your home, and learn while having fun.
4. There are many free virtual exhibits, performances, and interactive tours for anything your child might be interested in. Many operas, concerts, and plays are being live streamed and recorded. Many of the most popular museums and tourist attractions are offering free virtual tours, including The Louvre, Metropolitan Museum of Art, The British Museum of Art, the Vatican Museum. If your child is more interested in science and history, check out NASA’s Houston Space Center augmented reality tour of our galaxy, a virtual tour of the National Museum of the United States Air Force, or the National Women’s History Museum exhibits.
5. Set up a fort and some blankets and have your own “Night at the Museum” with an interactive virtual tour of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Summer isn’t complete without a virtual walk of Walt Disney World, playing with the Legos at Legoland, going on the interactive rides at SeaWorld. You can even head over to Disney Eats and learn how to make your own Disney-themed foods. If you haven’t been to a zoo or aquarium in a while, check out the many live feeds of animals and virtual tours of zoo and aquarium exhibits. Beluga whales, baby hippos, pandas, penguins, and tigers are just a few of the animals your child can hang out with at home.
These are just a few ways you can help your child feel excited and enthusiastic about what they’re doing even when quarantining at home. While no one yet knows the status of schools and after-school programs, being aware of the different options and what they would mean for you and your child will help you prepare for when school districts finally announce plans to reopen.