Dear Parents, You Got This.

To view this blog post as an infographic, click here.

In these uncertain times, everyone is adjusting to a new reality of social distancing. For many of us, this requires a dramatic shift in our daily schedule. Perhaps one of the most dramatic adjustment faces working parents who now have their young children home for the foreseeable future.

Across the globe, school closings raise a host of problems. Many students depend on school for food. Families who don’t have adequate access to computers and internet service are asked to join online classes through Zoom or Google Classroom. Without minimizing these very real challenges, all parents are faced with another set of challenges: facilitating their child’s learning and education at home.

Of course, educators are rallying together homework packets and video chat links, many of them working beyond their contracted hours and through their spring breaks. Despite their sincere efforts — which have not gone unseen — we all know that education and learning are iterative and interactive. Even the most comprehensive spreadsheets and websites can’t replace face-to-face interaction, the heart of effective K-12 education. This new moment calls on parents and other caregivers to step into the role of educator, which is no easy ask.

As a doctoral student at Tufts University in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development, I study the role of parents as STEAM and computer science educators. This content can feel daunting, especially for parents in unrelated fields. In an unplanned homeschool setting, parents may lack the tools to deliver a science or math curriculum.

But even if you’re not a software engineer or you don’t have a fully equipped chemistry lab at home, you can still offer your children technology and engineering activities that can make learning at home fun and playful.

Whether building a marshmallow tower or learning to code, children now have the opportunity to engage in hands-on learning that schools may not prioritize. The best part? Parents don’t have to feel like the experts. Many enriching learning moments come from parents and children playing, tinkering, and problem-solving alongside one another.

To get started as a home STEAM educator, here are 3 principles to keep in mind:

• Choose activities that engage children in doing and creating. Make DIY room decor. Cook a meal together. Retell a favorite children’s book using the ScratchJr coding app. Having children actively do and create (with or without technology) is better for their overall development than passive consumption of screen-time.
• Listen to what children say when they play. It’s not only important that our children continue to learn, but that they continue to develop in positive ways. That means tuning in to their emotions and their behaviors. Are children communicating? Are they collaborating? Are they able to express themselves creatively? During these unusual times, creative outlets such as coding or crafting can be both comforting and empowering for children.
• Let children do the heavy lifting and drive their own learning. Parents can use a variety of scaffolding strategies to help further their children’s learning without giving them all the answers. These can include cognitive scaffolding, such as asking questions or offering alternative viewpoints for children to consider; affective scaffolding, such as using words of encouragement and praise; and technical scaffolding, such as helping children physically navigate new tools.

In these challenging times, parents and caregivers, in addition to all the struggles they face, need to become teachers as well. This is a marathon with no clear finish line. Rather than striving for academic results, I invite parents to make the most of this time with their children. Learn something new with your child. Take a coding break. Offer children a design challenge using a random assortment of household products. You’d be surprised by how much children can learn with a couple of marshmallows and toothpicks.

Most importantly, take a deep breath. You got this.