Do you miss your child’s teachers yet?

Lexington County parents have gotten a taste for what it’s like to teach their kids at home since schools closed Mar. 16.

Although this is a temporary situation, panicked parents have taken to social media seeking advice.

As a homeschooling mom, my advice is to relax and enjoy the time with your kids. Everything will be ok.

Moms are natural teachers. We teach our kids to pick up rooms, wash hands, colors, letters and more.

Here are some tips for those new to educating children at home:

• Don’t stick to school block schedules. You don’t have to go by a timer for precisely 50-minute classes. Allow the students to take all the time they need to finish the work.

It is ok for a student to have frequent short breaks if the work is tedious or hard.

The couch or on floor can replace a desk.

Start doing schoolwork in the morning with breaks as needed.

• Show your child how to be a self-learner for lessons. If math is hard, work a few of the example math problems for them. If you both don’t understand, go to the internet for more explanations. Khan academy is excellent for math questions. Go to www.educationplanner. org to see what your child’s learning style is, and adapt as needed.

• Take away any distractions like phones and tablets while doing schoolwork. It will help them finish faster. Let them go their own pace as long as all the assignments are done by the end of the time it is due. If your student loves a subject, let them do more than 1 assignment at a time. They could finish the lessons for the week early while enjoying learning.

• If a subject is hard, break it down in smaller pieces, to keep the frustrations and tears to a minimum.

• If you are working from home, getting chores and school done is the real challenge.

Get the kids involved. Have them do the dishes, teach them to cook simple meals, wash and fold laundry. Vacuuming, sweeping, and cleaning are life lessons.

• Don’t let the word “schedule” bother you, just get in the grove of a routine. If you are working from home, take scheduled breaks with your children if possible, and then all of you refocus on school and work.

Relax, have fun, and enjoy this adventure. Take time to give your kids a high 5, a hug or help them with their work.

Use this time to develop a closer relationship with your sons and daughters.

Let this be a time when your kids remember having fun homeschooling with Mom or Dad.

Check out the Tech Talk column on page A6 for more online learning resources.