March 29, 2020 by Luis F. Dominguez About HSA, Homeschooling, Learning Strategies 0 comments

How to Add Spanish Classes to Your (Coronavirus) Homeschool Routine

Are you staying at home with kids, attempting at homeschool, during the unexpected coronavirus crisis?

Well, you are not alone. I’m at home with kids myself and let me tell you, it’s not gonna be easy.

But with the right homeschool routine, you can make the most of the coronavirus lockdown and even improve your kids’ Spanish by the time life goes back to normal.

My Personal Experience

I’m a dad of two little girls, 4 and 6, and live in a third-floor apartment in Cancún, México. We have the advantage that my wife and myself are teachers, so we have experience organizing kids’ schedules and activities.

As freelance writers, we also have experience trying to work at home during school vacations and having to deal with the endless energy of kids that age.

Trust me, in this case, I know what I’m talking about.

Organization Is Everything

Talk to any teacher from any level of education, and the first thing they will tell you about how to manage a group of kids is to organize, organize, organize.

Don’t let any room for improvisation. Don’t trust your instincts and say “I’m the cool dad, I can deal with this as it comes.” They will eat you alive.

Been there. Done that. Learned my lesson.

The first day after schools closed here in México, my wife and I woke up before our daughters and pasted a schedule on their room’s door. It helped us that in those days I was writing an article about How to Homeschool During the Coronavirus Outbreak, and got some pretty good ideas while doing my research.

A Homeschool Routine During the Coronavirus Lockdown

For us the schedule is fundamental. It’s the one item that keeps the family running and the apartment as peaceful as possible during these days of forced homeschooling. However, if you don’t like schedules, you’ll be happy to learn that there are many routines for people just like you.

On the other hand, if you are like me and you need the structure that a schedule provides to keep your home from slipping into chaos, this one is an excellent option. It’s visual, it’s flexible, it’s printable, it covers everything you may want to cover, and your kids will have fun creating one and personalizing it.

homeschool routine add spanish during coronavirus

What’s Your Unique Situation?

I’m sharing with you how my homeschool routine looks like during these strange weeks of the coronavirus outbreak, so you can get ideas and use whatever works better for you.

Get Up Early

I get up every day at 6:00 am. I know it sucks, but I have to beat them if I want to keep control of the day. Some even say that you should start the day before. I’m not ready to go that far, but I know my girls, and I like to have their pre-breakfast ready when they wake up.

Usually, by 6:30 am my girls and I are in the living room watching Peppa Pig. They have fruit, a couple of cookies and chocolate milk. I enjoy my coffee and wait for my wife to join me.

These are our last precious minutes of peace.

Get Out of Those Pajamas!

This is important. Nothing kills a productive homeschool routine as staying in your pajamas for the whole day (or even half a morning).

Once the coffee is over, I take a shower while my wife dresses the girls. Then Olga takes a shower and I brush their teeth and comb their hair.

Too many details? I’m sorry, I just want you to notice two things: one, my wife and I are a team. If you have a partner, you two need to be a team. If you don’t, you need to be a superhero. Two, this is a normal daily routine, if you let a little vacation feeling set in your home, it’s going to be really hard to achieve your homeschooling goals.

Alternate Class Time With Play Time

We start our homeschool routine at 7:30 am, the same time school starts here, so the girls can keep with their usual routine. And we alternate the parent in charge and the activity to do.

On any given day, Olga starts working with the girls in their English. After 40 minutes, they stop that and start playing board games for another 40 minutes. Then it’s breakfast time and the three of them cook something together.

Where have I been all this time? Using my “free time” to write articles like this one. Don’t judge me, I’ll do the dishes *later*.

It’s 10:00 am and it’s my turn to work with the girls. We focus on their reading and writing skills in Spanish for 40 minutes, and then I let them draw for another 20 minutes. Then it’s ‘hide and seek’ or Just Dance time. Pandemic emergencies like this one, require extreme measures from parents. On the bright side, I’m now an expert in ‘Frozen’ choreographies.

By noon, our girls start to get restless and we accept that we need help from Netflix. Don’t resist it, the day is long and you’ll need all the help that you can use. A movie (in English to help them with their second language skills) takes us to 1:30 pm and it’s Olga’s turn to work with them in Math for 40 minutes. When they finish that, they might do some science experiments, which for them is super fun and like playing a game, and then they cook something for lunch.

After lunch, it’s already 4:00 pm, and it’s time for me to practice piano with them. We finish that, play with their dolls, legos or whatever they choose, and when Mom is ready, we go out to take a walk or ride our bikes. They really need to do some physical activity every day.

When we come back, we have dinner together and the girls get a bath. One night Olga reads them before going to sleep, the next night I’ll do it.

The day passed fast and, I’m not going to say effortless, but pretty much in control. The secret resides in being one step ahead of them and always knowing what’s next.

So, how is your unique situation different from mine? What would you change from my homeschool routine?

It’s Time to Learn Spanish

Let’s say that you are looking to make the most of this self-quarantine period and your kids are finishing their school activities too early in the day. What happens once they finish? It’s social media time, videogames or some other non-productive activity.

Give Spanish a chance!

This is the time to do it. They have the time to do it, and you have the time to be around checking their progress.

Go back to my homeschool routine and see how we already fit in a second language in there. That’s because their school is bilingual. My girls have homework to do in English and Spanish. How about your children’s school?

At Homeschool Spanish Academy we have 1-on-1 (and 2-on-1) Spanish classes for kids aged 5 to 18. From Preschool to High School, including Elementary and Middle School, HSA offers the remote approach that is mandatory these days.

Design Your Own Homeschool Routine

Now it’s your turn to create your homeschool routine according to your own specific situation and needs. This is the moment when you decide to include those music lessons, go for reading time, or fit in those Spanish classes you’ve always thought about but never found the right moment to do it.

Do you want to know the best part? At HSA you can give it a try with no cost at all. Book a free trial class for your kids and include Spanish in your homeschool routine during these trying times.

We look forward to serving you!

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Luis F. Dominguez

Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy

Luis F. Domínguez is a freelance writer and independent journalist interested in travel, languages, art, books, history, philosophy, politics and sports. He has written for Fodor’s, Yahoo!, Sports Illustrated, Telemundo, and Villa Experience, among other brands of print and digital media in Europe and North America.

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