By Ailsa Lawn

THESE are uncertain times for all of us, and for parents it can be especially scary to think about how our children will be affected. With schools closed and no clubs or activities running, on top of the worry of trying to educate while working from home, it can all feel a little overwhelming.

Social media is bombarding us with ways to keep children busy and how to make sure learning continues while schools are closed. But is it all just too much?

Realistically, the impact of a long school closure on primary-aged children is very little. It is important to remember that the main purpose of primary education is to teach children to read, write, use numbers and to have some knowledge about the wider world. It will not cause permanent damage if they miss a topic on the Egyptians or tick off every section in the curriculum.

Most schools have set up home learning programmes to ease the transition and it’s important to focus on your child staying in the game – the good news is that this is easy to do.

Ensure your child reads and writes a little every day and keeps practising their number skills. Encourage them to get interested in something and to learn about it through books, film clips or websites – generating a love of learning is a powerful thing.

A school environment provides daily experiences and interactions which enable social, cognitive and emotional development. Without this, kids may feel lonely or isolated, less independent, and they may be anxious but not want to talk to you about it because they know you are worried too.

To combat this, clear communication is a must and all children, and most adults, benefit from a routine. However, this needs to be moderate and reasonable. Children in P1-3 don’t need to be doing more than one or two hours of “dedicated learning time” per day and P4-7 only two to three hours. This could be done in chunks throughout the day, or first thing in the morning. Sort out a place to work and try to be together for at least part of this. Around the kitchen table would be ideal.

If your child is struggling, or having a bad day, know when to let it go. If you are finding it hard to get your kids to engage in any home learning, ask if their teacher can support – this should be viewed as a tool and not a weakness. If that isn’t an option, be decisive and do what you can. A shorter amount of time well supported is better than three hours of screaming and tears.

Particularly if you’re working from home and simultaneously looking after your children a routine provides structure and habits. For scheduled calls, plan time-consuming activities, from Lego cities to giant dens – there are lots of great challenges available online and if you have a garden, I’d encourage kids to use it daily, rain or shine.

Create dedicated time slots within your schedules for TV, screen time and family activities, and try to stick to it as best as you can. Kids thrive on responsibility – build in time during the day for kids to do basic chores. It’s important that they know this is a difficult time and they have a part to play.

We need to remember that ultimately this affects everybody, so no child will go back feeling that they have fallen behind.

Ailsa Lawn is head of junior school at Lomond School