Date : March 5, 2022
Educational Resources for First-Time Home Schoolers
If you’d planned on sending your early primary school-aged children to school but are holding off due to the most recent COVID-19 surge, home schooling resources are probably exactly what you’re looking for.
After two years of this pandemic having a significant impact on our lives, we’re all just trying to adjust as best we can. One of the biggest challenges for parents and carers has been trying to guide their young children through home learning at a time when they’re just starting school. Assuming a role that’s unfamiliar can be tricky and stressful in the best of cases, let alone when your child is just at the start of their education, and still at the developing stages of their literacy and numeracy skills. With this carefully curated list of home-schooling resources, you can help keep your kids stimulated and engaged with educational activities until it’s safe to head back to school.
Resources for your little ones
It’s important to remember that no one expects you to suddenly become a fabulous teacher and have everything perfectly planned. Teachers have years of experience and training that you don’t, and you’re not expected to replicate a school setting. These resources are just here to help you do your best to keep your kids engaged and stimulated, and maybe help develop their literacy skills a bit while you’re at it.
Quality digital content that is aligned with early education priorities, categorised in six broad curriculum areas.
The popular readers that make learning to read fun, interesting, and engaging for kids, with fantastic online reading games and activities. This site is paid but has a free trial.
Lots of ways to engage your child and keep learning fun. These resources are categorised by age, including resources for babies.
Evidence-based resources to help parents and carers support the literacy progress of their children during their first few years of school.
The State Library of Queensland’s First 5 Forever program considers the first five years of life vital for the development of literacy skills, and has various resources available to help develop your child’s skills at home.
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Crickweb
Free online interactive teaching literacy resources for children of primary school age.
- State Education Department Literacy and Numeracy Resources and Activities
Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia.
Your child’s favourite stories as told by some of Australia’s best storytellers.
May Gibbs also has scores of fabulous arts and craft resources to keep your child entertained and engaged while participating in literary-based activities, as well as early literacy activities designed for prep students and pre-schoolers.
Librarian Bec
Right now, Librarian Bec’s hard at work at your local library, sharing a passion for reading with little people and big. Bec writes about inspiring little readers and embracing lovely literature.