Engaging and Supporting Families In At-Home Learning During COVID-19
REL West has compiled a list of resources to spark ideas about how to maintain school-family partnerships in the absence of opportunities to interact in person.
Resources for at-home learning
- Check out this list of learning games and technologies for students in preK through college – including specific resources for students with disabilities – developed with funding from the Department of Education and other government agencies. All of them are now available for free online until the end of the school year.
- Students in upper elementary and high school can visit the National Center for Education Statistics Kids’ Zone to access games, quizzes, and skill building on math, probability, and graphing. The website also provides many interesting facts about education and school data.
- Watch the Kids’ Zone video to learn more.
Research-based resources on family engagement
- This REL Southwest Ask-a-REL response on successful family engagement strategies shares over a dozen studies and toolkits that detail promising strategies for engaging families in their children’s learning.
- REL Southeast recently produced a guide on supporting family involvement in foundational reading skills, which includes video links, book ideas, and simple activities to boost students’ early literacy.
Other helpful messages to share with families
- The World Health Organization’s infographic on helping children cope with stress provides tips for parents and other adults to talk with the young people in their lives about COVID-19.
- Erin Higgins of the National Center for Education Research published a blog on activities for young children stuck at home, with an important reminder to “recognize the value of even the most simple, positive interaction with your kids.”
What are you doing to stay connected with students and families during school closures? Tell us on Twitter @REL_West and @WestEd or drop us a line: relwest@WestEd.org.
Posted on May 8, 2020