DISTANCE LEARNING

'Learning happens anywhere and everywhere and your home is already a learning environment.
It is not necessary to turn your home into a classroom.'

Advice from the MOE

Working together with your child’s early learning services or school, you can support your children to learn from home. It’s key to remember that your home does not have to be a school. 


Learning happens anywhere and everywhere and your home is already a learning environment. It is not necessary to turn your home into a class room.

First and foremost, communicate with your child’s teacher. They will have a plan for learning at home – you aren’t expected to replace the teacher.

You will need to consider the different ages of your children learning at home. Those at secondary level may need a separate quiet space, whereas you may be able to find learning opportunities for younger children through every day activities.

Learning happens in every language. If your home language is a language other than English, use that language when communicating with your child. You can use your home language to talk about activities the teacher has provided and the activity can be completed in English.

The next section ‘Planning for learning at home’ provides some guidance on the things you may want to start thinking about with your whānau.

Planning for learning at home

Your home is already a learning environment. It is not necessary to turn it into a classroom or service. Learning opportunities happen anywhere every day. Remember that learning should be fun, and that it should be in the language you are most comfortable with using.

Plan what your day will look like. Sit down with your child or children and work out what you will be doing together and what they will be doing alone.

Discuss what work best for you and your family when planning learning. Remember, learning doesn’t only happen between 9am – 3pm.

It’s important to take regular breaks, get outside for some fresh air and do some physical activity.

Some things you might want to support your child with each day:

Read (or hear) a story.

Write something.

Challenge you child’s thinking on a subject or topic.

Solve a problem.

Do something active.

Hold a conversation about a topic that is interesting to them.

Include your child in everyday home activities, like cooking, washing and cleaning.

Have time to rest and play.

Connect with your early learning services or school to see if they have prepared anything to help you support learning at home – these might include tips, ideas, activities or how to access resources.

Confirm with your child’s teacher how best to communicate with them while your child is learning from home.

Create a space to discuss the day or week's learning. This could simply be the sofa or somewhere outside

Click here to be taken to our amazing Distance Learning site where you will find lots of resources, ideas and links to learning and fun based activities.