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22 | www.teachwire.net Make time to talk More than any of the above, the most important thing for us to do in these times is to make time to talk. As adults, we are likely juggling several worries and anxieties, and our children are likely to feel very similar. The news is scary for us, and even more so for children. Make time to talk and to truly listen. Let children share what is on their mind, whether they are blissfully happy and distracted, or sad and missing school. For now, families are the most valuable learning resource schools have access to. 25 20 Get artistic Many schools work in creative partnership with local artists who have great expertise and ideas. Ask them if they can support your children to develop their technical skills and creative expression during the lockdown. Look for practical tutorials on YouTube. ArtJohn is a great example ( youtube.com/artjohn ) , with sculpture, 3D drawing and colour mixing tutorials for teachers, parents and children. Crack a code It can sometimes feel like our children are speaking in code, but this takes it to the next level. Codes can enable children to develop a foundational understanding of computational language, which depends on similar devices and techniques. The Postal Museum has a great resource pack for teachers which can be adapted for home learning. Get it at tinyurl.com/tpcodes 21 Game over There are some great board games out there for kids. Many classics, like Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit, have junior versions. There are also free Scrabble apps available. Alternatively, why not set children the challenge of creating their own? The theme can draw on their own interests, and children will need tomake the board and playing equipment, as well as coming up with a clear set of rules and instructions. Make a family anthology For children and their families, this shutdownwill be a strange andmemorable experience. Encourage themto collate theirwriting, art, poetry and other creations into a big book, which can serve as amemento of this peculiar time. Knowing that this anthology existswill be amotivator in itself, as children tend to thinkmore carefully about what they are doing if they have a clearer purpose. 23 otherwiseeducation.com JonnyWalker is the director of OtherWise Education and runs innovative projects across groups of schools, such as poetry retreats and creative writing networks. During the school closures, OtherWise is curating a collection of free resources for schools, families and children. @jonnywalker_edu 22 24 Try a reading app The Reading Journey is a brilliant app developed by Just Imagine. It allows children to log the books they’ve read and also makes smart recommendations and sets challenges for pupils to record their own response. It is all about celebrating and promoting a love of reading. Given that children will have more time, it can be a great way for teachers to see what pupils are immersing themselves in. Schools, rather than parents, need to sign up, but it’s free. Visit thereadingjourney.co.uk