Multi-disciplinary Team Top Tips for home learning

Sensory Teachers Team

  • You have all the skills you need to help your child to learn. Your child will be learning even when they’re just hanging out communicating and playing with you. Let your child share with you what they’re interested in and follow their lead.
  • Learning takes place all the time, in everyday routines, discussions around the dinner table, playing games or communicating with friends and family over the internet. Make sure your child is using their hearing device, spectacles, low vision aids and any other personal technology as much as possible during these times
  • Most children are happiest when they have a routine. This doesn’t mean they won’t fight you over it, but establishing boundaries around bedtimes, meal times and study times will make them feel secure when everything around them feels strange. Create your own unique timetable together; write it down, draw it out using words, pictures and photos or use objects of reference to help them to understand what is happening during the day.

Boardmaker can help you create online visual timetables and routines. They currently have allowed access to some free resources that might be of use. 

  • Communicate clearly your expectations, but be prepared to be flexible. Every family will approach learning in a different way – there’s no right or wrong. Have a set of simple rules but be prepared to revisit it if things aren’t going well. 

Twinkl offers a range of choice cards and behaviour reward charts.

Social Stories can be used to teach routines, explain changes or help children learn how to behave in new situations and manage expectations. Choose from a wide range of resources on their website.

  • If possible, create a designated quiet space and a visually uncluttered environment where your child can do some focused learning. Make sure windows and doors are closed and the TV is off and lighting is at an optimum for your child.

What new insights have you learned about how your child communicates, learns, plays and interacts with you during this extended lockdown period?

What can your share with your child’s teacher of the deaf or teacher for vision impairment that could help them to support your child’s to access to learning in different ways?

Physiotherapy 
 
1) Make sure you have movement breaks, this can be going for a walk, standing up or stretching in your chair.
 
2) Schedule in time to do your physiotherapy programme or an online exercise class 2-3 times a week.
 
3) Try to stretch everyday this might mean completing your stretching programme or just having time out of your chair or taking one of the online yoga classes.
 
4) Use things in your house to stay active- climbing stairs is a great exercise.
 
5) There are loads of you tube links to have fun through music and dancing.
 
Online resources we are encouraging:
Animal walking 

This video shows families how to replicate animal walking. It has a nice pace to how quickly they move between activities and they are well explained. This is for fully mobile children and helps with co-ordination and general strengthening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vywo8eUk1Dc

 
Wheelchair Yoga
Adapted yoga for wheelchair users, videos available here:

https://sittingfityoga.com/

Seated dance class 

A DDMIX program especially designed for those who prefer to remain seated. You can still get all of the attributes of dance such as memory expansion, the release of feel good endorphins, co ordination and enjoy moving to music whilst sitting down. This is a seated dancing class with Darcey Bussell.
 
We have created a DDMIX program especially designed for those who prefer to remain seated. You can still get all of the attributes of dance such as memory ex...
www.youtube.com
 
Cerebral Palsy specific classes
Cerebral Palsy Sport is a really good website with lots of useful ideas specifically for children with cerebral palsy
http://www.cpsport.org/
 
This girl can campaign

Useful tips for play with children and great Disney act along videos.

https://www.thisgirlcan.co.uk/activities/exercising-with-your-child/