“I never thought this would happen, but COVID-19 has brought us closer as a family,” says Mr Ganesan Maniam, father to 10-year old Kavi and 11-year old Jayashree.
“I have found out so much about dinosaurs from Kavi and I have been solving riddles posed by my daughter.”
When Home-Based Learning started, Mr Ganesan and his wife Kanjana Lee set up a timetable for their kids’ schoolwork, following their teachers’ advice. “We told them that there was a time allocated for everything, even play, just like in school. If they followed the schedule, the day would go smoothly.”
The children started helping to set the table after Mr Ganesan explained that it was the one step in the routine of having a meal.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing though. At first, the parents tried letting the children clear all their school work before they could play. This meant studies from morning all the way to later in the afternoon. But after a few days, the children requested for a short break in between, as they found it difficult to stay focused for so long.
The solution: reworking the timetables to add in two breaks – a short 30 minute break in the morning and another in the afternoon. A small change, but one that really helped move things along.
Kavi and his sister now take turns to bring the laundry to the washing machine.
In fact, all this talk about timetables and routines led, unexpectedly, to the children helping out with housework. Mr Ganesan was explaining how even in eating a meal, there are routines. For instance, setting the table. This led to the children taking on this job. Later, he was pleasantly surprised to see both children taking turns to bring their laundry to the washing machine.
Once the day’s work was over, the dinosaurs and riddles would take over. “I was the one asking them questions to find out more. We would chat or play games like Connect4.”
When it comes to his favourite topic of dinosaurs, Kavi is the expert.
Even now, with the children back in school, every evening, Mr Ganesan asks: “What is one positive thing you learnt today?” The children share the problems they managed to solve in school, while the parents tell them about their day at work.
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