TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - It has been nearly two months since Indonesia has adopted the coronavirus (COVID-19) physical distancing with some imposing a stricter PSBB or large-scale social restriction, which has forced thousands of parents to assist their children’s homeschooling.

The prolonged time confined in one’s home might cause anxiety for some, moreover the children who are prone to boredom due to the lack of social activities.

A child psychologist and founder of Rumah Konsultasi Tiga Generasi, Saskhya Aulia Prima, shared tips on how to maintain the learning spirit in children and at the same time help eliminate the boredom factor of the home-schooling the pandemic caused.

First, Prima suggested parents prepare a space in the house that could be used as a dedicated learning room and sometimes move to other places around the house to vary a child’s learning routine.

“Take an example of studying on the front porch over a mat. This can create a comfy environment for children and spark the child’s motivation to study,” said Prima in a media briefing with Cerebrofort in Jakarta on Tuesday, April 28.

The second aspect that is also important is to establish a determined hour to take a break, “Kids can’t absorb all school subjects from the morning till noon. So, replicate what schools do, there must be lunch breaks to maintain the enthusiasm of your child,” she said.

The third and last tip Prima said is to create a variation in the medium the child studies from. A laptop or computer for online homeschooling courses can be sometimes exchanged to something that involves physical activities that enable children to practice the courses they just learned from their teachers online.

“That is the important role of parents, which is to monitor the child so they would not only [passively follow a course] by listening [it online] but it must also be practiced to be involved in a lesson,” she reminded.

Sarah Ervina Dara Siyahailatua