Coronavirus: Advice, support and resources for parents

How to cope with kids at home, encourage and support their learning, answer questions and look after their well being during Coronavirus.

These are challenging times, with kids home from school, learning remotely and family routines disrupted, but here we aim to provide you with some useful advice, support and resources to help you navigate the disruption and keep your kids learning and safe. We will update these resources as we go. Please contact us if you think we need to add anything or have any questions.

Here are APC President Jenni Rickard's top three tips for managing learning at home.

1. You know your child best so do what they need to do. Mine are busy kids so we are keeping busy! But you do you! (and your kids)
2. Take a dance break when you or your kids need it! I recommend "Shake it off" by Taylor Swift
3. Have them pack their lunch and recess like usual and send them off to school via the front door and make the back door the school entrance.

But mostly just remember to try to have some fun together.

Quick links to government information

Below are links to federal and state and territory government information sites. Many States and territories have special pages with information for parents to help support children's learning at home. We have included direct links below if they have, otherwise we have included links to general COVID-19 information pages.

Department of Health - daily updates

COVID-19: an online safety kit for parents and carers

Department of Education, Skills and Employment - COVID-19 information

ACT Education Directorate - info and advice on Coronavirus

NSW Department of Education - learning from home

Northern Territory COVID-19 advice

Queensland Department of Education - learning at home

South Australian Government - updates

Victorian Department of Education - learning from home

Tasmanian Department of Education - learning at home

Western Australian Department of Education - Learning at home

ACARA - parent information about the Australian curriculum and learning at home

Learning Potential website and app for parents

Learning at home tips for parents

So how do you help your kids learn at home. Even if they are having lessons delivered remotely, there's still plenty you can do to support them and create a positive environment where they can concentrate, be creative and get the most out of their time at home with you. It's also a chance for you to make learning fun and really make it about what your kids are interested in, if you think a bit outside the box.

Here are some ideas to help you and your family make this a positive experience.

Download planner as a pdf

Fun things to do with kids at a social distance

Looking for some educational activities and fun things you can do with your kids? Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

Talking COVID-19 and emotional well-being

The following are links to some relevant advice and articles on how to discuss COVID19 with your children and support their emotional well being.

"One of the most useful things we can do to help reduce our children’s worry is to be calm ourselves. Your child takes cues from you about how to react and they learn how to handle challenging situations by watching and listening to what you say."