Ages 8 to 10: What’s the Best Approach to School?

We’re right in the middle of back-to-school season. Across the country, kids have either begun the 2020-21 school year or are preparing to in the coming weeks. As you’re already clearly aware, this school year is like no other any of us have ever experienced in our lifetimes. Depending on where you live, your kids are either fully back in a classroom, in class a few hours a day and then finishing up at home, or doing everything entirely at home–whether that’s through traditional homeschooling or a school district’s remote learning program.

Parents of kids between the ages of 8 and 10 might actually have it a bit rougher than others this year. While COVID-19 has certainly changed everyone’s lives, kids in third to fifth grades–plus their parents–are in an especially sensitive age group. These kids are really just starting to shed the “basics” of kindergarten, first grade, and second grade learning and move on to more complicated concepts; children at the older end of this spectrum are beginning to prepare for middle school.

Plus, kids this age really start experiencing a flood of emotions for the first time. It may sound like a young age, but children in this age bracket begin having crushes, dealing with bullying, and start asserting their independence. According to Dr. Michelle Anthony, PhD, it’s at this age that kids “are learning how to relate to peers, adjust to social rules, and evolve from free play to more elaborately structured interactions and expectations.” Additionally, “one component of social and emotional growth in 8- to 10-year olds is their desire for increased independence from parents and siblings, and their increased desire to be seen as intelligent and knowledgeable.”

Clearly this is a sensitive age for many reasons. So, how is that age group going to adjust to this new way of schooling in the COVID age? One in which they’re separated–literally–from their friends, whether that be through plexiglass dividers, the lack of recess and group lunches, the absence of group school work and study sessions, and the fact that many students will be on different schedules. In some ways, going back to school may be even more difficult for these kids than being at home–it’s simply not the school they remember, even from as recently as this past spring.

That’s why many parents are essentially saying “no thanks” and opting to keep their children at home, whether that’s to homeschool themselves or enroll in their school district’s remote learning setup. To those parents, it’s simply not worth the hassle of potentially shuttling back and forth between remote learning and in-school learning–and then back again if/when a school needs to quarantine for positive COVID-19 cases. To them, it’s not worth the health risk. It’s not worth the worry over how these kids are going to socially distance and wear masks all day. And it’s not worth the potential disconnect kids may feel from their friends when they go back to a completely unfamiliar–and maybe even frightening–school environment, one that’s vastly different from the one they abruptly left just months ago.

So, for those third- to fifth-grade parents…how are you going to proceed? Will you homeschool yourself? Or will you rely on the school district’s remote learning? What if there was a solution that provided the best of both worlds?

Bridgeway’s Total Care Blended Learning Program was designed specifically for elementary school kids, and it combines online learning, textbook learning, and hands-on activities to create the perfect school experience for kids 8 to 10 years old. Our Total Care Blended Learning Program includes:

• A full year of curriculum
• Top-notch accreditation that is recognized across the globe
• Recordkeeping, including report cards, transcripts, permanent records, and honor roll
• Unlimited support from an academic advisor
• A preliminary learning style assessment designed to personalize curriculum to your child’s strengths and interests

This program has everything your child would want from school–and it gives you the peace of mind that you need right now, knowing that your son or daughter is getting an excellent education, complete with traditional textbook learning, top-notch online content, and all the support your entire family needs. All without having to deal with buses, solitary lunches, intimidating taped-off areas in the classroom, the threat of illness, possible learning disruptions, and so many other factors and risks that schools face this year.

Kids in this age group are dealing with quite a few emotions as it is; they’re sensitive and vulnerable simply because their brains are developing and processing thoughts and feelings they never have before. The last thing these children need is more stress at school. Bridgeway is here to help. Call us today at (800) 863-1474 to learn more about our Total Care Blended Program (or any of our other programs) and how it might be the perfect solution to the 2020-21 school year.