As of Monday, parents have been asked to keep their kids home if they are able but schools have stayed open for the children of essential workers.

Coronavirus: All the latest updates on COVID-19 for Tasmania

A Department spokesperson said children and young people who felt safe, connected and secure would be more likely to engage in their learning.

"It is a good idea to set up an 'at home' learning space where children have access to the things they need. A dedicated learning space separates work and play which supports children's focus and concentration," the spokesperson said.

"This will also allow you to organise and manage learning materials and assist where necessary.

"Children and young people are used to the routine and structure of school. To support your child's ongoing learning, it is important they have as much routine and certainty as possible in their day.

The spokesperson said learning at home may include opportunities to draw on a child's interests and strengths.

"Within the routine of the day there may also be ways to include tasks to help around the home as well as play and relaxation time," they said.

"Your school will communicate with you timetables and expectations. The age of the child will define the structure of their day and the department have prepared advice on age appropriate learning and wellbeing on our webpage."

University of Tasmania Curriculum Studies (Primary) lecturer Renee Morrison said her advice to parents was to use the coronavirus phenomenon as their child's curriculum if all else failed.

"Bearing in mind age appropriateness, and avoiding any extra anxiety of course, if the regular curriculum seems a bit obsolete [for example] in mathematics students could be looking at statistics and graphs of the virus," Ms Morrison said.

"In English, students could be asked to identify the adjectives being used to describe the virus or to describe different politicians' or countries' response to it.

"Well-crafted diaries chronically their own experiences during this historical event would also be very worthwhile.

"Alternatively, use regular household activities to support curriculum, [for example] fractions in cooking, horticulture in gardening, budgeting when circumstances change and so on."

Ms Morrison said setting a routine would help, especially with younger students, but it did not need to look like a regular school day.

"Parents will be unlikely to maintain their child's attention for six hours, nor should they need to," she said.

"An hour on and an hour off may work well but every household is different."

In terms of how many hours of school should be done a day, Ms Morrison said it would vary based on age and between individuals.

"Finding out what excites a child and focusing on those aspects will help," she said.

"Not all learning has to be labelled 'school work' - once students are engaged in an activity they love, it may be hard to get them to stop."

Ms Morrison said resources like Google could be helpful but parents should not assume students know how to use online information effectively.

"When in doubt, ask why and how. For example, why do you think that webpage is first on the results list? How do these articles differ from those written two or 10 years ago?" Ms Morrison said.

"If they see their parents critiquing information online, they too will establish similar beneficial habits.

"If children see their parents enjoying reading by choice right now, they will be more likely to read too."

Ms Morrison also suggested parents make use of the fact many world-class institutions, such as zoos, museums and libraries, are offering free virtual tours at this time.

More information and resources for learning at home are available on the Department of Education website.