This year, we have all heard a plethora of new phrases to match our lives.
“New normal” seems to be one of the big ones but for most children, learning from their teacher over a computer isn’t normal.
In the span of just a few days, it seems that all of our lives spun upside down out of control-
Their life went from playing on the jungle gym with their friends to being at home 24/7 without their friends or teacher or regular routine learning on a computer.
Your life went from working in the office to having meetings in your bathrobe while trying to make breakfast while trying to teach one of your little ones to read while helping the other one log onto their class. In other words- chaos!
Life got exhausting and overwhelming very quickly. All while you’re mentally screaming,
“I’M NOT A TEACHER! I DON’T KNOW”
Below are 3 easy peasy ways you can help your child adjust to the “new normal” and excel in online school.
1. Work in a quiet area
Remember as a child, your parents would insist that you did your homework at the table and not in front of the T.V?
That is because it is incredibly hard for children to focus in an environment with a lot of distractions.
Siblings bothering them, people talking or excessive noise may be a contributing factor to your student not being able to focus on their school work.
In order for them to be able to bring their best everyday, set them up at a table or a desk in a quiet area of your home where there will be minimal distractions.
This area could be a desk in their room if you think they can keep them self motivated or if you would want to keep an eye on them you can set them up at the kitchen table. A desk or table would be ideal for their zoom meeting with the teacher because it promotes good posture and allows proper blood flow to their brain to help keep them stimulated and focused.
(A little side note for parents- when your child is on a call with their class, be sure that you are able to be quiet for that amount of time. If you have a call at the same time, try to make arrangements to be in another room. The last thing you want is for your work (or personal) conversation to be heard in front of the whole class. )
2. Use headphones
Just like when you are on a conference call, a nice pair of headphones can increase the sound quality of the call. It may seem like a trivial detail, but when they are receiving all of their instruction via internet, choppy or hard to hear lessons will become stressful and many times will result in tears.
Likewise, when your child talks to the class, it is easier for the others to hear because there will be less feedback, the sound is more clear and the headphones often cut out any background noise.
3. Create a schedule
Believe it or not, an elementary school is scheduled to the minute. In a lot of cases, even bathroom breaks are planned and scheduled.
Now, I’m not saying that you need to have every minute of your day timed out but having a rough estimate as to when certain things are to be done can help.
Your work day may be different every day with meetings, calls and deadlines to follow but for your little one, consistency is key.
This is why schools have the same routine everyday. After the first few weeks of school, your kiddo can probably rattle off their entire schedule for the week- because it rarely changes.
Even students who don’t know how to tell time, can remember a sequence of events.
For example- after lunch we read for thirty minutes then it’s time for the math lesson then it’s time for a break and so on.
This continual schedule for them to follow will not only help keep them a bit more organized but also decrease some of the confused commotion that might be going on at certain times of your day.
Just like adults, children want to feel like they are in control of their surroundings and know what to expect coming up next.
Having a simple to-do list written down for them to check off tasks can be a huge help and even lessen anxiety they may be feeling.
Last, working in breaks, play time or additional school work time can help teach them how to prioritize their time and responsibilities and ensure that there is time in their day for everything to get done.
That’s it! Three easy ways you can help your child succeed with online school. Things as simple as working in a quiet area, having headphones and a schedule can lessen the chaos and help them become a self motivated super learner.
Lastly...
If you’re looking for some help maintaining peace and quiet in your home, we run an online tutoring service.
The first lesson is free, so sign up today!
