VIRTUAL LEARNING: SETTING YOUR CHILD UP FOR SUCCESS
Homeschooling and virtual learning, even on a part time basis, can be difficult to transition to. Here are our favorite tips and tricks to help set your child up for success.
Talk the Talk
It's important to start by talking to your child about how school is going to be different.
- Spend 15 minutes a day, in advance of the change, calmly talking about the upcoming shift … this will ensure that there are no surprises, and give you time and space to dialogue or answer questions your child may have.
Special Space
- Try to dedicate a specific space in your home as the child's learning space. This helps your child recognize that when they are in the “learning space” it is school time and not play time.
- Try to have the learning space in an area of the home that has little distractions so your child can focus on their school work.
- Allow your child to participate in setting up their own personal learning space. “Personalizing” a special area can help increase motivation and make the transition to school at home more exciting and inviting. Try making posters, putting up your child’s name, or placing fun objects like a motivational poster or picture in the space.
Be Predictable & Establish a Routine
- Make a simple, predictable routine that can be easily followed, this will help your child understand “what is coming” and decrease your child's anxiety about how the days roll out.
- When you are creating a routine, make sure that the heaviest work / hardest work is placed at a time when your child is the most alert.
- Ensure that your routine has frequent breaks built into it. Breaks should be relaxing, involve movement, and soothing sensory experiences to help recharge.
Don’t Forget Positioning
The position your child works in at their learning area can have a significant impact on their comfort, and relatedly their attention and learning.
- If you are using a traditional chair, it’s important your child is sitting with their bottom all the way back in the chair, with their feet flat on the ground.
- Proper positioning is often referred to as the 90-90-90 position … which means this: elbows should be bent at a 90-degree angle, hips should be at a 90-degree angle, and knees should be at a 90-degree angle, with feet flat on the floor beneath your chair.
- If the chair is too high, try adding a foot stool or an object (thick telephone books) so your child can rest his/her feet flat.
- The table should be chest high when sitting so your child doesn't have to bend over to write or lift their arms up over their head.
- Break up traditional seat time by allowing your child to sit on a yoga ball with their feet flat on the ground, this can help maintain the child's attention and improve their learning.
- For tasks that do not involve 90-90-90- positioning (like reading/listening to a lesson), try allowing your child to participate while sitting in a bean bag, on a blanket outside, or in another soothing space.
Screen Position
If your child is participating in remote learning using a computer it’s important to follow some simple screen rules of thumb.
The screen should be 20-24 inches away from your child’s face so they don’t strain their eyes.
Take screen breaks often.
Consider blue light glasses as needed.
You’ve Got to Move it, Move it
Movement breaks help increase your child's self regulation skills, attention and their ability to retain information. Incorporating movement into your daily schedule helps release energy and allows your child to settle down for periods of learning easier.
Mix in Life Lessons
Learning from home offers parents the opportunity to teach valuable life skills. Teaching from home gives you more time to allow your child practice getting dressed by themselves in the morning, or learn how to tie their shoes. Depending on your child’s age, you can teach them how to do basic chores around the house such as learning how to do laundry, washing dishes, setting the table, in between traditional subjects.
Do you want to set your child up for success? Are you looking to break up the day and give the screens a break? Busy Little Learners follows a play-based & multi-sensory approach to teaching & learning. As part of the program, you will receive a multisensory kit that contains age appropriate activities and materials to teach and develop hand skills, build hand strength, as well as the motor planning for proper letter and number formation. Play plans are also provided and include visual icons to show your child how to use the tools as well as complete the activity. The best part, only 20 minutes of play a day is all you need to get your child on the road to success.
Your child will create, investigate and explore through the use of bright colors, silly scents & fun textures for a healthy, SCREEN FREE sensory lifestyle and success in learning and beyond.
PLAY IS THE WAY
References
Finch, R. (2020). Homeschool and Virtual Learning. Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/file/d/1antz8ZjLKuPnN9mmvS_IYBwGElwKsNgL/view