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If you are one of the millions of students participating in online classes, their teacher, or one of their parents, distance learning has had an incredible impact on your life. As students, teachers, and parents alike struggle through Zoom or Google Classroom classes, people of the internet have conjured many ideas on how to make the shift more seamless.
With households hosting multiple children during their distance learning classes, we need to ensure students have the space they need to learn, process, and understand the material. Here are five distance learning hacks that every parent should know.
Ask If There’s Anything You Can Do to Help
Children are developing and growing daily; they need to be communicated with and listened to. Even if they don’t fully understand the pandemic crisis, they know that their daily lives are incredibly different than a few months ago.
They have struggles, fears, and concerns just like their parents – we need to hear them out to ensure things don’t get worse. If unchecked, children’s mental health, concentration, and development can rapidly decrease.
If You Have Multiple Kids – Separate Them
Teachers have seen firsthand how little siblings have tremendously affected the focus and attention of their students. It is hard enough to pay attention to a distance learning lecture without a younger sibling’s interference. As a parent, it is hard to split the focus between both kids.
One suggestion might be keeping the younger ones near you (hopefully not distracting you from your work) while the older one is farther away, or in a separate room where you can keep an eye on them. The older ones will have the independence to speak up on the mic, ask questions, and process the information streaming to them.
Make a Schedule and Stick to It
Children require structure above all else—they are used to a structured schedule at school, whether they realize it or not. Implementing a daily schedule for everyone in the household – try colour-coding it! – can help the focus of your kids immensely. It’s hard enough to motivate children, but the least you can do is try to get them on an easy-to-follow routine every day. Teach them to get up, get dressed, eat breakfast and prepare to follow the schedule for the day – for their sakes and yours.
Set Up a Digital Learning Station
IPad’s, Tablets, Laptops need to charge– all of which schools have supplied for children to attend their distance learning class. Try avoiding a conversation with your child’s teacher about absences and tardiness due to dead electronics. Create a charging station that allows your kids to either charge their devices during their class or encourage them to make sure they are plugged in during breaks or at the end, of course.
Organize the Supplies
Do yourself a favor – consistently keep the children’s supplies organized. Notebooks, pencils, markers, and essential homework supplies should be organized often and easy to find.
Consider reaching out to companies like Crawlspace depot who can provide you with more space in your home to do so. The faster your children can find their utensils, the faster they – and you – can finish their work. These tips are just as much for you as they are for your household; they are just a few ways to stay ahead of the curve.
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