As we all try to navigate what is surely the most unusual back-to-school season we’ve ever seen, let’s talk about how parents can support their kids during this challenging time. There is one bit of positive news: teachers and schools have now had months to think about how to keep students engaged online. So, if you’re worried the fall semester will be a repeat of spring, you can probably breathe a sigh of relief here.
Many schools, like those in Durham, are starting off the 2020-2021 school year online. Others are following a hybrid model where segmented groups of students show up in-person part of the week to reduce the number of students in classrooms and maintain social distancing.
Now that remote learning is a way of life for students, here are 5 top tips from parenting experts about what parents can do to stay ahead of the game this fall.
1. Reflect on last year.
Set aside some time to reflect on what went well in the spring and what you and your child think didn’t go so well. Spend 10-30 minutes writing about the experience you had with virtual learning in the spring and encourage your child to write about it as well. Then come together to share your thoughts.
If your child is not old enough to write about their feelings, you can ask them to draw a picture representing their experience and talk about it together. Having reflective conversations with your student will help both of you mentally prepare for the next several months.
These discussions will also remind everyone what went well and what didn’t go so well, so you can plan to make more of the good things happen and look at the challenges with a fresh mind. Taking this step back will help you and your student prepare for and address future issues before they get out of hand.
Also, the experts at Common Sense Media launched a whole website devoted to helping parents navigate the difficulties of distance learning. Check it out for some amazing free resources!
2. Help kids create a designated work space.
We all work better when we have a work space that is dedicated to work time. Effective learning requires having a space that is conducive to focusing. Creating separate, quiet work stations for children, whenever possible, can help alleviate distractions, conflict, and stress.
Ideally, childhood education experts suggest having three spaces for online learning:
A place for studying (like a desk or even the kitchen table)
A comfy space for reading (like cushions on the floor or a “gaming chair”)
A place where kids can spread out to do arts and crafts or physically move around
Even if you don’t have the space to give every child and adult in your home their own designated work space, there are things you can do to make sharing space easier:
Keep a bin or box with everything you need to set up your “office” or “classroom” space each day.
Use painters tape to mark off part of the kitchen table or counter for work space.
Even giving your kid space under the table or setting up a small tent in the living room as their “office” can be a fun way to create a designated area when you don’t have a lot of extra space.
3. Focus on physical activity.
In addition to having a dedicated work space, research suggests that incorporating physical activity into our learning and working days can make it easier to focus. Besides figuring out how to keep kids motivated to run and play outside, there is another challenge this year. The more active children are during the summer, the more ready they are to start school in the fall.
With so many summer camps being canceled along with the usual family vacations, kids may really be craving some physical activity now. You can satisfy this need by making physical activity a part of your daily routine. How about taking a daily walk after dinner as a family? Or doing yoga together each morning?
This also goes hand-in-hand with setting screen time limits. Yes, with remote school, our kids are likely going to get more screen time than usual. But all of this makes any limits you set on screen time outside of school even more important.
4. Find a meaningful long-term project.
Make the most of this time you have with your children by getting involved with their learning process. In addition to the school work their teachers assign, give kids a chance to work on a project that is meaningful to them. This could look like building a website, volunteering, or creating a piece of art.
Encourage your child to choose a project at the intersection of their passions and what might benefit their community. For example, a student interested in learning more about snakes might create a website cataloging the different snakes they find in their community, which ones are harmful to people, and which ones are beneficial.
For older students a meaningful long-term project can give them a leg-up during the college application process or lead them to their career path. Learning in this hands-on way, while making a difference in the lives of others during this time can give students a break from the monotony of remote learning and give them some perspective. So get creative!
5. Keep lines of communication open.
Finally, holding space for kids to talk freely about what they are feeling—the good, the bad, and ugly—can help them head into the new school year feeling safe and confident. How do you get them to open up? Well, child psychologists suggest asking open-ended questions about how they are feeling:
What are you excited about?
What are you concerned about?
What do you miss the most about seeing your friends?
What are the good things about learning from home?
Engage your children in the ways in which school will be different this year. These safe conversations give children a chance to prepare emotionally and socially for what they can expect.
The bottom line here is when kids can express their fears and concerns openly, they feel heard and understood. As adults, it’s easy to assume that kids know we’re there for them. But these kinds of open conversations are a natural reminder of the security we can provide.
Fall 2020 is starting off with more new experiences than any of us would have wanted for our kids. There is so much we can do to make this unusual time easier, though. When we let go of the unrealistic expectation to make this year the same as any other school year, we open up the space to find alternatives that work for the whole family.
The Exchange Family Center is here to help parents through this difficult time. While our in-person programs remain suspended, we do offer Pandemic Parenting Support. Please reach out if you or your child are struggling.