It is the middle of August, and the school-opening situation is still as blurry as it was when the ongoing pandemic first hit. As states struggle to decide when and, most importantly, how to open schools in healthy conditions, parents are trying their best to keep children engaged with learning activities.
As societies began to develop, we started relying more and more on specialists to help us solve our problems. Teachers help our kids grow, doctors keep them healthy, and coaches keep them active, but when none of these specialists can guide or help us, we are left to deal with things on our own. We need to become teachers, doctors, babysitters, and coaches for our children, whether we fancy the idea or not.
Remote learning has become the only way to help our kids keep up with the curriculum and continue their education. Still, many parents are afraid it may not be enough, and their children will inevitably fall behind. Online learning has a tremendous amount of benefits, including schedule flexibility and the ability for children to learn at their own pace. But sometimes, kids do need a little push to get on the right track.
To explore the full benefits of distance learning and make the most out of the current situation, you need to get involved in your children’s learning process. Here’s how you can do it without having to monitor their classwork all day or hire expensive tutors to do it.
Make it educative and fun
When they are at school, children are used to engaging in a lot of fun activities that help them deepen their knowledge or apply what they have learned. At-home learning can not provide the same level of social and educational activities, which means parents need to jump in and help.
Look up educative games, which can help your little one learn in a fun way, and plan on doing these activities a few times a week. This will not only help your children improve their knowledge and keep up with the curriculum, but will also strengthen the bond between you.
For preschoolers and young children, there are also plenty of online early learning academies, where they can follow a step-by-step learning path with activities designed for children their age. If you are worried such classes may cost a fortune, you will be pleased to know you can find plenty of discounts, especially during this period. For example, using ABCmouse coupons can give you as much as 69% off and a free first month to test out their program.
Not everyone learns the same way
Learning is an individual activity, meaning it can take a variety of forms or styles. Not all children learn the same, but most learners tend to fit into one of the four known learning styles:
- Visual learners – children who have a preference for visual learning react much better to pictures, diagrams, graphics, and other visual experiences.
- Auditory learners – those in this category prefer top learn by listening to lectures or using their own voice to reinforce the ideas and concepts they are studying.
- Kinesthetic learners – often called tactile learners, kids in this category react much better to practical lessons, which allow them to touch, handle, or manifest the things they learn.
- Reading/writing learners – these learners prefer written words as their method of learning. They will write and read a lot and can sometimes be confused with visual learners.
To identify your child’s learning style, you need to have a conversation with them and talk about the methods that help them gather information the fastest. Try out various practices and observe how they react to them. Do they get excited when they have a new book to read, or when they need to create a visual presentation?
Once you find out your child’s learning style, make sure to communicate this to teachers and ask how they can help your little one learn in their own way.
Ask teachers for help
This pandemic has tasked parents with taking the teaching assistant’s role, whether they want it or not. For many parents, this role is overwhelming, to say the least, so they need teachers to help them adapt. But a recent survey performed between April and May this year shows that only 33% of children have regular access to teachers, and only 15% of parents received guidance on how to support their children’s learning progress during the lockdown.
If we want parents to be able to help their children, we need to teach them how to do that. Cajon Valley Union School District, a school district in Southern California, knows this very well, so they created a road map for how parents can make online learning effective for their children.
The superintended of the school district held Zoom meetings with P.T.A. heads and school staff every week, to understand how they feel and how they can work together to design and safe pan for school reopening. This turned into a therapy group for overwhelmed parents who need guidance and assistance, and the results were formidable. Parents expressed their individual concerns, and the district took it upon itself to help them overcome those fears.
Reach out to your school district and see if they have any programs to help parents available. If they don’t, then explain to them why such initiatives are needed and how they can help children continue their development and education.
Don’t push it too hard
This period is not easy for anyone. Teachers are working to make the most out of online classes, and parents are in over their heads with children responsibilities, but things are not exactly easy for children either. We tend to think that children can adapt easily, as they see everything in a more positive way, but all of the issues adults are taking about affect the little ones as well.
Don’t push your child too much if you see them struggle. Instead, propose to take a break, do something fun, then analyze the situation and come up with a solution together. Take their opinion into consideration as well and find common ground.
