“8 Great tips” to Help your child ACE Online Schooling!!
“Behind every young child who believes in himself is a parent who believed first.” — Matthew Jacobson
With all that is happening around, and the pace, screen-time is taking in our children’s lives is drastically affecting both their physical and mental health. Even then, as much as one would want to avoid it, it just so happens to be the need of the hour!
Irrespective of how hesitant/ strict we are trying to teach our children the way we were taught, it is important we understand that everything has evolved with time. But don’t lose hope. We’ve come up with some wonderful tips for you to help your child cope with online schooling.
Don’t try Recreating!
Recreating the school schedule of six to seven hours of curricular content at home is like providing your child with everything; but knowledge. The aim should be to invest two to three hours each day for all the schoolwork, depending upon the age of your child. It’s best to focus on providing high-quality engagement in a shorter time period; and make more time for fun activities.
Maintain breaks
Routines and schedules are extremely important for children not only while at school but at home as well. Children function best when they maintain their routine as they do on a regular school day.
- Encourage your child to get up and move around a little in the house after they’ve had lunch. This helps ensure they are not sedentary for the entire day.
- Fix timings for all the major daily-life-based activities.
Help them find their motivation
We tried to word this carefully because children range so drastically in not only their levels of motivation but also where that motivation comes from. Further, the dynamic of parent-to-child is different from the parent-as-teacher-to-child dynamic.
However, motivating a child is one area where parents are (ideally) better than any teacher could be. The idea here is to help them ‘want to’ learn without pressurizing them to actually do so. Think of ways to inspire your child; it could either be by you, or a story of someone else having done something inspirational. Let your child find their way in this journey of life. All you gotta do is give a little push towards doing better, because a child feels most motivated when their parent appreciates their work irrespective of how small or big it might be.
Remember to schedule time for fun
While this is most certainly not a vacation, it’s important to have some fun with your children while they are at home. It’s rare to get so much time with your child, so use this as an opportunity to bond.
Getting enough sleep, eating nutritious foods and exercising are all important for good mental health. As your kids are experiencing detachment from their normal school routines, make your kid’s learning experiences more personalized to their strengths, interests, and skill level. The best way to teach your child these self-care strategies is for us as parents to follow them too.
Supervise
With the generations having advanced so much we tend to think our teen children don’t really need our supervision, but this is exactly when it needs to be done more. Always remember, keeping a check on your child is the one thing your child will never get too old for.
While teachers are putting in all their efforts to have your child fed with the right and appropriate knowledge, education being remote resists them from ensuring the effect of the same. This is exactly where your assistance and role comes into play.
Protect children online:
Digital platforms provide an opportunity for children to learn more and keep in touch with their friends. But increased access to all things online brings heightened risks for children’s safety, protection and privacy. Discuss the internet with your child so that they know how it works, what they need to be aware of, and what appropriate behavior looks like on the platforms they use.
- Establish rules together about how, when and where the internet can be used.
- Set up parental controls on their devices to mitigate online risks, particularly for younger children.
- Identify appropriate online tools for recreation together -
organizations like Common Sense Media offer advice for age-appropriate apps, games and other online entertainment.
Engaging in Different Creative Activities:
The lockdown has brought with it time that definitely looks limitless and could be an unique opportunity to try out new things and ideas. Getting creative with your child will positively affect both of you and make your day look fruitful.
link to: creative activities to engage your child in.
Provide positive feedback:
After kids complete a task or finish a class, consider praising them. Putting a check mark, star or sticker on a work assignment can go a long way to encourage a kid. Other options that may work well with younger kids are giving a sweet treat, allowing playtime with a favorite toy or an extra 15 minutes to play before bedtime. For high schoolers, watching a movie or getting extra tablet time might be a good reward.
Upbringing a child can definitely be challenging, but the more you understand their individuality and your role in it, the better you up-bring the child. Let education be an escape rather than what one may be escaping from!
