The school year will begin very soon. It is still uncertain how the learning process will take place. Most likely it will be a mixed system of offline and online learning. As last year’s experience shows, the role of parents in the learning process has grown significantly. Let’s talk about how to prepare for school and enter the school year without stress.
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Tips for parents: preparing for the school year
First, accept that the world has changed. The organization of the child’s online learning process has become an integral part of parental responsibilities. Discard the objection and take the time to prepare.
Change the schoolchildren’s daily routine gradually and in advance
Children are used to freedom in the summer. Children are used to freedom in the summer. They may not keep track of time, wake up without an alarm clock, sleep well and go to bed late. The school regime requires a clear schedule. Even virtual learning is tied to specific hours. Start gradually entering the desired mode. Find a few days for this process before the start of the school year. Ideally, the adaptation should take at least two weeks.
Organize your child’s workspace properly
Equip a separate workspace in the children’s room. Here’s what to look for:
● a table with enough space for online learning;
● comfortable chair adjustable and with orthopedic back;
● organizers for books, notebooks, school supplies;
● a separate gadget for virtual learning (PC, laptop, or smartphone with a large
screen);
● Internet access and gadget recharging;
● proper lighting (both natural and artificial).
Also, take care of the place for the baby’s clothes. By the way, the wardrobe should be
reviewed and updated before the beginning of the school year. Children grow so fast in
summer!
Plan time with your child
Online learning frees up time for other interesting activities. Less time is spent on extra things like the road to school, irrational breaks, and everything like that. But last year has shown that without time management, children cannot use new opportunities on their own. Many schoolchildren just hung in the “time eaters”.
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Here are 4 tips for parents on how to properly plan children’s time with your child.
1. Schedule basic lessons. Let this sheet be attached to the overtime permanently.
2. Schedule extracurricular activities. No matter how you want to develop all possible talents, set priorities. Do not forget to change the type of activity. It is better to play football after a math lesson, not chess.
3. Plan your child’s vacation time. The school year is not a reason to forget about
walking with friends and your favorite computer game. Include your child’s hobbies in
your daily schedule.
4. Finally, take a critical look at your schedule. Delete the excess. Overload is becoming
a serious problem today. Protect your children from emotional burnout.
Get your child used to daily rituals
There are many small processes in the organization of the daily routine, which at first glance seem insignificant. But if you set them up properly and turn them into mandatory rituals, it frees up time and space.
Under the slogan back to school, teach your child every day:
● make the bed in the morning;
● do morning exercises;
● fold a school bag in the evening;
● take breaks from working on the computer every 30 minutes;
● clean the workplace at the end of the day.
Complete the list of useful habits with your child and organize a competition: who will follow the rituals better?
Repeat the material before the school year
The child forgot part of what he learned during the summer. This is normal but can cause a loss of interest in learning. Allow time before school to repeat. The smaller the child, the less time it will take to recover the memory of the basics learned last year. Training in the form of a game will help the child to cope with the load of the first school days. And a good start is already half the battle!
Come up with a motivation system for your child
Much has been written about how to motivate a kid to learn. But each child is individual. Therefore, what works for one is not good for another. Start with what the child likes. The motivator can be:
● new toy;
● dream journey;
● extra time for gadgets;
● even a certain amount to the kid’s treasury.
Be sure to discuss the system of bonuses and incentives in detail. Record the arrangements in a document signed by the parties. The most important rule: do your part!
Take the time to show your support
This is especially important for children who are going to a new school for the first time. If you notice misunderstandings in time and talk about them with the child, you can avoid many problems. Of all the tips for parents, the most important is to talk to your child.
Buy everything for school in advance
It is best to prepare a shopping list and set aside a day or two for joint purchases. Listen to the child’s opinion when choosing clothes and school supplies. Have fun preschool shopping.
Always be there for children when they need your support
Let your child know that you can come to your parents with any problems. Not for punishment, but for advice.
Useful learning tools: tips for parents
Online learning is not just an unnecessary problem for parents. It offers many opportunities. But you need to prepare the necessary tools in advance to take advantage of these opportunities.
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We have prepared for you a list of interesting resources that parents will need during the school year.
● Sort video formats. If you compress MP4 files, good-quality online lessons can be viewed not only on PCs but also on mobile devices.
● Organize the learning process as a team effort. The task manager will help coordinate the child’s work and track his progress in learning. Conveniently, this can be done online. While at work for a coffee break, review the current affairs of your child.
● Think of a repository for information in advance. Just as you allocate shelves for books and notebooks in advance, find a place to store virtual learning materials. It is convenient to store data in cloud storage because you can configure access from different devices.
● Make language learning an interesting hobby. Choose a convenient language learning tool to keep your child interested. Learning can be turned into a game, and children will love to pass new levels in the game.
● Choose the best place for online learning. A reliable video platform is the basis of virtual learning. Discuss the choice of resources in school chats so that it is convenient for everyone: teachers, schoolchildren, parents. Note useful features such as recording a lesson and spreading the screen.
Take care of the youngest children in the family. Gadgets are not just superfluous for kids, but very harmful. While the older ones are learning, let the kid play something like Busy Book. A busy kid is a great support in virtual learning for older children, isn’t it?
Finally, remember that every child is unique. Take time to understand how your child can more easily perceive information and work productively. The learning process can and should be adjusted to the needs of the schoolchild. Back to school, dear parents!
Hi there! I am Emily Evert, the owner of Emily Reviews. I am 28 and live in a small town in Michigan with my boyfriend Ryan and our two pugs. I have a large family and I adore my nieces and nephews. I love reading memoirs, and learning about child development and psychology. I love watching The Game of Thrones, Teen Mom, Sister Wives and Veep. I like listening to Jason Isbell, John Prine, and other alt-country or Americana music. I created Emily Reviews as a creative outlet to share my life and the products that I love with others.
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