Online Learning Tips: How to Get Your Kids to Do Their Work

Published August 3, 2020

Distance learning is becoming the new norm for children everywhere. And while some parents are struggling just to get through the day juggling kids, work and other responsibilities, there’s the added pressure of helping their kids with their online education.

If you’ve chosen distance learning for your children this fall, here are some tips on how to get kids to do their online learning work.

Keep Things Positive

Having to transition into being your child’s parent and their teacher can be frustrating. Especially if online schooling isn’t something you originally had planned for your kids. Keeping a positive attitude and mindset when going into teaching can make a world of difference.

Remain positive, encouraging and motivating so your child stays excited to learn. Don’t let it become a chore.

Set Clear Expectations

Setting a clear set of expectations when it comes to online school work is important to your child. It may be easy for you to see what needs to be done, but you have a bird’s eye view.

Something like a checklist or outline can really help kids grasp what they need to do without getting overwhelmed. Being overwhelmed leads to frustration and wanting to give up, so helping them feel like they understand and can move forward with a plan will give them the confidence they need to do their best work.

Provide a Workspace

It can be hard to concentrate at home, but a dedicated workspace can really help kids focus. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate or permanent, just a desk or table where they can work at without being distracted is a great.

Providing kids a calm, clutter-free environment to work in will help your children focus on their work and get more done.

Get Outside

It might seem like an odd tip when you want your kids inside working on their school work, but getting outside can really help kids get in the zone.

Making sure your children move their bodies and can be outside in nature for a couple of hours every day will make it easier for your kids to sit still and get work done when it’s time to focus. If your child tends to be fidgety or get the wiggles when trying to sit still, going outside for free play will be a great tool for calming them down.

Create a Schedule

Part of setting your child up for success is making sure they know what they’ll be doing at what time. Create a schedule and label the times your kids should be doing their school work, and be very clear about when their time is free, too. Your children will focus harder and get more done when they know there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

Have a Discussion

Having discussions with children gives them agency, and a sense of agency helps everyone do better. Talk to your kids about what is happening, and listen to their thoughts on how to help them do their best. You could let them help you create the schedule and have some meaningful conversation about how you can help them be successful in their online learning.

Rather than shooting down suggestions that seem silly, talk it through with them. Even young kids in elementary school can have a say in what their day looks like. Giving them some control over their day and how they get their online learning work done can make them approach it much more positively.

The key to getting kids to do their online learning work is providing them with the resources and support they need. What each child needs will be different, so taking time to figure that out and work with your child will help them do the work they may be struggling with.

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