As the first day of school approaches, many students will be returning to school virtually. This is a strange and challenging way to start the year for kids and parents. Here are some tips to help make the transition to homeschooling a little easier so your family can get the most out of distance learning!
Set a daily schedule and stick to it
A predictable daily schedule will help you and your child adjust to their new home school routine. For younger children, write out their class schedule and post it on the wall as a reminder of what to expect throughout the day. A timer is also a very helpful for transitioning between class time and break time! Older kids should be responsible for keeping their own agenda but they may need your help prioritizing tasks. Work with them to create a schedule and a system that suits their learning needs. Apps like Canvas Student or Apple calendar will help your child stay on top of assignments and of course, regular check-ins with their teacher ensures nothing gets left undone!
Create a dedicated workspace
A dedicated workspace will keep your child focused and help them stay on task. Whether they are at a desk in their room or at the kitchen table, working at the same space everyday helps them mentally prepare for the school day ahead and shift their mindset from “home” to “school”. If you have the room for it, set up a separate space for homework. The kitchen table doesn’t have to be your only space for homeschooling. Enduring a full day of distance learning and homework can be tiring. A change of scenery will reset their mind when the regular school day ends and ease the transition to homework time.
Leave room for breaks
Scheduled breaks are just as important as scheduled classroom time. If your children are following a schedule that’s been provided by their teachers, make sure they are active during their recess or nutrition period. Most kids will likely want to watch a favorite show or play a game on their tablet the moment the virtual recess bell rings, which is fine in moderation, but studies have shown that fresh air and exercise promotes more engaged learning. Limiting their screen time also ensures their eyes are healthy and their bodies stay active.
Take advantage of school approved online tools
There are tons of great online tools you can use to supplement distance learning. Most teachers have their own favorite apps that they like to use but if you are looking for more support, get in touch with your school to see what else is offered in your district. TeachThought put together over 40 homeschool online resources on their blog. We’ve included some of our favorites below:
Epic – a digital library app with 40,000 books for kids 12 and under. Get your kids to love reading with custom content based on their interests and a progress tracker to keep them motivated.
Kahoot – a customizable gaming app that makes reviewing for quizzes and tests fun
Cool Math 4 Kids – offers a huge collection of fun, free math games for students all ages – games are sorted by topic and grade
Kodable – introduces kids to programing and computer science through a series games and modules, with content ranging from preschool to high school.
Save money with affordable school and printing supplies
Running a home classroom can be expensive. Every year there are new supplies to buy and the amount of paper and printer ink that gets used every month can seem endless now that you are printing assignments from home too. To save money, shop around for deals and consider generic brands to get the best value. You can find great prices on tons of back to school essentials at LDProducts.com! If you are an inkjet printer owner that is tired of replacing your cartridges, switch to an affordable laser printer. The HP LaserJet M15W or Brother HL-L2350DW are our two favorite options for home classrooms. Both use cost efficient toner cartridges that are perfect for printing weekly homework packets and are designed to print way more than the average inkjet. The HP 48A toner cartridge prints up to 1,000 pages and the Brother printer’s TN-760 cartridge prints up to 3,000 pages. LD Product’s low cost compatible versions will help you save even more. Our compatible HP 48A is just $23.99 and our compatible Brother TN-760 is $34.99!
Give them time to socialize
One of the most challenging parts of distance learning for kids is being away from their friends. The daily interactions and activities they experience with their classmates are an important part of their development. Maintaining those friendships while still keeping your child safe is difficult but video calls have made it super easy to schedule some virtual hang time. Set up a regular video chat with their friends so they have something to look forward to every week. Having an opportunity to talk with a peer about their homeschooling experience (or just video games) is just as valuable as their school work.
Do you have any distance learning tips that you’d like to share? Drop us a line in the comments, we’d love to hear from you!
Savings based on price comparison between remanufactured/compatible cartridge prices on www.LDProducts.com and OEM cartridge and printer prices from the listed retailers: Amazon and Staples. All products are reviewed independently. As an Amazon associate, LD Products earns from qualifying purchases through links on this page. All prices effective as of June 27, 2023. OEM names are registered trademarks of their respective owners and are not affiliated with, and do not endorse LD Products.
