Preparing for Learning at Home
So your child is now learning remotely every school day or maybe they're going a couple days and remotely the others. What now? If you have no idea where to start or if you have some things going but would like some other ideas, we're going to start from the beginning. You may find some things to beef up your existing routine or this may give you a place to start building one for your family.
The Learning Space
Pick a spot. Ideally this spot would be specifically for remote learning. Think about it like their home-classroom.
Work with your child to create it. What should it include? How can it be decorated? How will materials be organized? Let them make it their own space that they feel will support their learning.
Make sure there's a good internet connection!
The Daily Routine
Develop daily routines
Awaken at the same time each day
Get Dressed
Have Breakfast
Get Enough Sleep and Exercise
Wake up at the same time each day and stick to a routine whether you're learning at home or at school.
Create a schedule and make it visual. It can be a written list or with pictures (doodles work too!)
Here's a handy checklist for your fridge to help you get your child ready for remote learning.
Picture Schedule
Written schedule template
Color-coded picture schedule
(in School Closure Toolkit from Easter Seals)
Set Expectations and Reinforce Expected Behavior
Your child's teacher will have expectations for participating in Google Meetings, work completion, and other components of remote learning. Make sure to review and reinforce those with your child! Posting the expectations as part of the Learning Space is always a good idea.
You may have additional expectations for you child. Check out the tips under Behavior Strategies for ways to set expectations and use positive reinforcement.