Schools located throughout Arizona have closed for the remainder of the academic year, leaving parents and students to work and learn from home. Despite having already experienced a few weeks of this routine, everyone is still familiarizing themselves with these new changes. These shifts in educational structure can be challenging; however, with the appropriate support, resources, and encouragement, this transition can become an opportunity for student development and engaged learning. So how exactly can parents foster an environment and provide the support that is conducive to learning from home?

Seek external resources.

During this time, it can be especially challenging for students to focus or even engage with the curriculum. Seeking out resources like professional virtual educators to guide, personalize, and assist can be great alternatives to traditional classroom learning -- especially during these unsettling times. Educational experts work to support student learning by offering creative approaches to core-curriculum, encouraging real-life application activities for students to participate in, accommodating all different learning styles and interests, and positioning themselves as mentors to help keep children accountable.

While many parents are not educators, they can certainly find access to a number of various academic resources that are available online to assist their child’s learning. A few of these resources include CommonSense.org’s WideOpenSchool that features educational content from sites like Kahn Academy, PBS.org, National Geographic, and more. Students’ actual class syllabi can normally be obtained from each school’s web portal. Using these tools, parents can regularly monitor their child’s progress, even familiarizing themselves with the materials in case their child has questions. The Department of Education’s Common Core Curriculum is also available to parents so they can stay up to date on the benchmarks children should be achieving for their particular grade.

Set boundaries.

Parents have been presented with the unique challenge of not only keeping their children entertained while enforcing a structured at-home education and daily routine but also balancing their own work duties and schedule. Younger children who are particularly energetic may need some additional personalized attention before schooling begins each day. Parents can be mindful and give a little extra care in the morning with some focused, quality time. Reading a book, taking a short morning walk, or having breakfast with no distractions are all great ways to allow your little one to burn off some energy so that they’ll be ready to focus later during the day while you work.

Communicating with your children regarding expectations, your regular availability or lack of time to spend with them during the workday, as well as the best times to have your undivided attention, will help minimize panic and prevent the urge to disrupt what you’re doing. To minimize distractions, set boundaries with your children (and even your partner) by detailing which spaces throughout the house are dedicated to studying and working and which spaces are for play. With certain areas allocated for different activities, you can keep the noise to a minimum in your office space and the number of interruptions down.

Create a bendable routine.

Although this period may feel a bit chaotic, the most important part about this adjustment will be finding a new routine that works for you and your family members. This task may be difficult since everyone is confronting the challenges of modifying their schedules all at once, but this is perhaps the most integral part of accommodating to this new, temporary normal. Routines help provide a structure that can keep everyone motivated and on task throughout the day. Since all new routines need refining, allow for some trial-and-error. During this time, especially, flexibility is paramount. Sitting down as a unit and discussing how best to adapt to each person’s schedule in a way that does not disrupt anyone else’s routine is the first step families should take. It’s important to account for non-negotiables, including students’ “live online classroom time,” studying, and other school-related priorities. Once these tasks are established, other activities, including virtual social engagements with friends, meals, exercise, quality time, quiet time for “unplugging,” and more can find their way into the new routine.

With changes to our daily routines, the education experts at Rainbow EDU Consulting are providing mentorship and educational solutions for students across the nation. If your child is struggling with this unique shift to online learning, get in touch with an expert https://rainboweduconsulting.com/contact/ who can answer your education questions during this transition.

By Cindy Chanin