Read these tips for distance learning to help you be intentional this school year! 

Distance learning is something that many parents are jumping into again this fall as the school year kicks off. If you are finding yourself setting up distance learning for your kids, you may feel a little overwhelmed. Last spring, we did distance learning with our three and learned a lot through that season! 

Tips for Distance Learning

Create a checklist for your kids. 

Once we figured out the general plan for the days, it was helpful to have a checklist for our kids. While the assignments varied, they knew they had to complete English, Math, and so on each day. This was especially helpful with my 5th grader as he had more independence with his classes. 

Remember to communicate with the teacher. 

This is new to everyone and open communication is key. Talk to the teacher and find out any tips they suggest! For my youngest, we realized it was helpful for her to sit at the table for her reading time and for me to be nearby but not right at her side. This allowed her to focus more on the lesson. 

Set up space in your home for distance learning. 

If your children are going to be on video calls, you will want to have decided where they will be doing these calls. There were some days we would have all three kids on a video lesson and my husband in a virtual faculty meeting. It took some planning to figure out where everyone would go. 

Depending on the size of your home, you can figure out the best set up for your family. 

Have an end of school day outside activity. 

With the extra screen time, one thing that helped us was to have outside time after school time was over. We would go on a walk or swim. It was good to get out their energy and to celebrate the end of the school day. 

Get ready for the day so you can be present and ready to help. 

While the teachers are teaching and running things, you will need to be present to help as needed. I found it helpful to get up and get ready for the day so I could be ready to help when a child needed me. 

If your school does not have a set time to start, decide on one. 

Most of the time, it is best to get the work going first thing in the morning. We found that if we delayed the work, it was harder to get our kids to focus. Determine what fits your children best and follow that! 

Laugh together! 

A fun thing is to have a joke every Friday that you share together. This will be something to look forward to and you can take turns sharing a joke. It is a little silly way to add some fun to the classroom! 

Make sure to check out this great distance learning classroom! 

What tips would you add to distance learning?