With schools being closed, virtual schools are being used to fill the gap left by in-person education. But with kids hanging out at home, how do you keep them focused on school? There are a number of simple actions you can take to make sure your kid’s eLearning assignments aren’t just getting finished, but also working effectively.
Structure a Schedule
While working or learning from home may seem like you can pop in and out of your assignments as needed, the opposite is true: having a routine and sticking to it is a surefire way to make sure your kids (and you!) are working effectively.
Waking up at the same time, having a designated work area, and knowing when to stop working for the day all work together to guarantee that the time they spend in front of the computer is productive. As an added benefit, your kids will develop strong time management skills, since they won’t have a teacher to keep them accountable for getting their work done.
Set Up a Designated Workspace
Your surroundings have a huge impact on your mood, mindset, and productivity. This goes for your kids, too! Make sure that when they’re working on assignments, they aren’t doing it on the couch while streaming television showsor while lying in bed. Separating their work areas from their play areas is important to make sure they’re staying focused on the task at hand.
While it’s easy to get distracted in areas like the living room or the bedroom, there’s another benefit to keeping work and leisure separate: you can relax in the spaces you’re supposed to. If you’re constantly working in your bedroom, you will eventually begin to associate that space with the idea of work, making it much harder to relax – or even sleep – in these areas.
Limit Distractions
A reminder: working from home still means work! Make sure your kids keep devices like cell phones, tablets, and games stored away until the end of the workday. This keeps them focused on the task at hand, and allows them to take in information and learn it easier, since their focus is totally on learning versus partially on school and partially on texting their friends.
Take a Lunch
This tip may be the most effective of them all! No matter how you’ve set your child’s workflow up, it’s important for them to take a lunch, as well as breaks a couple times an hour, to refuel and recharge. Make sure they’re getting nourishing, healthy food to keep them active and awake. Even if they aren’t hungry enough for a full meal, the thirty-minute to an hour-long break will do their brain wonders in regards to giving them a chance to recharge and tackle the rest of their day.
Whether you’ve got them set up with their own desk in a home office or you’ve cleared off the dining room table as a temporary classroom, these learning from home tips are sure to keep your kid focused for at least a little longer. For more ways to maximize your workflow while hanging out at home, be sure to like Lennar on Facebook.
