How to Manage Online Learning
September 08, 2020
Looking for solutions to at-home, online learning? Get kids’ screen time in order with these strategies.
No matter how your kids are going back to school this term—in person, online, or a mix of both—you’ll need to prepare for online learning. Parenting is already a full time job, so adding “teacher” to your responsibilities, while also trying to make sure your kids are getting the most of their new style of education, might be an overwhelming addition. Adjusting to this new way of life can be easier with a few strategies to make your day to day routine and home room/living room a little easier.
Here are some tips for managing online learning to help keep you from tearing your hair out.
School Time Management
Taking a more active role in your kids’ time management might seem like a daunting task. Fortunately, you can probably rely on some resources from your kids’ school to keep a schedule going. The most important thing will be to set a regular routine for your kids, so be sure to find out when their classes are and help them stick to the schedule. This may also be a tough time for kids to avoid distractions, so Circle’s Filters feature can help make sure school-related websites such as Google Docs, Classrooms, or Zoom are always available for kids to access, while limiting distractions like games or social media.
Alternative Activities
Between social distancing and at-home learning, kids are spending an unprecedented amount of time in front of screens, so it’s important to balance their day with focus time. The CDC recommends that for every hour spent sitting at a desk or in front of a screen, kids should take a 15-minute break to stretch, move around, drink water, or do another offline task. The extra time spent sitting in front of a screen can have other negative impacts, such as poor posture and limited exercise, so make sure you have some outdoor activities lined up for them, or some sort of exercise routine for kids in case the weather turns sour.
School Screens vs. Home Screens
The increase in hours spent learning on devices likely means that kids should spend less time on screens after school. Circle’s Usage and History features can help track how much time has been spent online across multiple devices, and can help you make informed decisions about how much (or little) online time to give your kids after school. You may also want to consider blue-blocking glasses for kids to help lessen the effects of too much light from screens.
Use Screen Time as a Reward
Screens certainly help with online learning, connecting kids with their classmates and teachers, and keeping the school year going during a challenging time for parents. And while in a perfect world, we could easily keep kids off screens, sometimes they’ve earned a little extra device time. Whether they’ve finished all their homework done, helped out around the house, or read on their own, you can dole out a little extra time with Rewards.
Make the Best of It
While this year might not be the easiest for parents, it doesn’t have to be the hardest either. Adding Circle Home Plus to your help to get your family’s screen time management in order is the first step to living a more balanced life, online and off. For more distance learning solutions, be sure to check out UNESCO’s list of resources.