Now that social distancing orders [1] — and by extension, homeschooling [2] — is in full-swing parents are finding themselves playing teacher while also holding down full-time jobs. Although there are a lot of perils that come with virtual learning — technical difficulties with Zoom, anyone?! — making sure your children stay on track educationally is a top priority. Along with keeping your kids on a consistent schedule [3] and ensuring they're spending the right amount of time on their work, keeping little ones focussed is certainly key.
In order to help parents navigate these unusual times as much as possible, we tapped educators with experience teaching both kids big and small to get their best tips for helping students [4] stay motivated at home. Ahead, find a slew of helpful recommendations designed to make your day productive and keep you relatively sane.
And if you're looking for more ways to keep your squad engaged, check out these free online learning resources [5] or these videos designed to get little ones up and moving [6].
Tips For Keeping Little Kids Motivated
"Brain breaks in between tasks are helpful. We don't sit for very long in Kindergarten, so it should not be expected that they'd do that at home. Brain breaks can be some time spent on GoNoodle [8], playing a game of Simon Says, or doing some yoga. Even as adults we need brain breaks." — Karen, Kindergarten
"Give kids a way to learn beyond computers and printouts. Storyline Online [9] is an awesome site that features picture books read aloud by SAG actors. Each book is broken down by approximate grade level, too. There's also another site called Story Time From Space [10] where books are read aloud in space by astronauts and they give you fun facts. Additionally, parents can look up drawing free videos YouTube featuring authors like Mo Willems [11] and Dav Pilkey [12]." — Cathleen, Kindergarten
Tips For Keeping School-Age Kids Motivated
"My kids have a jar and put a marble for every assignment they finish. When they finish 100 percent of their assignments for the week (or you could make it a day), they get to pick out a treat, movie to watch, game to play, or decide what's for dinner." — Danielle Trayes, 6th grade
"Make sure your kids maintain a sense of contact with their teachers. I've made the greatest effort to video conference with the whole group and smaller groups to a sense of connection. Teaching and learning relies on human interaction to foster comfort so students are encouraged to take risks as they continue to grow and learn. These times are so incredibly stressful for adults and kids alike, so that daily check-in is so important for continued learning, even if the circumstances are less than ideal." — Julie Gravett, 6th grade
"Give kiddos one task at a time, or break a large task into manageable pieces with separate deadlines. Too much at once can be overwhelming and shut them down, especially with the stress of doing it all from home! Taking it one thing at a time will help them feel accomplished and keep from being overwhelmed." — Dani Keller, 7th grade
Tips For Keeping High School Students Motivated
"As a high school maths teacher, I would suggest having a conversation about the future. Let students know we will get through this and it will be better to learn more now and come out ready to tackle all that lies ahead. Students can also use this time to discover a subject that interests them or learn more about their family." — Kelly Harrity, 9th-12th grade
"Keep things relevant. There are lots of food and cleaning supplies at home you can connect to their more scientific names. For example, salt is really sodium chloride, Drano is sodium hydroxide. You can also test the pH of these products with cheap home kits and do many safe at-home demos and projects. To get students to focus, use subtle reminders — like a tap on the table, hand gesture, or call-response — to bring them back to their work. — Nina Meltzer, 10-12th grade
"We use a 'vending machine' strategy for rewards. They earn points or small rewards for positive behaviours or completing a homework assignment early or on time. Then, they can cash in their points for prizes like money, a dinner of their choice for the family, or a big prize like a new bike or video game." — Christina Harrity, High school therapist