Kids these days are not merely studying their lessons at home after a productive day at school. Some are actually being home schooled by their parents. Others, on the other hand, are learning remotely.
You may have done your part in providing them a desk, a chair, and a place where they can study their lessons. But sometimes, they need more than just a place to study to feel motivated to do an excellent job learning. Are you guilty of committing these mistakes when supporting your learners at home?
Not Giving Them a Space for Learning and Relaxation
One knows just how frustrating it can be to try to learn new things when you are bombarded with different distractions. The same goes for kids trying to review their lessons or work on their projects. Since kids can be impatient and are likely to get easily distracted, they require a space where they can focus on their learning.
If possible, a kid’s study area should be separate from their bedroom. This prevents your kids from feeling sleepy when studying. It also helps if you can remove anything that can distract them from studying, like a television, their gadgets, and toys.
You can consider building a home extension to support your kid’s spatial needs. You can hire a contractor to build a sunroom that can serve as your kid’s study nook. When they are not using the space for studying, they can use this area to do projects, relax, and pursue hobbies.
If a room extension is out of the question, you can redesign their bedroom instead. You need to make sure their study table is facing away from any door or window to avoid distraction. Lighting, enough essentials and supplies, ergonomic furniture, and your kid’s preferred temperature is a must to help them get to optimize the space for studying.
Failure to Teach Kids a Healthy Daily Routine
Routine is essential for everyone, especially your learners. This is will give better structure to their day and reduce the stress that comes with not knowing what to expect next. Just because your kids are not learning remotely or are being home schooled, you should already allow them to do everything they want.
It is best that you teach them how to embrace a healthy routine to facilitate better health and wellness. They are learning more things each day. This means they need to stay fit, healthy, and happy to stay motivated.
Set up a healthy daily routine and be consistent, especially during school-days. You want to make sure they are eating healthy meals on time, are exercising daily, and get to sleep adequate amounts of time each night. You also need to make sure they have time for self-care, socializing, and pursuing hobbies.
Skipping a Digital Detox
Kids are already using lots of technology at home and at school. They use their computer, phones, or laptop to do research, play games, and talk to their loved ones. They are also using their other gadgets to entertain themselves after studying.
This is not to say that you should stop them from using technology. But a digital detox will help them enjoy the little things in life. They will learn to entertain themselves without resorting to technology and build better, real-life relationships by interacting with people in real life.
Encourage kids to do a daily digital detox by setting a good example. Limit your tech usage and teach them not to use gadgets when eating meals. Let them know of the gadget-free spaces inside the house.
Give them a certain number of hours they can use their gadgets. As much as possible, don’t allow gadgets use at least two hours before their bedtime. Make sure to organize engaging activities to divert their attention.
Thinking That Quiet Learning Fits All Learners
Many parents think their kids will learn better if they study by themselves in a quiet room. But it is important to realize that kids have different learning styles. For one, know that active learning is just as important as quiet learning.
Some kids retain information better and learn faster when asked to solve problems and answer questions. It is crucial that you allow them to not only focus on their lessons, homework, and projects. It helps to encourage them to experience other activities to facilitate learning.
Ask your kids about their interests and allow them to enjoy other activities. Let participate in extracurricular activities and to spend time with their friends. Allow them to play, jump, run, explore nature, learn a musical instrument, or try a new hobby.
There are lots of things you can do to support your kids’ learning at home. This list only summarizes a few things you need to stop doing to help your children with their learning. The more aware you are of what your kids need and want, the easier it will be for you to support their learning while at home.
