How to help your child learn online: tips for parents

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Because of the ongoing war, many Ukrainian schoolchildren will start the new school year online so they can feel safe – emotionally and physically. Therefore, teachers and parents are responsible for organizing this process. What can parents do to make their children’s distance education effective and interesting? What will help children learn effectively and comfortably at home. If a child learns online, do not try to regulate the entire educational process instead of the teacher: you cannot perfectly possess the knowledge of all subjects, or understand what the dynamics of the lesson should be. Your task is to support the child, to make sure that he will cope with everything, and if necessary, he can turn to mom and dad for help. To make the school year easier and more useful, pay attention to the key points that will depend on the child’s future success. Creation of conditions and adaptation Learning at home is different from face-to-face: the child comes to class every day according to the schedule, where nothing distracts from learning, but is supervised by a professional teacher. Instead, the home is perceived as a place for games and relaxation, and it is harder for the child to concentrate on studies. Besides, changing circumstances is stressful in itself. Therefore, you should first make sure that the adaptation process is comfortable. This will help: Study space Select a place where the child can read, engage in creativity, etc. It should be convenient, comfortable and, if possible, secluded, so that it is easier to adjust to studying. The child must understand: eat in the kitchen, sleep in the bed, learn lessons at this table. Here you need to put a gadget with which the child studies – a laptop or a tablet, an organizer for pencils and pens, hang a class schedule on the wall. Routine A child needs to know what his day will look like and what is expected of him, even though he doesn’t have to go to school. Wake up every morning at the same time, wash, have breakfast, and then study. The regime helps to systematize everything that happens in the child’s life, and not to forget anything. A printed or handwritten schedule can be hung in front of the eyes, and older children can use the calendar in the phone or notes. Regular breaks After certain periods – for example, between lessons, the child should be given the opportunity to stand up, stretch his arms, pat his feet. You can do exercises with the younger ones. This switches attention and promotes better learning of the material. Balance of internal and external control When learning at home, a child can feel too much attention on himself – as if “under the supervision” of his parents, and because of this – stiffness and tension. Or there may not be enough attention, because in online lessons the teacher is not always able to monitor what each of the students is doing, and the parents are working at that time – and then the child seems to be “on his own”. Too much pressure, like too much freedom, distracts and hinders effective learning. Therefore, it is necessary to outline the child’s responsibilities at home (eat, attend classes, complete tasks, etc.), but also leave the right to personal space for him. Ask: “What would you like now?”, and the child can answer: rest, be alone, read a book in a chair, drink tea with sweets. Then, on the one hand, she feels external control, on the other hand, her own initiative. Motivation and Support Motivation is understanding why we do what we do. It is usually formed in the fifth or sixth year of life, when the child already learns to subordinate motives: “I don’t want to do something, but I have to.” And she can easily lose her after hearing that she did something wrong. Therefore, it is worth supporting the child’s faith in himself, and together with him find an individual meaning for what he is learning. Praise and look for strengths You should not convince the child that homework is easy and you just have to “sit down and do it”: he is only learning, and not everything can be done the first time. It is important to give positive reinforcement, to praise for the efforts made: “What a beautiful flower you have turned out!” And little by little, the child will strive to improve this drawing. Don’t threaten, but encourage Instead of “No cartoons if you don’t learn your lessons!” it is better to say: “When you learn the lessons, you will have a whole hour to watch cartoons!” As if the argument remains the same, but sounds completely different to the child. Compare the child not with others, but with herself. Do not give an example of Natalka, who jumps higher, or Nikita, who solves math problems faster. It is better to say: “Look, yesterday you couldn’t do it, but today you are doing great!” At the same time, it is important not to speak dryly, but to engage emotionally. Get interested in what is uninteresting The child does not like to read, but draws well – start with coloring pages. If you like sports, buy a book about football. Gradually, she will get used to the idea that books can be interesting. Switch attention The younger the child, the less time he can concentrate. Therefore, you can add a little game to the lessons: for example, offer her to become a teacher (“Well, try to explain it to me!”), or a researcher – to get something and learn (“What is written in this text? Tell me!”). Talk about responsibility. With an older child, you need to talk like an adult, then he will come into contact more easily and will not resist. When you hear a child, he tries to hear you. “I understand that you would like to do what is important to you right now. But let’s try to do the lessons now, and then you’ll go to football.” The child feels that the mother hears and understands its needs, and tries to meet expectations. In the realities of wartime, it is possible to return responsibility to the child for the only thing he can control: “After the victory, we will rebuild Ukraine, and if you study well, you will become a good and necessary specialist.” Communication with peers Humans are social creatures, and we need communication with others to maintain morale. Sometimes parents suggest that children arrange with their classmates to sit in the same room during lessons. However, this format does not make online learning more effective: this process is designed for individual tasks, and in order for children in the room not to be distracted, constant adult supervision is required. However, friendly relations with classmates should still be maintained, especially if they are a resource for the child. Joint chats, video calls, online games – all this will unite and support when children are far from each other (especially abroad or IDPs). But online communication cannot replace a live one. Therefore, it is worth organizing free time for children: go outside to the yard to walk with peers, attend clubs or master classes. Switching emotions to actions If a child is stressed, scared, worried or sad, the part of the brain that is responsible for memory and information processing shuts down, and learning becomes difficult. Then the main thing is to relieve anxiety: Recognize an emotion Growing up, a child gets to know new emotions, which is how his emotional intelligence develops. And understanding what is happening to her helps to master emotions and learn to manage them. For example: “I was upset because the drawing turned out to be ugly.” Find a solution In order not to leave the child with a feeling of helplessness, you need to switch your attention to how to cope with difficulties: “I see that you are upset because your pencil broke. What can you do to fix it?”, “The notebook has run out? Let’s take a new one”, “Wrote it wrong? Let’s carefully cross it out and correct it.” Being around The child can be disturbed by things that are beyond her control: for example, frequent air alarms, fear that a rocket may fly by. And if at the same time her parents also shout because she did not understand something, it only gets worse. The most important thing that parents can give is warmth, trust and support. If the child is worried, you should calm him down: hug him, breathe with him, drink some water, go for a walk in the fresh air. Quality relationships should always be a priority, not lessons learned. Tetyana Oboyanska, psychologist of the “Voices of Children” foundation, specially for UP. Life Publications in the “View” section are not editorial articles and reflect exclusively the author’s point of view.

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