Supporting Your Students While at Home

This week, we’re focusing on ways for you to assist your students in the fight against the ‘COVID Slide’. 

Structure is key with a designated school space, routine, and resources all in one place. Have your student create a daily checklist of what needs to be accomplished for that day and then a section for projects or assignments that are more long term. Set up time frames for tasks and use a timer if needed. Build in times for movement and breaks. Even with older students they have movement when transitioning from one class to the next, so sitting for two hours straight can be hard to do especially when there is no social interaction taking place. 

Empower your children. Realize they know a ton about how things go at school. Use that knowledge! Give them agency in choosing and creating structure. The climate in your house is important to consider:

• Where do the students work? In what room is most effective?
• What materials will your students need in front of them to effectively carry out their work?

Schedule-making can be a learning process: 

• For the students 3rd grade and up, create a schedule with your student that allows them to understand what it means, how to use it, and when to take breaks. Then, work out what the break schedule looks like.
• Allow the students to see the whole picture and then help break down the day into baby steps