– Rishikesh Kumar, Founder & CEO at Xtraliving

Since the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the normal lives of people across the globe, the virtual zone has come to the rescue. Schools have also displaced their base to virtual platforms to conduct online classes. Consequently, catering to the needs of children’s education, online learning system has emerged as an alternative to ordinary face to face classes. Suddenly, kids all over the world are being asked to learn from home, often through online learning, or assignments sent via e-mail.

Studying in an online environment has been a new experience for children, introducing various advantages and challenges. On one hand, where kids became technologically sound and were introduced to new learning methods and engaging content. While on the other hand, they struggled to manage time, build ownership, become organized, and self-disciplined learners.

So let’s look at a few of the ways to plan a proper online learning system for kids:

Schedule specific time for learning

With no school bell to mark kids tardy, they might feel like to doze off. With no set schedule, kids might never get around to schoolwork, therefore, it is important to establish a regular study routine. It can be very tempting to perpetually procrastinate studying, in favor of TV and other at-home distractions. But as a parent, you are stronger than that! To keep those demons of laziness away from your kids, simply put some time on your calendar to prepare a routine for watching lectures, reading textbooks, doing homework and sleeping. And stick to it! Also, setting up a quiet, clutter-free workspace that is comfortable for your child will work the best.

A dedicated break is a must

Too much exposure to the mobile screen or laptop, without dedicated breaks, could lead to a lack of interest and focus. Kids might also encounter mental or physical health issues like eye problems, headache, and body pain. To improve and enhance their attention, it is necessary to add dedicated breaks in the learning schedule and spend those breaks productively too. Some exercises, taking a walk, spending time with other family members, playing quick board games, or a quick snack so that they are not sedentary for the entire day are a few positive activities that parents should encourage during their study break to feel refreshed and energized.

Make learning fun!

Online learning should not just mean to poke kids for rote learning, but it should include some engaging stuff as well, such as quizzes, challenges, exercises, assignments, and projects to bridge the gap between their theoretical and practical understanding of the subject. Flexibility is vital here. However, parents must help kids to timely complete the assignments as these help in the development of cognitive, analytical, problem-solving, planning, organizing, time management, and various other soft and domain skills.

Managing screen time

Excessive screen time can have adverse effects on young brains. Children already have a lot of screen exposure and it is likely that they will look for some other window as well. Therefore, it is important that you restrict their screen time during this time. Try mixing in old school teaching techniques. Try to get more hard copies of worksheets that your kid can solve, and schools can help in providing them. Encouraging to read paper books than online, especially during a time like this is also a great effort.

Also read: From alternate to mainstream – Edtech is fast changing the face of education

Get plenty of exercise and nutrition

Allowing time for exercise before your kid is expected to focus on studies might be a good idea. It helps to improve their memory, attention and problem-solving ability, which directly impacts learning preparedness. Also, children tend to respond faster and more accurately to questions directly after being physically active. Moreover, it’s really important to take care of the diet and nutrition level of kids. According to the Society for Neuroscience, recent studies reveal that diets with high levels of saturated fats, sugars, and caffeine actually impair learning and memory. It may leave kids tired, unfocused, jittery, and sick impacting their grades and performance. Therefore, providing proper balanced diet and nutrition loaded food is a must for every kid.

Conclusion

Spending much time with kids and being able to take an active part in their studies is something that can weave a planned online learning system rather than a haywire approach. However, your involvement in their little world and efforts to navigate the challenges together will surely lift up their confidence by leaps and bounds and create memories for a lifetime.

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