Right now, learning online and working from home is both far more common than they used to be. Because this is the case, you may be noticing that it’s more difficult than you might be familiar with in order to keep your children feeling engaged and motivated while they’re learning. Why is learning online so difficult for our kids? And what can we do about it?
If you’re interested in making learning from home a little easier for your children, whether you want them to learn Chinese, math, history, or anything else, I may be able to guide you in the right direction. If you’re looking to help your children learn Chinese, or whatever their course load, allow me to give you a few tips and tricks that might be helpful.
Give Them a Sense of Community
If you’re struggling to motivate your children to learn from home, you might want to ensure they still feel like they have a sense of community. Being able to make contact with friends and classmates previously might have been more motivating for them than anyone may have really realized. While safety is still a priority, you may want to stay flexible in some areas so your children still feel they’ve been sufficiently socialized.
If your children are trying to learn Chinese, for example, you might want to encourage them to have study sessions with other children who are also trying to learn Chinese. This might allow them to work together, gauge their personal progress against other classmates or those at their level, and ask for help if they’re struggling with particular concepts. Even if your child doesn’t presently learn Chinese, this might be helpful in other study areas as well.
Additionally, it might be helpful to allow your children to go on playdates and spend time with friends. Online learning makes it far more difficult to feel socially fulfilled, and some children may be energized from these social interactions they are craving so desperately. While this doesn’t seem to relate to their academic well-being at first, it may have more of a positive effect than you might think.
Implement a Reward System
Suppose you’re getting the sense that your children are feeling less than enthusiastic about their online schooling. In that case, it might be helpful to communicate your sense of pride over their ability to learn despite the circumstances. Additionally, you might want to congratulate your child with prizes or rewards when they reach certain milestones or achieve certain grades in their schooling.
This may depend on your ability to set aside cash for this extra spending, but your child might appreciate the extra recognition and having something pushing them forward. If they know they’ll get a toy after getting a “B” or higher on their next test or quiz, for example, they might feel more encouraged to study and prepare.
Or, if your child isn’t particularly interested in material objects or you’d like to avoid clutter, you might offer other rewards. This might include taking a trip to their favorite restaurant, setting aside time for one of their favorite activities, or even a party with their closest friends. The rewards you offer can be completely tailored to the desires of your children, as each child might feel more encouraged at the thought of different prizes.
Communicate With Your Child’s Teacher or Instructor
If you notice your kids are having a difficult time feeling motivated, you might also want to consider talking to their instructor about your concerns. This is not to be done with the intention of having your instructor chew out or punish your child, but it might allow the two of you to express concerns and thoughts as they relate to your kid in particular.
Your child’s teacher may see them in a different context and vice versa. If you know your child doesn’t generally respond well to a particular kind of learning or communication, for example, this might be helpful for the instructor to know. Additionally, if the teacher knows your kid is having a hard time paying attention or participating, this might be helpful for you as the parent or guardian to understand.
From there, each party might be able to take further action to better facilitate learning for your kids, allowing them to feel more engaged or answer teacher questions more frequently, for example. This essentially comes down to creating an opportunity to lay out concerns and come up with solutions.
Find a Tutor or Supplemental Learning Tools
If you’ve learned your child is having a hard time learning, you may want to consider finding them additional ways to learn at their own pace or facilitate better understanding. If any of your kids have a difficult time with a particular style of learning or just need certain concepts to be better explained to them, you should certainly take note of this if you are able.
One of the best ways to tailor your child’s learning environment and meet them where they are at is to give them a tutor or special supplemental learning tools. This may enable your child to receive the specialized attention they might need, allowing them to better absorb information and perform in their studies.
