Tips for Navigating Online Preschool
It’s back to (online) school season and we would like to share with you some tips, ideas, and tools to help you navigate distance learning, especially for your little ones in preschool.
The environment is the 3rd teacher (you are the 1st).
There are already so many distractions in online classes, you want to create a physical space that is uncluttered, with natural lights & elements, and without a lot of colors.
Provide enough space, with minimal clutter.
Make sure your desktop has enough space to hold papers, coloring or writing materials, a gadget, and maybe even a textbook for the older ones. Put aside unnecessary things.
Be mindful of clutter on your child’s gadget too!
If using a laptop or desktop computer, remind your kids to close tabs that they will not be using for class. For those on a tablet, it would be good to close apps and move games to another screen. It would also be a good idea to set timers on app and gadget usage.
Open windows and allow natural light to come in.
Otherwise, make sure to have bright lighting to keep your little one alert. Adding plants and choosing natural materials such as wood and non-plastic woven baskets brings the outdoors in for a more soothing and aesthetically pleasing environment.
Choosing just 1 or 2 colors would reduce visual clutter.
Children’s spaces do not need to be in loud primary colors. Think about what’s on display as well and choose artwork that is of the same color palette. Keep this in mind when pinning things to a bulletin board and choosing wall decorations.
It’s equally important to set-up your mind for the day’s work.
At Playworks, we see the value of mindfulness practices on the emotional wellness of our students - even our 1-year-olds enjoy breathing exercises and meditation. Yoga and stretching is a regular part of our online sessions that helps our students maintain their focus.
Happy moms = happy families! Carve out time for yourself and put self-care first. It may mean waking up 30 minutes before everyone or setting an alarm for some quiet time during the day when everyone else is occupied.
Parent Hack #1: Start your day with a check-in
Do a scan of your thoughts, emotions, and body to bring awareness to yourself. It also helps to begin the day with a check-in of feelings and attitudes for both yourself and your child.
Parent Hack #2: Screen free time at home
Kids spend an average of 1-hour per day for online classes with some going up to 6 hours. Prepare activities that they can choose from that don’t involve using a gadget. Make a list ahead so you can quickly choose an activity. Some ideas are:
Storytelling about your family
Conversation starters and sharing about the day’s highs and lows
Look through photo albums
Play board games
Parent Hack #3: Empathy
Everyone is different - be patient and understanding of kids who tend to be overly sensitive.
For younger ones, check in with them every hour or so to see how they are coping with their online classes. Teach them to ask questions and call for help when they need it. Listen to them without judgement and find solutions to their worries.
Help your child get ready for online classes by talking about what to expect the next day and walking through their routine ahead of time so they know what to look forward to.
Easing In: Forming new habits
Communicate with your child’s teachers.
Connect with them and share any concerns, feedback, and suggestions. We are all new to online distance learning and your sharing will help the teachers create a program that is a better-fit for your child.
Encourage physical activity.
Movement helps children focus better and studies have shown that children tend to do better in subjects following PE class. Make time for exercise and make it more fun by working out as a family. Even simple stretching and yoga are beneficial.
It is difficult for children to stay seated for long periods of time. If your child needs to move while classes are on-going, let him! Providing a safe place to jump or fidget spinners, slime, stress balls will help lengthen your child’s attention span.
Tech Needs
There are so many app and learning management softwares (LMS) available to schools and families to help navigate distance learning. Leaf through your school’s manual to know about these applications.
Most schools use Zoom for live, online sessions. Here are some things to know and share with your child.
Muting and unmuting - teachers use this feature to help the children focus on the discussion and cut out background noise. Some children love to talk and hate being placed on mute. If this is your child, reach out to your child’s teacher so she can make adjustments such as giving him a few minutes before class to chat. You can also talk to your child about turn taking and listening to others.
Zoom also has a feature to virtually raise hands and react with a clap or a thumbs up. This helps students participate in the discussion and class activities without having to unmute. We also teach children to use hand signals to show if they need help, if they can’t hear, or if they concur with a discussion.
The chat box is another way we connect with our students, especially those who tend to be hesitant about talking in a group. This helps our 4- and 5-year-olds with emergent reading as well.
Another tip for Zoom is knowing how to toggle views. Using the Speaker View is great for children who are self-conscious or overwhelmed with so many students at one time. This view allows them to just see the person talking and the rest of the class in smaller thumbnails. Gallery view is great during activities so children can see what the others are doing, all in one screen. Make sure your child keeps his video on to encourage participation and minimize wandering off.
Teacher Gabby also shared these tips in an online session with Globe at Home. You may view the recording on the Playworks Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Playworks.ecc.