How to Make Online Learning Easier on Kids and Parents
3 things you can do today to decrease tantrums, anxiety, and big behaviors as we start the school year.
We’re all in the midst of transitioning back to school - some already have! For some families this will be a return to virtual learning, and for others in-person school. Whatever the case with your family, there are some simple things you can do to make the transition easier on your child.
Start talking about the schedule and routine.
It’s likely that your routine will be changing either a little bit or a lot. I always recommend parents have some sort of schedule for the kids, so if you already have a written or visual schedule, that’s great! You can use this to show your child how their days will look different. If possible, make this collaborative.
“do you want to have a snack right away when you get home from school, or would you rather have play time?”
Acknowledge feelings about the start of school.
Changes in the structure of daily life can cause major anxiety for little ones, and this can result in an increase in challenging behavior. You may see an increase in how often challenging behaviors happen, or how intense they are, and this is totally normal. To reduce this, and teach kids to acknowledge and talk about their feelings, build in time to talk about what they are feeling.
“I can see this change is making you feel sad. Do you want me to sit with you for a while?”
“It looks like you are getting excited to see your friends and teacher again! Should we draw a picture of what you might play on the first day?”
“You told me that you’re feeling worried about your first day back. Sometimes I get worried about new things too!”
Reteach, Review, and Reinforce Expectations
Remember that children benefit from being explicitly taught rules and expectations. It is best to write or draw them out, practice them, and remind children often what the expectations are. Many schools use school-wide positive behavior supports, and I recommend asking your school if you can get a copy of their expectations to review with your child.
When you see your child following the expectation, praise them, comment on how it makes you feel when you see them following the expectations, or offer another reward you know they will enjoy. Give them the opportunity to be successful by reminding them often what will be expected of them:
“Remember, I’m going to tell you in 2 minutes that it’s time to put your shoes on, and the expectation is that you ask for help if you need me to tie them” (not throw them, for example).
“Remember that kids who use a quiet voice in the car will get a sticker when we arrive at school!”
“I know that Mr. Jackson feels happy when you answer his questions at morning meeting.”
I have many more resources around the start of school that I’d be happy to share with you! Please feel free to get in touch if you feel like you need support with this huge transition!