Parenting and Teaching Young Children in the Fall

As we begin the 2020 -'21 school year, parents are going to be faced with the challenge of once again supporting their children's education while working.

As schools shut down in the spring, we began to realize the difficulties parents were facing

as they tried to become their child's teacher. This will be the same reality in the fall as we continue to use distance learning. Here are some ideas that can support and ease

the stress of virtual learning for BOTH you and your child.

1. Set up a work space specifically for learning. Have your child help you find that space. Fanciness not required! If your child has a space that they understand is for just schoolwork, they are less likely to get distracted. Although the kitchen table is the hub of the household, and probably the easiest place to help your child, the space is used in many different ways which can be distracting.

Think about it: When you have work that requires focus to complete, where would you put your space in your house? Would you like someone to do it for you or would you prefer to

do it yourself?

2. Have your child help you organize their supplies. They will need your guidance, but the ultimate goal is for them to feel a sense of ownership over their space.

Think about it: If you went to work and your space was set up for you, would you know where things were? You would probably want to reorganize your things in a way that works for you.This is the same for your child's work space.

3. Be kind to yourself. We teachers have years of schooling and experience learning how to teach. You are most likely winging it, along with working, and managing your other kids schedules. Maybe you are a "stay at home mom"... you have the huge responsibility of managing your children's virtual school schedules, and everything else you do to take care of your home and family. This can be difficult for anyone.

Think about it: Your children will be aware of how you handle difficult situations. They can internalize that. It took me a long while before I could notice my body's signs of stress. If being aware of stress in the moment it's happening, is something you haven't practiced, this may take some time to learn. But trust me when I tell you it's worth it, for both you and your child.It's impossible not to be stressed out, but how you model handing stress can help your child when they feel stress. Take a break when you feel your body tense up.

Breath slowly in and out, go out and get some exercise or lock yourself in your room for 15 minutes. No joke. Once you've taken care of you, then you will be able to say, "This is hard! But we can do hard things!" and actually mean it. You've also modeled it. My other favorite saying is, "It's not a problem, it's a challenge!" Positive self-talk is a gift for our children.

4. Give your children learning breaks! In kindergarten, we take a break about every 15 minutes from August through October. Stories, snacks, dance, outdoor time, kids yoga and stretching are GREAT learning breaks for kidsl Expect your child to attend to a difficult task for approximately 1 minute per year of age (5 years old, 5 minutes of direct instruction or task}. As the year goes on, their stamina will improve.

Think about it: Sustaining any task takes focus and built in stamina. When learning something new, how long can you go before you need a five minute break? Does it

match your age? A five year old is not considered ADHD if it's hard for them to sit for

more than 5 minutes. That's normal five year old behavior.

5. Communicate with your child's teacher. Communicate with your child's teacher.

Communicate with your child's teacher. As a teacher I often hear, "I don't want to be THAT parent." BE. THAT. PARENT. You are your child's greatest advocate. We try to communicate with families as consistently as we can, but sometimes we miss a beat, so don't hesitate to contact your child's teacher if something seems off, or you are not sure how to help your child with their learning. Also remember - the more we know about what is happening at home, the better we can respond to your child's needs. If we don't know, we can't help. We also like to hear the success you are seeing with your child!

Think about it: Children have difficulty seeing things from any perspective except their own.

This is normal. This is not lying. This is simply how they see the world. It's important to contact your child's teacher with any questions about content or context. Your child will always tell you their perception, which may be right. However, it's always important to hear their teachers’s perspective on the matter, so you can see the bigger picture.

Wishing you the BEST of luck on your journey. More posts to come on how to help your child during distance learning.