How to Support Your Young Child with Online Learning
Online learning has become a regular part of life during COVID. However, many students still struggle to keep up. After all, students are missing out on much-needed support from teachers and peers. Spending the day behind the screen can make it difficult to stay focused on learning, especially in households where learning spaces and devices must be shared.
Without sufficient support for online learning, many students will be at a much higher risk of feeling significant mental distress about school. Our IB online tutors have observed that students who were already finding it hard to keep up in the classroom may fall even further behind. Here are some small tips for parents on how to help your children overcome these learning challenges at home.
Young children learn and develop important skills – motor skills, cognitive skills, language & literacy skills, and social & emotional skills through daily interactions with their classmates and teachers. Online learning makes these much-needed social interactions very difficult, especially if children are spending the day at home with only parents and siblings. At home, parents can complement what your children are learning from online classes in the following ways:
- Read books with your children. Read out loud using animated voices, facial expressions, and gestures. Doing this together will keep your children engaged and happy that they can learn with you while improving their language & literacy skills.
- Draw with your children. Depending on what your child is learning at school, you could hold little drawing competitions at home to see whose artwork is the best.
- Play with Play-Doh and building blocks. These hands-on activities help with motor and social & emotional skills. You can incorporate online learning material into these activities: perhaps recreate a story together with the blocks.
- Have longer conversations. It’s a good idea to practice language skills together while everyone is at home.
- Consider external support, such as hiring an IB online tutor if your child is studying the MYP. While all of the above are very important to your child’s development, there may be some subject-specific content that is better explained by a tutor. At Aegis Advisors, our experienced tutors are ready to help guide your child through the ins and outs of their school subjects. Contact us today to see how we can support you.