As the start of school approaches, caring adults can support the kids and teens in their lives. If you know young people who are starting the school year with distance learning, our friend Carly of Tidy Revival shares practical tips to help get them started.
1️. PICK A “SCHOOL ZONE”. Whether that’s a desk in their room or the kitchen table, the student should pick a spot where they can focus and do the bulk of their schoolwork. Picking a secondary spot, for a change of scenery on tough days, may also be helpful.
2️. GATHER YOUR SCHOOL SUPPLIES. Whether it’s in bins on a bookshelf, a small kitchen cart, or in desk drawers, make sure your student can easily access the supplies they need to get their schoolwork done each day, and that they can put them away easily. Pinterest can be a great resource for ways to keep your school area tidy.
3️. CREATE A SCHEDULE. During COVID this is especially hard but having set times of day for schoolwork and even downtime will be the key to success for a school year at home.
4️. THINK ABOUT DISTRACTIONS. If there are multiple youth at home, and they’re doing schoolwork in the same room, distractions are likely. Headphones can be especially helpful for each student to focus during their online lessons. You can also use them to play white noise or music during times when additional focus is needed. Of course, having the TV off helps too!
5️. BREAK UP SCREEN TIME. We all know that hours upon hours of screen time isn’t the best for our bodies. A good schedule will include time for play and non-screen activities, giving young eyes and brains time to rest – and for students to stretch and move!
We’re so thankful to Tidy Revival for these tips and hope you find them helpful.
Because distance learning poses many challenges, especially for youth in foster care, we have partnered with STRIVE Giving to create a unique virtual UPshop (independent living skills workshop), where teens will engage in hands-on activities and gain practical skills to be successful distance learners. STRIVE Giving’s mission is to help students in the 5th through 12th grades to navigate their future with vital real-world skills. We’re honored to work with STRIVE to equip our teens for a successful school year, and we’re excited that they will also provide this workshop for other young people.
