Do you need to organize a learning environment for kids at home? Well, I have some great news for you.
It is hard to believe that summer is over, and the kids will be headed “back to school” for another very unusual year. It may feel like just yesterday you finally got your dining room table, kitchen island, and home office back to normal after being the makeshift 2nd and 6th-grade classroom from last spring. Well here we go again, it’s time to uproot your daily life and all normal functions of your home and decide where the kids are going to buckle down to for another round of at-home virtual learning. Cue the need to organize a learning environment for kids at home.
This transition back to school may come with more stress than usual, and no sense of relief or joy that the kids will finally be out of your house that comes with the usual back to school feels. Well, I am here to tell you you’re not alone. Every family is trying to figure out better ways to handle this at-home virtual learning again. In terms of where and how the children will work at home and how parents will handle it again, as they have demanding work and personal lives of their own.
I cannot come in and help you home school your kids, but I hopefully can offer you some ways to organize a learning environment for kids at home. These tips will provide structure, productivity, and even creativity for your kids while they learn from home. These tips may not be miracle workers, but hopefully, they can offer you parents some peace of mind.
1. Choose the Right Homeschooling Space
First things first, where are your kids going to be working at home? In the spring you may have had them set up in the dining room, at the kitchen island, in their bedrooms, or some other makeshift spot in your home and it just didn’t seem to work. Where your kids will be learning is very important to their productivity and success while learning from home and should not be in their bedroom where they sleep.
One of the most important things when choosing a space is that it will be a constant spot so your child can get into an at learning from home routine. Different ages may like different things such as natural light or lots of space. With younger kids, it may be important to consider the proximity to you the parent, or a central location so that they can easily be helped or monitored while learning. With older kids, they may desire something more private as they may be on video calls and would like fewer distractions. There is no perfect setting for all children, but it is important to find one that works well that can be consistent so they get in a routine that will provide them with structure.
2. Add Plenty of Storage Solutions
Staying organized and having plenty of storage is another important part of learning from home. If you and your children are sharing spaces it is a good idea to designate shelves, bins, or other storage systems for you and your child. A cart that can easily be rolled out of a closet or around the house to different locations can be a good option for different school supplies that need to be used on the weekdays but easily put away on the weekends. Find a spot whether that be a desk, a shelf, or a bin where they will keep all their books, binders, notebooks in one space where they can learn to be responsible for their things.
3. Create Systems for Your Child's Daily Routine
Learning from home can come with some inconsistencies but it is important to provide your child with some type of daily system or routine. Making your child carry a backpack may be a good idea to keep all their school belongings together in one place and put them in the mindset that they are going to school. If your child is doing a hybrid learning situation this will also help keep things organized and together for the days, they go into school and the days they are at home.
Another idea is to place a physical reminder for them in their learning space where they can visually see their daily schedule. These schedules could be posted on a whiteboard, a corkboard, or in other ways that can be personalized by your child to make their learning space more fun and unique to them. In addition to their schedules, it may be beneficial to include your schedule along with any other individuals in your household, so everyone knows when and where people are working.
4. Make the Space Desirable and Fun
As hard as another year of at-home virtual learning is to parents, we have to remember it is devastating to our kids. The kids are missing out on their friends, recess, and the overall school experience so it is important to find ways to make their at-home learning space desirable for them. Let them pick out their school supplies and decorate their learning space with things that they like that will help motivate them whether that be a new desk lamp or a picture of their favorite animal or singer.
We all are dreading going back to school this year, but we have to remember we are not alone, and it is not about us, it is about the kids. Finding the best ways to help them through this virtual learning will not only result in great success for them but help minimizes stress for us. My tips and tricks for at-home learning may not work for you and your family but remember you are not alone, and we will all get through this together and deserve an A+ just for that!
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Xoxo, Jill