5 Easy Hacks for Creating a Distance Learning Routine at Home

I’m betting as a parent you weren’t expecting to become another teacher to your child or having to create a distance learning routine at home.

Parents are having to step in to help educate their children more than ever before and having to fill in the gaps that teachers are incapable of doing through a computer.

I’m sure your child has an amazing teacher who is providing you with everything they possibly can, but teachers are also in this new boat of having to adjust to distance learning. They also can’t do everything they were able to do before since they are no longer able to be in the same room as their students.

This is where parents are having to step in and help make their child’s education happen.

As a parent, you are now responsible for establishing, enforcing, and maintaining a distance learning routine for your child.

You will need to see to it that your child is staying on top of their schoolwork, getting everything turned in on time, and attending the scheduled meetings set by their teacher.

To do this successfully, as the parent, you will have to create and enforce a distance learning routine for your child.

A distance learning routine is crucial for surviving and navigating your new world as a teacher to your kiddos.

Here are 5 easy hacks to help you create a distance learning routine:

1. The key is in your morning routine

When your kiddos go to school, they have a strict wakeup time and morning routine. I’m guessing they have an alarm, eat breakfast, pack lunch, brush their teeth, and head out the door to school.

Just because your child is now learning from home does not mean it is suddenly a free-for-all and they don’t need a morning routine.

Having a morning routine is more important than ever now that your child is participating in distance learning.

[bctt tweet=”Having a morning routine is crucial to your child’s success while participating in distance learning.” username=”mytayloredclass”]

I recommend setting an alarm with a wake-up time, granted if your child doesn’t have anything scheduled super early in the morning with their teacher, you can schedule a time that is a little later than what they would wake up to for school. Set clear boundaries that they are required to wake up at that time and may not lay in bed forever scrolling through social media before they wake up.

Personally, I would also encourage your child to eat breakfast. Your brain doesn’t function as well when you are hungry and staring at screens more than normal to complete their classwork will make them more prone to headaches.

The biggest rule that needs to be made clear, maintained, and always enforced is the time you expect your child to sit down and begin working. It is crucial for your distance learning routine to have a regular starting time and as the parent, it is up to you to enforce.

This may seem a little harsh or frustrating, but remember, your child is used to bells telling them where and when they are supposed to be somewhere throughout the day. If it makes it easier, set a timer with a sound to go off to indicate their school day has started.

2. Create a learning space

It will be easier to establish a routine if your child has a place inside the home to work on their school work.

Before your kiddos ask you, no, sitting on the couch or laying in bed with Netflix on in the background is not a conducive way to learn.

Find a space in your home, whether it be a spare room, dining room table, or loft to create a learning space for each of your children.

When you create this distance learning routine, make it clear to your child they are to get ready for the day, then head to their individual learning space to complete their school work.

Creating a learning-centered space for your child will not only help enforce your at-home school routine, but it will help your child focus and create a sense of normalcy while they are adjusting to this new way of learning.

We have plenty of resources in our shop to help you create the ideal learning space in your home! Check it out here!

3. Utilize timers

Teachers live and swear by timers to manage the school day for their students.

The entire school day in and of itself is based on a super strict schedule with bells letting students and teachers know what to do next. In elementary classes, teachers schedule based on each subject that needs to cover during the day.

Teachers will use physical timers or Internet timers to break up the time they are teaching and students working on their classwork.

If your child needs to work on a math worksheet, a science project, and a history paper all in one day, use a timer to schedule when and how much time your child will be working on each activity.

For example, if your child can complete his math worksheet in 45 minutes, but needs to dedicate more time to his science project, then set a time for 45 minutes of math, have a 5-minute break, then use the timer for 1 hour and 30 minutes for the science project.

The benefit of using timers to create your distance learning routine around is it helps to create a sense of normalcy for your child since they are used to bells at school.

[bctt tweet=”One of our goals with distance learning should be to tell help our students feel a sense of normalcy while working at home.” username=”mytayloredclass”]

4. Schedule in blocks of time

My advice is to schedule your blocks of time around what the teacher has set for the day.

For example, if your child’s teacher has scheduled a Zoom call for their math lesson from 11-11:45 AM, then their independent math work time should be happening right after this lesson while the material is still fresh in their minds.

Your kids are used to having their entire day scheduled in blocks by either class periods, if they are older, or by subject in elementary school.

Create your schedule first with scheduled meetings and due dates the teacher has set for the week. Then, set an hour or so block of time for each subject, assignment, lesson or project needs to be worked on that day. Use your timer to indicate a start and end time.

If your child is in middle or high school, create a routine on Sunday evenings where you sit down together to look at what meetings or lectures the teacher has planned for the week, what assignments are due, and if there is anything time-sensitive for the week. Then, work together to make a workable schedule.

Your elementary school-aged child probably won’t be able to sit down with you so look at what the teacher has planned for the week and make a schedule according to that.

5. Don’t be too hard on yourself

You and your child are adjusting to this new reality of distance learning, whether it’s full-time or just for a few days a week.

Some days are going to be better than others. You will forget some things, have technical difficulties, and probably feel frustrated with your child at some point. IT’S OKAY.

We are all navigating completely new territory and it will take time to get adjusted.

The more days you experience, you will discover what schedule works best for you and your kiddos. The upside to distance learning is you are able to create a distance learning schedule that works the best for your kids by having them complete their work when they are the most awake and productive.

Just remember to go with the flow, take it step-by-step, and remember it’s okay to make a mistake.

You got this!

Looking for resources or classroom decor to create a learning space for your child at home? Check out our shop!

Have you followed us on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram yet?! Follow along for more great tips and tricks!