Distance learning is becoming the norm and many states have already declared that home schooling will continue through the rest of the school year. With this in mind, it is important to create a comfortable learning space for school-age kids, free of distractions. A designated space and consistent routine will help to support academic success. We've put together a few tips to design your child's school space and equip them for online learning.
1. Designate a quiet part of the house for learning.
One of the first things to consider when creating your child's workspace is distractibility. Finding a quiet place in the house will allow them to concentrate on school work. If they are logging on to class meeting via Zoom or other online platforms, a quiet area will be key to hearing the instructor. Headphones with a microphone attached make life easy as well!
2. Add a whiteboard.
The best feature of our school space is the whiteboard. We found our 24"x36" board through an online store called ClickHere2Shop and we were very pleasantly surprised at the high quality and speediness of delivery. It even came with 4 strong colored magnets, two dry-erase markers that fit into a magnetic eraser, and a detachable marker tray. Adding a whiteboard to your child's workspace is great for organization, note-writing, working out math and science problems, adding visual schedules, and so much more. We like to list important due dates at the top of our board each week to stay organized. We also added a hanging schedule, similar to what younger children use in their own classrooms, to structure our day. The magnets are so strong that we didn't need to add any hanging hooks.
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The Offex Home Office Wall Mounted Dry Erase Magnetic Whiteboard is the perfect size for a home school workspace!
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Children need space to spread out books and papers as they work. They'll also want a large enough table to include writing utensils, a computer, and potentially snacks!
4. Gather a variety of supplies.
Our goal is to keep kids at their school space to maximize work time. One way to do this is to be sure everything they need is at their finger tips! Whether it's markers, pencils, sharpeners, chargers — you name it — we want to have it there and ready, so that assignments aren't interrupted.
5. Include a clock or timer.
Consider adding a clock or timer to your child's workspace, so that they are able to monitor how long they should be working on each assignment. The clock app on an iPad or smartphone is handy as well. It's a great way to incorporate breaks into the day and allows children to be more self-sufficient, so that you can carry on with your own work each day.
One last tip...think about implementing a consistent routine!
Research shows that most students do their best work in the morning. While there is no reason to get up at the crack of dawn, consider keeping to a regular schedule, rather than allowing children to stay up late and get up at any point in the day. (That's what weekends are for!)
Where to Purchase a Whiteboard
We recommend purchasing the Offex Home Office Wall Mounted Dry Erase Magnetic Whiteboard that we used in our home learning space! We loved the accessories, the size, ease of mounting, and ClickHere2Shop's super quick delivery. For under $40, we haven't found anything better that matches the quality of this board. Browse the store's entire selection at here.
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Disclaimer: The product in this post was provided by ClickHere2Shop.com. As always, our posts are our own, honest opinions.