10 Best Remote Learning Tips For Parents And Families

Whether your kids are doing full distance learning or hybrid learning, remote elearning at home can be extremely challenging for everyone involved. But virtual learning doesn’t have to break you! Take a deep breath, grab a cup of of coffee or tea, and keep reading for the best remote learning tips for parents, students and families!

Lower Your Expectations

We are in the middle of a global pandemic!! This is hard on EVERYONE, kids included, actually especially kids. So much is different for them and it is literally impossible for their brains to fully comprehend all of the changes that are occurring. The amazing part? Kids are extremely resilient, and more importantly, their brains are extremely plastic. Do you know what that means?! They are capable of change and learning at such an incredible pace that we as adults are not able to do. So it is okay if they fall behind a little, or if they don’t know or understand something that is at “grade level.” Their astounding brains will be able to adapt and later learn this information when they are ready and in the correct environment.

Take A Deep Breath

Seriously. Do it right now. Relax your tongue. Relax your jaw. Relax your shoulders. Breathe in deep through your nose. Exhale slowly through your mouth. Now do this every time you find yourself muttering “WTF?!” under your breath. Or when your kids close the laptop and run away. Or when the school sends yet another email with a new app or website that the kids need to be able to log into. Do it again. Relax your tongue. Relax your jaw. Relax your shoulders. Breathe in deep through your nose. Exhale slowly through your mouth.

This Too Shall Pass

It will. It may not seem like it at the time. Trust me. I know. But I promise it will. Whenever you find yourself frustrated, wondering if it’s too early to drink, or ready to tell your kids that you just give up and don’t care if they learn this year, remember this phrase. This too shall pass. And it will be a blip (albeit a slightly big blip) on the radar in their lifetimes.

Celebrate The Small Victories

Did your kid finally figure out how to stay muted the whole class? Did they show restraint from writing words like “poop” in the chat box all week? Did they actually raise their hand and wait to be called on before unmuting themselves and blurting out the answer? Celebrate!!!! In all seriousness, this is HARD. If they understand a common core math problem or learn how to write their name via virtual learning, imagine how well they’ll do once they’re back in the classroom?!

Take Some Of It Off Your Plate

Don’t feel like you have to make them do every. single. assignment or every single special or every single remote/independent activity. Yes there are some that they will need to complete and hand in. But the ones that are practically optional? Forgetaboutit! For our district, some of the specials are optional at the Kindergarten level and they are assigned as “remote homework” for the kids who are doing in person learning. I get that they are important, trust me, but they are not worth the stress that it causes to you as a parent trying to force your kid to do art or music or PE. Plus, kids do most of these activities on their own anyway! They may not be structured, but that is okay. The creativity that they can spark will long outweigh the stress that is placed on you trying to make them participate when you’re already asking so much of them.

Ask For Help

This one almost goes without saying. I completely understand that it can be hard for us to ask for help as mothers, but now more than ever is the time to ask, plead, beg and grovel for help! Whether it’s a family member coming to sit with your child during remote learning so you can get some work done or tend to your other children or a sitter that comes for a few hours a week so you can run errands or sit and cry in the Target parking lot, it’s definitely worth it.

Look For Everyday Learning Opportunities

I’ve always been the person that said “I could NEVER homeschool! I don’t know how homeschool moms do it!” But the ironic part? EVERY single person I talk to who has homeschooled has told me that homeschooling is WAY easier than the remote/hybrid learning that we’re doing now. I’m still not confident enough in myself to make the switch, but I love the idea of using this time to teach life skills that will actually be used instead of long division. Folding laundry, budgeting, meal planning, recipe reading and cooking, the list literally goes on forever.

Last week for example, I was watering the garden while my 7 year old was doing remote learning. A praying mantis flew past me and landed on one of my tomato plants. I ran in to get my son and we came out and had an amazing learning opportunity all about the praying mantis. (Like did you know only male praying mantises fly? I definitely did not).

Enjoy The Unique Experiences

I have always said “I wish I could be a fly on the wall while my kids are in school.” Well, here is my chance to see how they interact with their teacher and peers, to see the joy on their face when their teacher complements them, or the pride they experience when they figure out a problem or overcome something challenging. And the best part? When my Kindergartener with special needs finally wrote his name in the correct order for the first time ever??? I was there to witness it!! I saw the excitement on his little face! And I was there when he jumped out of his seat to give me a huge hug.

Acknowledge Their Feelings

Again, this whole entire year is a lot for kids and teens to process. Let them know that you understand this is hard. You agree that it’s not fair. And that you too wish things would be back to normal. Let them take some vent breaks, whatever that looks like for their age, and allow them to be upset or complain or yell or cry. Those emotions need to come out in order to keep moving forward. Tell them it’s okay and it’s NORMAL to experience whatever feeling or emotion they are experiencing.

Move Your Body

This one is kind of a no brainer, but I for one definitely need the reminder. We’re so focused on getting them set up and ready for the day that we forget about ourselves. Everyone knows exercise is important (yet I still don’t do it nearly as much as I should), but I’m not even talking about cardio or lifting or any of that. Just MOVE. Go for a walk. Do 5 minutes of yoga. Put on some fun music and DANCE. Literally anything to get your body moving will help you feel better and help send endorphins to your brain to help you better cope with whatever the day throws at you.

My son’s Kindergarten class starts with a 3 minute Youtube video of singing and dancing (and I have to admit, the song is catchy)! But even just those 3 minutes of moving around our living room with him makes me feel surprisingly better.

Products That Have Made Our Lives Easier

Since we’ve been at this for almost a month now, I have discovered a few things that have tremendously helped with our remote learning! I will make a separate post of them soon, but for now here are a few of my favorites!

Electric Pencil Sharpener — Electronic Pencil Sharpener

This may seem silly but this is my absolute favorite remote learning purchase. It’s awesomely convenient and I don’t know why we never owned one before!

This small inflatable cushion is perfect for those little wiggly bodies or honestly older kids too that just need a little movement during the day. Sitting on it allows the children to move and wiggle a little without getting antsy and needing to constantly get out of their chair. Bonus? It works on core stability and helps with posture making them more alert. Double bonus? It is actually an exercise tool that you can use too and comes with a complete list of stability exercises!

These soft foam pencil grips were recommended by my son’s OT. They thicken the part of the pencil making it easier for small fingers to correctly hold the pencil with the correct grasp pattern. The soft foam allows for better grip so the pencils don’t slip through their fingers and it doesn’t fatigue their intrinsic muscles because it is soft and easy for them to grip.

This may seem a little out there for some of you but I absolutely love it. The first thing I do as soon as I come downstairs every morning is turn on this essential oil diffuser. This particular one has several settings that allows for several hours of diffusing so you’re not having to constantly refill it. The jury is still out on whether it actually helps my children, but it definitely helps me feel more relaxed at the beginning of every day!

This essential oil kit contains all of the, well, essentials! From lavender for relaxing to orange for a wake up smell to peppermint for concentration and clarity, this starter kit has everything you need to give essential oils a try!

Headphones For Kids With Built In Microphone

And finally, these headphones for kids with a built in microphone have been an absolute necessity for my kids! They help them to focus on what their teacher is saying instead of being distracted by their sibling or the dog barking or the doorbell ringing.

Visual Timer For Kids With Auditory Options

This timer is perfect for both of my kids. Often my 7 year old has a 10-15 minute break or has to go read for 20 minutes. I am distracted working with my kindergartener and we don’t always remember to set the kitchen timer. This timer stays with him so he can have the auditory and visual cues of when he needs to log back on to his class.

I bought a laminator for Prime Day last year and I absolutely love it. I am definitely *not* one of those super organized, label everything moms (although I aspire to be) but this has helped us tremendously. Also it’s so small and easy to stick in a drawer or cupboard when not in use! Click here for laminating sheets to go with it! And to make schedules or other visuals for kids, these sticky back adhesive hook and loop dots are a game changer!

My son LOVES his visual schedule and he uses it so much that my older son asked for me to make him one too (but with words lol). Click below for a FREE downloadable printable PDF that you can use (with or without laminating!) to help your child.

Blank Weekly Visual Schedule For Kids (Click to download)

Distance Learning Teacher Gifts

I think one thing we can all agree on after this experience is how amazing teachers are and how much hard work goes into their jobs day in and day out! Why not show some appreciation with some of these fun, useful and unique teacher appreciation gifts!