Tips For Greater Screen Learning Success

Distance Learning? Homeschooling? Screen-learning time? How do you make the best of it?

1. When possible, take breaks.
Whether you are on a distance learning program that requires near back-to-back Zoom sessions or you get to design your day with screen time, make sure there are breaks.

But what KIND of breaks?

• Eyeballs
  Look far away. How far can you see? Focus on that cloud, that bird, the top of that building. Exercise your distance sight. 
• Breath
  Sometimes screen time comes with daytime apnea. That's when you hold your breath without realizing it. Over time that creates all sorts of stress issues. So... close your mouth, make sure the tip of your tongue is touching the spot on the roof of your mouth behind your front teeth, and BREATHE THROUGH YOUR NOSE. In, slow, hold it, out. All in and out the nose. This is centering and calming.
• Body
  Indoor mini trampoline, a couch you can run and smash into, running in circles around the kitchen island, dance break, keep the balloon in the air. Fun, move-your-body time. 
• Water
  Are they hydrated?
• Snack
  Are they hungry? Learning on a screen takes mental energy.
• Celebration
  High-5, put a star on the wall poster, check it off the list, distance learning or screen learning can seem like it just goes on and on and on... the brain loves to feel like it's doing SOMETHING, so devise a way to feel "compete" after a screen session. 

2. Set up a screen situation that works with your child.

• Position
  Do they like to recline? Sit? Stand up and wiggle around? If they use a tablet, are they having to hold it up all the time or do they have an iPad pillow that makes it comfortable and easy? (Go to Amazon and look up "iPad pillow".) If they like to stand, can their tablet or computer be set up at a standing desk or the kitchen counter so they can wiggle around? (Get them a counter-height stool or chair to sit when they want.) And, I'm not kidding, do they learn best when they are running around? Maybe they carry the iPad and they walk around the house or jump on the mini-trampoline while they do it. (Go to Amazon and search "kid proof iPad case.)
• Extroverted Thinkers
  So.... maybe you have an extroverted thinker and that means they have no idea what they are thinking sometimes unless they say it out loud. You'll know this when you have a child who tells a long story only at the end to say "Oh!" with a big epiphany. Introverted thinkers will have already thought it out and they often lead with the epiphany and fill it details if asked. Which means.... if you have screen learning time, can you set it up so that your extroverted thinking can TALK while they are watching the Zoom class or doing that online program? Teach them about the mute button. 
• Eye Position
  I cannot stress this one enough: eye position matters. You can test it right now yourself. Keep your head straight and just move your eyeballs. Move your eyeballs to look down. How do you feel? What kind of thoughts do you have? Move your eyeballs to look up. How do you feel now? It's hard to have negative thoughts when your eyeballs are looking up. This may be a huge reason being out in nature is so uplifting. UPlifting. You are literally looking up. So elevate that screen if you notice this helps.
• Blue Light Blockers
  Yes, they have the software program Flux for Macs and they have night shift settings for iPhones and iPads and Androids, etc. but while those reduce the amount of blue light shining into your eyeballs from the screen they don't block it. Blue light blocker glasses BLOCK the blue light. If your child has ADHD, ADD, Highly Sensitive Person, Light Sensitivity, Hyperactivity, trouble sleeping, dry eyes, eye fatigue, or they just have eyeballs, use these when doing screen learning time. I got some from Amazon for $12. They come in adult sizes (good for tweens and up) and kid sizes. (Go to Amazon and search "blue light glasses".)
• Do It With Them
  Ok, I know this isn't going to work in all situations, but if you have a young child and you sit WITH your child and do the learning with them, or even if you just cuddle them while they do the learning and you do your own screen thing, you might notice a huge difference. Also, you will be able to tell when it's reeaaaallllllly boring or repetitive which will amp up the understanding and compassion factor between the tow of you about their learning situation.  

Additional Thoughts:

What if your school or teacher won't allow your kid to put the Zoom on mute or turn off video so they can bounce around while they listen or participate without distracting everyone on the Zoom?
Um, tell them that's what you're doing. Then do it. Then follow up when some emails to the teacher over time about how the learning is working if needed.

Some kids need a lot of stimulus to focus.
This is a GREAT time to find out if your child focuses better with music blasting or by talking to themselves loudly. Don't try to make them "DO" school at home, see what kind of bird they really are so they can FLY. For example, right now I'm blasting this blog post out, fingers flying, a huge set of headphones on jamming the Asia album. It's loud. Sometimes I'm hearing the music, sometimes I'm not, and because of it I'm FOCUSED. Why? I don't really know. I suspect it's because when I have finished a thought about the writing I don't go into the quiet which would then spin my thoughts in different directions. I have two modes: blog post and album. I stay on track because one track keeps me on the other track. The point is, if you don't think like this, you may be telling your kid to work in silence assuming that would help them focus. Don't assume. Ask, watch, inquire, learn about your child's best productive modes.

Some kids need quiet to focus.
Some kids do need quiet and stillness to focus. So what if you have other kids and those other kids are loud or wiggly? How does your quiet-craving kid focus? Dig out a closet and throw a bean bag chair in there. Get THEM headphones. Have them do learning when the other kids are outside or asleep. Modify your schedule. I have heard it can take 23 to 25 minutes to get into focus mode but in the modern office people are interrupted every 11 minutes. Save that quick question for them until later. Let them sink into focus and stay there. 

What about internet safety?
If you have a child who would do better doing online learning in private but you don't want them to have access to the entire internet while they are not supervised, get a tablet and lock that thing down. You can set up an iPad so that there are no purchases, you can't download or even delete apps without approval, and ONLY the websites you approve can be seen. (Heads up: this means you can't use YouTube because you can't approve individual YouTube channels, you can only allow the ENTIRE YouTube website.) If you don't know how to set this up for your child, reach out. Chances are there is someone in your community of online people who will be happy to help you with this. 

Don't expect every day to be the same.
Look for the cycles. Kids have growth spurts, things on their mind, emotional changes, you name it. So KEEP A LOG. That way if you realize they had a rough three days with online learning but the next week and half was fine, you can start to look at the bigger picture instead of reacting to every day as if it's the only day your child will be graded on for the rest of their life.

Did I mention breathe?

Love,
Alora