COVID-19 has driven thousands of parents and their children to social distance and facilitate remote learning at home due to schools’ closing down. Almost 93% of families engage in some distance learning for young children who would have been in face-to-face classes had it not been for the pandemic. Most children are used to associating their homes as an escape from the stress of the education system.
Typically, when a child thinks of home, thoughts of relaxation and entertainment enter their minds. Merging these two separate systems will not be an easy adjustment for you and your kids. This significant change of environment has an unexpectedly large effect on a child’s learning process, which can be negative if not executed well. In this blog post, we cover how to make the transition easier for you and your child by creating a special learning place in your home.
Why Children Need a Learning Space at Home
A survey showed how 94% of respondents acknowledge that a designated learning space can actually influence learning. With that in mind, if your kids are taking classes online, you really need a space specifically for learning at home. Dedicating a spot for learning can expand their creativity, push them to learn, and refine their focus. Establishing a fixed and consistent area for learning can even train children to stick with a learning routine that allows them to acknowledge the importance of productivity and time management.
Learning spaces minimize distraction for young learners. In this way, they can be trained to self-regulate and set their minds on whatever tasks they need to accomplish. Don’t forget how most classes will require video meetings requiring an area with zero disturbances for your child and the teacher behind the screen. By filling the learning area with the needed learning materials minus potential distractions like pets or relatives, your child will better focus while applying self-discipline and organization.
With a necessary spot for learning at home, your child will not only be more productive, but their overall learning experience will be more comfortable and fun as well. Here are some ways to change your home environment to enhance your child’s learning process.
Changes You Can Make at Home
First of all, it is best to find a location that can meet your child’s preferences. Consider your children’s needs to figure out the best environment for them. Some young students may work best in silence, while some may need a little background music to work efficiently. In this way, learning at home can be convenient because you have the freedom to apply learning strategies that will benefit your child the most.
It would be best to invest in a small desk to help create a more suitable environment for your child. After that, minimize interference and unnecessary items that may hinder the child’s learning. Toys and random objects could distract them. Therefore, creating a similar setup to an organized classroom can help your children focus more on learning and getting schoolwork done.
Minimizing distractions can be helpful, but at the same time, it is crucial to find the right balance when decorating your home learning space. Putting up school-related pictures and posters can encourage your child’s creativity. This helps inspire young learners while providing a source for ideas and reflection. Nonetheless, whatever decor you put up should be necessary and purposeful. You wouldn’t want to end up distracting them instead with anything over-the-top.
You can also give their learning space a new and fresh coat of paint, which can affect your child’s learning more than you would think. Colors can evoke certain behaviors and emotions when they are learning. These colors may also affect the well-being of a person’s eyesight or their mental health. Some colors may help your child relax, stay focused, be happy, or be inspired. Repainting the learning space’s walls can be a quick and easy way to enhance your children’s learning environment. You can hire companies that offer residential and commercial painting services to save time and effort if your schedule doesn’t allow DIY projects.
Apart from that, organizing a learning corner with excellent lighting can effectively create an appropriate space for young learners. An abundance of natural light can lighten up the mood and uplift young kids. It can give them more energy and increase their attention span. Investing in proper lighting or even just opening windows near the area will most definitely make a difference.
With all the information you’ve read so far, creating a productive and suitable learning space for your children will be a lot easier. As parents, we want to do everything for our child to succeed and achieve great things, big or small. It will all be worth it, as they will carry whatever lessons and values they learn at home with them even until they graduate college and reach adulthood.
