As a mom of three who will be virtual learning this fall - one in elementary, one in middle and one in high school - things look different than I could have ever imagined. I know you're nodding your head, saying, "Same. Everything looks different than what I imagined."

More and more parents are reaching out regarding virtual learning, asking, “How do I pull this off?” I decided to sit down and write down just how you pull it off. You might be wondering how I think I know it all, seeing this is brand new for everyone. Well, I don't think I know it all, but I successfully used these methods with virtual learning this spring, and we never took a break from school this summer in anticipation of this exact thing happening.

My kids have had to spend time learning five days a week all summer in reading, writing, math and science. They did this independently while both parents worked. We built upon the methods we used in Spring, strengthened what worked and ditched what didn't. I hope what I have in terms of how to structure your day for success and support helps make your virtual learning experience amazing.

Implement these as soon as possible because there is bound to be uneasiness and apprehension about virtual learning from all involved. Once you get a structure in place, you will feel like you have solid ground beneath your feet, and your child will feel like there is a safety net of support. Starting new routines, especially if this spring was not ideal or left you with a sour taste in your mouth, allows you to establish and work out the kinks of your learning system as early as possible.

But if you are reading this knee-deep in virtual learning land, don't despair. Decide to enact a change of structure and move forward. You've got this!

8 Virtual Learning Tips to Rock the School Year

#1: Set Your Mindset (Now!)

This is not what you expected; this is not what your kids expected; this is not what your teachers expected. There are a million reasons why your frustration and fear are warranted, so if you’re feeling them, I’m validating your position in them. Here’s the thing though, you get to choose whether you stay in fear and frustration of move into a place that feels more peaceful. I am not asking you to ignore reality or turn a very serious situation into something that’s not. It’s choosing to look for and hold onto something positive in all the uncertainty. It’s reminding yourself that you want to see that positive when frustration and uncertainty pop into your brain. The more you do this, the more it will come naturally to your brain. Until then, I’ve compiled some ideas to help you train your brain to keep your mindset positive. 

• Keep Reading: Mindset Matters: 3 Tips for Getting Ready for School (Spoiler: I’m going to ask you to dig into your inner Beyoncé.) 

• Check Out: Start teaching your kids how to quiet negative self-talk and grow growth mindset with our SEL Kit, The Rooted Family Circle: Building Confidence and Resilience

#2: Make a Daily Routine and Checklist

This year with virtual learning, it may be even more tempting to let summer slide right into fall or making mornings lax since you won’t have the same morning rush of getting out the door, but think long game on this one. If no one is leaving your house, you need to have everything in place, or you'll have to take on the role of policing basic routines on top of facilitating learning, other parental responsibilities and whatever work obligations you have. Who has time for that? If you create a daily schedule (by class, subject or time) and a checklist of what your child needs to do each day, you will set them up for independent success. The brain likes structure and if you can help your kids’ brain feel structure, it’s going to be a whole lot easier to facilitate learning and parenting. Need some help with this? We broke it down even further for you with examples.

• Keep Reading: Back to School Like a Boss: Daily Schedule and Checklist for Kids (Freebie Alert!)

• Check Out: Learn the brain science behind how to actually get your child to embrace responsibility, including chore charts with our SEL Kit Rooted in Responsibility

#3: Set Expectations Together

If you had a rough spring with distance or virtual learning, you’re not alone. It’s hard to find someone who actually felt like it was a roaring success. It’s clear that things need to be different this fall, and seeing you’re the one your kids are going to be with, the ball is in your court. Give your child the gift of letting them know that spring learning may not have gone as well as hoped, but that doesn’t have to dictate this next stretch of virtual learning. Look at this virtual learning experience as one to build your child’s character and setting up expectations (together) is what’s going to make this year successful. To help facilitate the togetherness of this fresh start, we created a conversation starter and double-sided worksheet to help you think of everything you’ll need to set expectations around so you can get the party started asap.

• Keep Reading: How Setting Expectations With Kids will Guarantee an Amazing School Year

• Check Out: If testing the waters is a child’s barometer for learning how to be respectful, what is the answer key at your house say? Is it consistent? Does it involve reliable expectations? Take your respect game to the next level with our SEL Kit, Reaching for Respect

#4: Help Your Kids Become Independent Learners

We want to help our kids, but when is it too much helping? Think about it this way: when your kids are in a classroom, their teacher does not pull up the chair next to them all day and make sure they do every step correctly. Kids are expected to work independently, and they do because they know the teacher will be there to support them if and when they need help. They know there is a time and place to get help, and it is not at their beck and call. Before this becomes your norm, incorporate check-in times. When your child knows what is expected of them and how you will support them, they are set up to work independently, just like they did at school. They will feel MORE supported than if you just sit there and do everything step-by-step with them. Dig in a bit deeper on this topic at the link below and get yourself set up with check-in times asap.

• Keep Reading: How to Help Your Child Become an Independent Learner (This will change your virtual school game!)

• Check Out: It is always amazing to me how young kids are when they start limiting what they think they can accomplish. Build skills to helps kids go from crumbling under pressure to knowing they can grow anywhere with our SEL Kit Growing Growth Mindset

#5: Schedule Screen and Non-Screen Times

For virtual learning, screens are a given, but you need to assess how much screen time your kid will use during virtual learning. Each teacher, school and grade level will structure it differently. Track how much time is spent on a screen. Collecting this baseline data can help you determine how you want to regulate other screen time. Keep the conversation open with teachers, especially if you have multiple teachers for multiple subjects. Going outside and get some fresh air throughout the day will be vital. And once the school day is over, don’t let your kid transition right to online games. There has to be some breathing room for your brain. If this is a pain point for you, take some time to learn what technology does in the brain. Maybe that’s just what you need to hear to take a stronger stand against the need for screens.

• Keep Reading: Why You Should Limit Screen Time: 4 Ways Screens Affect the Brain (A must-read!)

• Check Out: We often think of the stomach and heart as being functional organs, while the brain is the “thinking” organ. However, the stomach and heart send vastly more information to the brain than the brain sends to them. Learn all about ways to keep your body (and brain!) healthy with our SEL Kit, The Rooted Family Circle: Healthy Body, Healthy Brain

#6: DITCH Mom Guilt (The Most Important!)

How much of your daily parenting is fueled by guilt? What about when you add in the virtual learning component. Do you have guilt because you can’t teach your kids like their teacher can? Guilt because you feel like you should be more “fun” with virtual learning, but you don’t have the bandwidth? Guilt because the perfectly styled learning desks/rooms/outdoor tents (are you for real?) complete with wifi are starting to pop up, and now you think you have to decorate on top of everything else that is going on? If you take anything to heart on this blog post, please click through to this article. We have the magic cure for mom guilt, and it doesn’t involve spending a single cent on any of the things you’ve found on Pinterest.

• Keep Reading: The Magic Cure for Mom Guilt (Pass this on to every mom you know.)

• Check Out: If kids aren’t connecting thankfulness at a social and emotional level, they miss out on the benefits of gratitude. Boosting gratitude in your kids (and your own brain) is as simple as coming together in the fun, connection-building, gratitude-boosting activities in Be Grateful: 21 Gratitude-Boosting Family Activities

#7: Plan for Boredom

After kids have been sitting and learning, they need to play and be creative. If you want to support your kids’ brains, it’s just a fact. You don’t want your kids going straight from sitting in front of a screen for hours doing virtual learning to playing games on a screen. Brains need a break and they also need to be filled with other stimuli. But don’t worry, I’m not asking you to come up with a million things for them to do, I’m asking you to empower them to build a list boredom busters…with you! Maybe you have the amazing advantage of being a kid without technology. And if you did have technology, it certainly didn’t look like it does today. You filled your days with your imagination in full gear, not stifled by an app or watching other people doing things on YouTube videos. Dig deep in your memory banks and dig out some creative things you used to do when you were bored. Need a memory jog? We helped with some ideas.

• Keep Reading: How to Balance Boredom in a Way That Boosts Their Brains (Dig into your childhood memory banks!)

• Check Out: A simple way to beat boredom and help your child strengthen their creative muscles in our SEL Kit The Creative Brain

#8: Boost Social-Emotional Skills

Yes, we have lost so much from Covid, but we have also gained this amazing opportunity to invest in the things that schools often don’t have time to work on: social-emotional skills like resiliency, confidence, courage, growth mindset, respect, gratitude. These are the things that will bring your child success now and into the future. Building into these skills will 100% come back in terms of future success. Don’t miss this opportunity because we’ll (fingers crossed!) never get this time back again.

And don’t stress about how to figure out another thing - we’ve done it for you. We want to teach your kids how their brains work so they can feel in control of their choices that lead to success. We teach this in families, schools and workplaces.