Each child has a different style of learning, and every one of them has his or her own development pacing. In the age of remote learning and homeschooling, how would you tell if your kids are learning or struggling?
How could you make sure that your child understands the lessons provided by their instructors are teaching, and most importantly, how would you tell if your children’s state of mind amidst the transition and challenges of the learning set up.
It is challenging to be a parent, especially kids are not an exception towards brain conditions that affect their learning abilities. Some kids look fine and healthy but end up needing a neurological disorder treatment.
See, children are curious beings. They may have unique quirks that might appear odd to adults. They may stare in thin air and look as if something’s wrong, but there is not. It is in their nature to ask and for their minds to wander off to things that interest them.
Sometimes, even if they are eating right in front of you, they are actively entertaining imaginative thoughts. So before you scold them to hurry up, it is important to know that this is simply how kids are. This situation would be likely when they are in front of their laptops for their online classes, and it would be tricky to know whether or not they are focused and learning or not.
If you relate to this situation, here are the following things that might help you understand how your child’s mind functions during school hours, or in this case, online school:
Observe if They are Participating in Activities
One important sign that your kid’s mind is engaged in learning is that they involve themselves in the process. So, try to see if your kids are participating willfully, being complacent, or not at all.
If they are participating consistently that means your kid’s mind and attention are in place. They are listening, they form questions, and they try to find answers, and they can even be trying to exhibit and showcase their knowledge. It is a good sign of a mentally healthy kid.
Are They Talking About School?
It is human nature to talk about and share things that interest us, and kids are just talkative creatures. So, as a parent, you should check if your kid mentions school, and how often does he or she talks about his teachers and the knowledge they have gained.
This can mean that your child is very well capable of retaining knowledge, processing it, and formulating his thoughts. If they are not talking about school-related stuff, that can mean they do not find anything about online learning interesting.
Additionally, it would be hard if you blindly scold them about it. Negative reinforcements do not really perform, it only produces an unhealthy process that your kid would bring for years to come.
What you can do is ask them about the school, and see how they would react. Should you get no response at all, then online learning might not be working for your kid.
Do They Show Motivation and Initiative for Their Classes?
As kids naturally tend to sleep for longer hours, it can be common for them to be slow during the mornings. They are not physically there yet, their bodies do not function as adults, and they need to at least warm up to the idea of waking up because you have school.
However, if your kid is showing little to no motivation to log in to his online classes and learn, it can be a sign of a problem. It is either the education system or your kid. Before we jump to conclusions, it is also important to note that kids can also suffer from low self-esteem and depression.
Again, they are not exempted from mental or even neurological disorders, and it is better to catch the signs early.
So, if your kid is actively showing initiative to learn and do homework, that is terrific! Your kid is learning and exhibits great self-management skills at such a young age.
Does Your Kid Ask for Your Help in Schoolwork?
We all know that home works can sometimes be out of their league and that it is designed for parents to help. However, if your kid does not really come to you for help, it can be a sign of isolation and seclusion. If this is the case, there might be problems to address immediately. It can be because of several reasons concerning the environment at home, your communication approach, and your child’s ability to understand when it is time to ask for help.
In retrospect, it can also be because your kid does not prioritize his school works. Whatever it is, it only means there is a struggle and problems need to be addressed.
If work-from-home is something that adults had to adjust, so do your kids with online learning. They are not used to this, or at least not yet, and this setup can show parents problems they did not know existed before.
