Promoting Success with Online Learning via Regulation Strategies

Articles

Jan 1

Remote learning presents challenges for students, parents, families, and instructors in different ways. For students, it may have been difficult to adjust to distance learning instead of going to school. They may have found it much more difficult to concentrate and may have many more distractions on hand. There are ways to set your family up for success with online learning by implementing regulation strategies. Start by addressing some key elements of how your child experiences online learning.

Identify Related Feelings and Emotions

Help your children to express what they are feeling or what emotions they feel when they are engaged in different activities. You can help provide some examples of what it feels like to be focused or distracted such as, “when I’m focused I feel like my eye is on the target and nothing can get in my way to get there,” or “when I get distracted it feels like my mind is hopping from one place to the next and it won’t stop moving.”

When children are able to express how they are feeling it is easier for them to express their emotions properly.

Coping Strategies

There are many ways to implement coping strategies that can help kids regulate their emotions and keep them calm. It is important to learn and practice these coping skills from a place of calm. Then when a situation arises in the future when your child is dysregulated, they will be better equipped to utilize the tools they have learned.

One way to help your child feel your are empathetic and understanding them is to share stories or examples from your experience. You might describe a time when you were unable to figure something out, what happened, and how you were able to handle it.

Here are a few examples of coping strategies you can use with your family:

Movement Matters

Staying seated in front of the computer can create a need for more body movement. Use some fun ideas to get moving and feel regulated.

Turn on some music and have a dance party.

Animal walks - play a game of “what animal am I?” and walk like the animals.

(see our free printable animal cards)

Exercise - go for a walk if you can or sneak in a little exercise when possible.

Change seating - swap out your seat for a Wiggle Seat cushion, add a pillow, stand, kneel, bounce on a yoga ball, or switch to a spinning chair.
Calm/Exercise Movement Charts - print out our Movement/Exercise chart and our Calm Coping skills chart to help guide you when necessary. Choose something on the chart and practice skills or exercises.

Look at Your Environment

Take the time to assess your child’s workspace. Does it seem too cluttered or is there too much visual stimuli or distractions? Perhaps there is not enough visual stimuli? If you find there is too much visual stimuli on the screen while in school, have your child only view the teacher’s camera. It is helpful to eliminate any excess movement in the visual field.

You might consider having a fidget toy nearby while your child is engaged in distance learning. The temperature of the room might be too hot, too cold, or varying, which might necessitate access to a sweater or blanket. Some children will prefer to have some background noise such as white noise or natural sounds like ocean waves or birds chirping. Others may require complete silence to be able to adequately concentrate. Smells, such as food cooking or other strong scents can prove to be highly distracting. You can also utilize scents like essential oils to help provide a sense of calm or alertness. Communication is key to helping developing the right environment for your child.

Eye Check

Our eyes are an important part of our focus and ability to find success with online learning. Since kids are looking at screens for their school lessons, it is important to make sure their eyes are in good health. Has your child recently had their eyes checked? If necessary, get an eye exam to be sure your child is set up for success. It is also helpful to explain to them how their eyes can get tired. Show them that they can close their eyes and cover them with their hands, then look up, down, left, right, side to side, and diagonally to get an eye exercise.

Promoting success with online learning via regulation strategies is something every family can do. Practicing coping skills when we are calm can help us more easily draw on the skills we’ve learned when we are dysregulated.

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