Learn how to establish a routine and daily schedule for virtual school.
Virtual School Routine is Everything
Searching for solutions to help you stay on track with your kids’ virtual school? One very simple but effective method for keeping kids focused on learning is to set up and stick to a daily routine and schedule.
A typical school day has time for both traditional academic classes and special classes. Daily academic subjects include math, spelling, reading, science, social studies, etc.
The specials are on specific days. So Monday could be art class at 1pm following lunch. Tuesday could be Phys Ed. Wednesdays and Fridays might be music, and so on.
To keep with the routine of traditional in-school, you may want to set up a routine at home that mirrors what your child is used to.
Virtual School Routine
A virtual school routine will help you and your child move smoothly throughout the day. It’ll help you to know what to expect next, without leaving you scrambling to figure out what to do.
A very basic routine will help set the tone for the rest of the day. Making it too complex may just cause anxiety and stress.
Your virtual school routine could be something like this:
- Get up and have breakfast
- Read a devotional/inspirational quote
- Go over schedule for the day
- Attend virtual school
- Stretch/Snack Break
- Attend virtual school/special classes
- Lunch break
- Attend virtual school/ Complete work
- Playtime/ TV / Outdoor adventure
- Dinner
- Reading
- Bed
What you do in your routine is totally up to you and your family. For instance, instead of reading a devotional, you could do some yoga together in the morning. If your routine is to usually watch a little TV before bed, go for it.
The goal is to set up a routine that can be easily followed and that helps everyone transition throughout the day with minimal effort.
How to Set Up a Virtual School Schedule
A schedule will break down your routine into increments of time so you and your child know when to do each task.
For most of it you can determine the times you would like each task to be completed. For instance, the goal might be for everyone to get up around 7 am and have breakfast between 7-7:30 am. Lunch might be around noon every day.
The rest may be determined when your child’s teacher will be live on video or when assignments will be posted.
Not sure what your child(ren)’s daily virtual school schedule should be? Your first step should be to get in contact with your child’s school to see how they are setting up their virtual schedule.
In many cases, teachers will have a set time for meetings or instructional activities online, so your child will need to be present virtually for that. Once you have that information, you can create a daily schedule for your child to complete their assignments.
You do have a bit more flexibility and freedom being that your child is at home. You can factor in and modify certain details like breaks as long as the work is still getting done.
For example, maybe your kids really tend to be late risers. As long as they make the morning meeting and check-in with the teacher, you might at least let them have a more relaxed start to their day.
Just keep this in mind though, that if your morning takes off at a slower pace than during the rest of the year when school is in session, your kids could be looking at an afternoon filled with studying and school work. After all, they will still be expected to complete their assignments on time.
Your children’s ages will likely be a factor in their daily schedule. If you have older kids and little kiddos all learning under one roof, you might divide the day up to have lower grade students on their own itinerary. This could even involve having the bigger kids helping to manage the younger ones.
To help move the virtual school routine along, older kids might help to make lunch, do some chores, read to little ones who aren’t in school, and help make it a fun, educational and productive day for all. This would be especially helpful for parents who are working from the home!
Don’t forget recess. Brain breaks are important! Free play and time outdoors will definitely become an essential part of your at-home virtual learning experience for your school-aged kids. Even your older kids will benefit from multiple breaks throughout the day!
You might be tempted to have your children finish all of their day’s work by the early afternoon. But don’t forget that strategically placed breaks make for increased concentration and information retention at the times when kids are learning and doing work. So space out your child’s day as needed.
Once you have all of the information you need, you can set up your child’s virtual school schedule. Of course, the schedule you create will depend on the age of your child and what the teachers tell you in terms of attending virtual class.
A virtual school schedule might look something like this:
- 7-7:30 Wake up
- 7:30-8:30 Breakfast
- 8:30-9 Brush teeth, get changed, gather materials for school
- 9-10 Attend virtual school
- 10-10:15 Stretch/Snack Break
- 10:15-11 Attend Virtual School
- 11-11:30 Break
- 11:30-12 Complete morning assignments
- 12-1 Lunch
- 1-2:30 Attend virtual school
- 2:30-3 Complete assignments
- 3-5:30 Outdoor play
- 5:30-6:30 Dinner
- 6:30-7:30 Reading
- 7:30-8 Get ready for bed
- 8 Bedtime
Following a Routine and Schedule
It’s vital to follow your virtual school routine and schedule every weekday! It’ll save you time and energy from having to figure out what to do every day.
Most importantly, it can help your kids transition back to school once schools are able to fully open up again.
What is Your Virtual School Schedule Like?
Do you do something different? Have other ideas of what a virtual school routine and schedule could look like? Leave a comment below!
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