5 Tips to Help Parents Improve Their Child's Workspace

As children learn from home, parents need to make adjustments that can affect the entire family. The learning environment needs to be quiet with the right conditions and without interruptions. This isn't always easy for parents to understand or create, especially when they aren't used to creating a "classroom" at home.

As a teacher, you can help parents understand the little changes that can make a big difference in students learning environment. Let's go over five tips that can help parents improve their child's workspace.

How Parents Can Improve Their Child's at Home Workspace

Children respond to stimuli in their environment. If they are engaged in learning, they will respond and interact with their teacher and peers. To create a workspace that's suitable for students to learn, parents need to first and foremost find a place in their home that can become a dedicated workspace. Let's cover some simple ways that parents can create and improve their child's at-home workspace.

1. Create a Dedicated Workspace

To help your child settle into remote learning and their new "classroom," make it as organized as possible. The workspace should be within reach of charging ports, so they can have sufficient battery charge and plug in their essential gadgets without distracting the class's learning flow. 

Students should keep their school laptops or tablet safely stored in their workspace, along with a mouse. Doing this will eliminate any accidents of misplacing or dropping the technology. Parents should also check to ensure the virtual lessons' background is clean, neat, and appropriate for school.  

Here are a few other items parents can keep at a student's workstation that can help them stay focused and productive: 

• Notebooks
• Calendar or Planner
• Crayons and markers 
• Pencils
• Calculator 
• Thesaurus
• Dictionary
• Sticky Notes

And we can't forget about a little something to stimulate creativity and motivation. Parents can hang encouraging or inspiring artwork around their child's workspace, like teachers having posters and pictures up around the classroom. Parents can change out simple printables in a frame to demonstrate a new theme or learning concept during the school year. 

Let the student be involved in the setting up and decoration of their workspace. They are the ones that have to sit there for multiple hours a day; it should reflect them and their learning style while also being functional and efficient when learning. 

2. Help Students Get Comfortable

While organizing the space, parents should be intentional about the furniture they'll use. Use a chair and table with a good height and is comfortable without harming their back or encouraging poor posture.

For students to sit still during the class, the workspace needs to be as comfortable as possible. They should get good lumbar support while seated. You can roll up a towel or put a pillow on their back if there's some space between their back and the chair they use. This is especially helpful for small and young children.

Students should also support their feet in case they don't touch the ground. You can put a footrest or small step stool for them to step on. You can also set out some wrist support pads for their keyboard and mouse to cushion their wrists, especially if they'll be doing a lot of computer work or typing.

3. Light Up the Room

Your child's workspace should be well-lit. Natural light is best since exposure to sunlight has many benefits like boosting moods, improving concentration, and encouraging healthy sleep patterns. With the right lighting, they can see clearly without straining their eyes. 

You should also adjust the brightness of the computer screen to an age-appropriate level. And you can use an anti-glare screen to avoid glare. There are also inexpensive blue-light glasses available to protect your child's eyes from the constant screen interactions. Parents can help their kids prevent eye fatigue by limiting screen time and encouraging breaks.

4. Keep Distractions to a Minimum

It can be challenging to focus on your math homework when your little brother is watching your favorite cartoon just a few feet away. Effective learning requires minimal distractions. Children especially tend to have a shorter attention span and can easily drift off if something else captures their attention.

Invite parents to make the space as calm as possible and clear the area of unneeded toys or gadgets. As a teacher, you can send suggestions for a study playlist that will be fun to listen to while helping the child concentrate on the lesson. They might enjoy listening to the soundtrack from their favorite movie.  

Try not to have any background noise while class is in session. If you can, switch off the TV and turn down any music. Other members of the household should know the student's schedules and respect their space. During the online class, you should try as much as possible to minimize the noise in the house. This gives the kids a chance to focus in class and hear the lesson clearly.

You can invest in noise-canceling headphones or have a fan running in the background to muffle extra background noise if necessary. 

5. Set a Timer for Breaks

It's no secret that physical movement is good for children. Parents should let their kids stretch in between classes or assignments. Try having a timer set to let them run, jump, dance, or wiggle. Not only will it get extra energy out, but it will give them something to look forward to. 

Remind parents that an at-home workspace should allow their child to move with ease. Teachers occasionally prepare ice-breakers and activities that might require their students to get up and move around. You don't want them to be knocking over their school laptop while they're doing an activity. 

Parents Play a Big Role in Virtual Learning

As a teacher, make it a point to help parents take an active role during virtual learning. You are helping to solve a real challenge and accomplish results. Remind parents that nothing is impossible and their effort matters.

By applying these tips to help them improve their child's learning space, you'll foster an environment for them to continue with their education. This will be a joint effort between the teacher and the family to help the student have a great virtual learning experience.

Written by Brenda Maritim
Education World Contributor
Copyright© 2021 Education World