Creative Ideas to Motivate Children as Virtual Learning Looms Ahead

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Behavior Analyst, Chris Messina, and Landerholm Family Law’s
Marketing Director, Kari Landerholm, discuss creative ideas to
help motivate children as many families prepare for a virtual
school year. 


The biggest step we can take to set ourselves up for success is
to reprioritize our expectations for ourselves, as parents, as
well as for our children. Expectations are going to have to, and
they should, be shifted and modified. 


An activity to help prioritize expectations is to get out sticky
notes and make a collection of expectations for yourself, as well
as for your child. Once you’ve created a list of expectations
that feel feasible, illicit your child’s opinion. Allow them to
be part of the conversation and to input their own opinions of
what they feel they can accomplish, and the most effective way to
structure their day. 


Parents should remember that the “shame game” will get you
nowhere. Remember that every parent is struggling in some way,
shape, or form. If there was ever there was a time to stop
shaming and comparing, it's now--it is an exercise in utter
frustration and has no utility.


Even if a child has a skill within their repertoire to achieve
something in school, that  doesn’t mean they will be able to
accomplish the same goals within their new home-school
environment. A child’s behavior is largely dictated by their
environment. It’s not always a realistic expectation to see
identical performance from a child within a home environment
without social cues. One way to help this is to create a space
for your child to work, such as in an office or at a desk within
their room, that doesn’t require them to tune out stimuli and
will indicate that “this is the place where you work”.


Consistency and a reliable schedule can help to reduce anxiety in
children, as they do not always have the ability to
self-modulate. At the core of this is the need for empathy and
relating to our kids, so that parents can then collaborate with
their kids to come up with solutions that everyone can live
with. 


One silver lining to virtual learning is the opportunity to have
concentrated time with children. Take this time to practice
empathy and relationship building with your child. If your child
is in a position where you’re worried about their mental
wellness, remember that you cannot fill all roles within their
life—parent, teacher, chef, counselor. Employ the help of
professionals, such as the school counselor or a
pediatrician.

La analista de comportamiento, Chris Messina, y la Directora de
Marketing de Landerholm Family Law, Kari Landerholm, discuten
acerca de ideas creativas para motivar a los niños mientras
muchas familias se preparan para un año escolar virtual.


El paso más grande que podemos dar para tener éxito es replantear
las expectativas para nosotros, como padres, así como también
para nuestros hijos. Las expectativas deben, y tienen que ser
cambiadas y modificadas.


Una actividad para ayudar a priorizar las expectativas es usar
notas adhesivas y hacer una colección de expectativas para usted,
así como para su hijo. Una vez que haya creado una lista de
expectativas que se sean factibles, tome en cuenta la opinión de
su hijo. Permítales formar parte de la conversación y que den sus
opiniones sobre cuáles son sus límites y la forma más efectiva de
estructurar su día.


Los padres deben recordar que el "juego de la vergüenza" no los
llevará a ninguna parte. Recuerde que todos los padres están
luchando de diferentes formas o maneras. Si alguna vez ha habido
un mejor momento para dejar de avergonzar y comparar es este: es
una práctica de absoluta frustración y no tiene ninguna utilidad.


Incluso si un niño tiene una habilidad dentro de su repertorio
para lograr algo en la escuela, eso no significa que podrá lograr
los mismos objetivos dentro de su nue