This is part four of our ongoing series about edTech industry shifts in at-home learning. To check out the whole series, click here.

The effects of “Summer Slump,” learning loss that happens over the summer months, are often shocking. Without the routine and rigor of school and extracurricular activities, students fall behind and often struggle to catch up with their peers in the fall. This disparity is especially evident in underserved students.

Because of  COVID-19, many students have not set foot in a school since March. According to Education Week, students who normally lose between two weeks and two months of growth over the summer may now only retain about 70% of their literacy progress and 50% of their math skills. How can parents combat an unprecedented loss of learning this summer? Tackle it head on. 

Here are three simple ways to introduce structure into your summer and support your child’s educational growth. 

Start your day with a meeting.

The morning is a great time to chat through what your child might want to focus on and what they can expect from you during the day or week. The length of the meeting depends on you and your child, but 10 to 15 minutes is best practice. Here are a few formats to consider:

• Make it official.
  Ring a bell, do a quick dance, or sing a song to signal the beginning of your day.
• Establish a routine.
  Discuss the weather, your schedule, or meal times. Whatever your opening routine is, try to make it as consistent as possible. Make sure differences in the schedule are communicated to your child at the start of the day.
• Address academic work.
  Discuss what book your child plans on reading, what they’re excited to accomplish or learn, and which devices they may need to use.
• Plan a group activity.
  Family walks, art projects, or book clubs will bring you closer together (see below!).

Encourage your child to read and write for pleasure. 

Reading doesn’t need to be a chore. Even 15 minutes of reading a day can support your child’s developing literacy skills.  

• Sign up for a “Reading Challenge.” Our partners, Scholastic and Learning Ally, host summer reading experiences where children can access digital books, track their reading progress, and can even win prizes! You will also find additional literacy resources like book lists and activities. 
• • • Scholastic Summer Read-a-palooza  
    • Learning Ally Summer Reading Together 
• Start a Family Book Club. Choose an age-appropriate book as a family and decide on a day and time to discuss the book together. Younger children may do better if they have time before the conversation to consider their favorite characters or whether they liked the book.
• Set reading goals and track your family’s progress. Set a reading goal, i.e. 3.5 hours a week or 2 grade-level books a week, and track your goals with a simple log or calendar.
• Keep a journal.
  Journaling can be a fun way for your child to practice their writing skills and reflect on what they’re doing and feeling this summer. Not sure what to write about? Support them with some writing prompts! Ask them leading questions or have them write about their favorite thing they did that day.

Explore educational sites and games.

Screen time isn’t always our enemy. It’s all about setting time limits and finding quality edTech experiences that are age-appropriate and easy to navigate. Make sure you decide on when, what, and how often children are exploring sites and games during your morning meeting.

Feeling guilty about your child spending more time online? Pivot the experience by joining in or asking your child to show you how to play. Here are a few sites we recommend: 

• PBS Kids
• GoNoodle
• Scholastic 
• Lego
• DIY
• Smithsonian
• SuperDville

If you need additional ideas about helping your child succeed academically from home, check out my other article on how to weather the storm of at-home learning. With your support and care, “Summer Slump” doesn’t stand a chance.

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Milagros comes to Backpack Interactive with almost a decade of teaching and administrative experience. She holds an M.S.in Early Childhood Education from Hunter College and was a former columnist for Scholastic Teacher Magazine. A native New Yorker, Milagros enjoys a good Broadway soundtrack and a strong cup of coffee.

The COVID-19 pandemic brings unprecedented challenges to the field of education. During at-home learning, parents are suddenly tasked with overseeing their child’s education. At the same time, many educators are still learning the best ways to engage families and students from home, troubleshooting on the fly.

We’ve noticed a sea-change in the edTech industry, too. Organizations and nonprofits that plan to keep their buildings shuttered to the public must rise to meet new design challenges. Now that visitors and and target populations are home-bound, organizations must rush to create valuable online resources or experiences to be of service. edTech product owners will also need to address issues of accessibility and equity more nimbly than ever.

Backpack is ready to weather these new challenges with you.

As former educators, design professionals, and parents, we know how difficult and stressful this moment is. Both parents and teachers may be new to working with learning products for extended periods of time. Nonprofit organizations may be designing their very first virtual experiences with at-home learning in mind. Product owners need tactical tips for rolling out accessible design quickly, too.

In order to help, we’re launching a new series dedicated to easing the transition to at-home learning — no matter what your role happens to be. (Some of us even have more than one!)

Whether you’re a parent trying to balance working from home with instructing your child, a teacher stepping into the unexpected role of tech support, or a product owner planning to revamp your existing learning tools, we’ve got digestible, easy-to-implement guides for your biggest challenges.

We’ll publish new guides every week throughout the summer. Be sure to bookmark this page, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, and subscribe to our newsletter for monthly digests, so you don’t miss out on a single post.

For Parents
How Parents Can Weather the Storm of At-Home Learning
Educational Resources for Talking to Your Kids About Race and Anti-Racism
Battling Summer Slump During Covid-19

For Teachers
How Teachers Can Connect with Students & Families During At-Home Learning

This is part one of our ongoing series about edTech industry shifts in at-home learning. To check out the whole series, click here.

You wake up to the sounds of banging. You pad over to the kitchen and find scattered pots and pans on the floor. Your child is making you breakfast — but you don’t have much time to enjoy it. There’s only 45 minutes before your first meeting of the day, and you still need to wrap-up edits to a slide deck, make yourself presentable, and get your child set-up for at-home learning.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has put parents in a near-impossible position. Suddenly you’ve become a teacher and a learning software expert, in addition to a stay-at-home parent and work-from-home employee. 

We get it. Backpack’s staff is made up of former educators, UX designers, and parents who know how daunting wrangling your child into an at-home learning routine can be. 

Here are three tips for weathering the storm of at-home learning as a busy parent. You can do this — no matter how much time you have, or how new you are to digital learning.

Create a Schedule

Children crave consistency. It’s really important for them to know when something is happening and what the expectations are when it comes to their day — and accessing tech. 

Create a visual representation of your schedule and refer to it throughout the day.
Feel free to create something together using a poster board or a simple dry erase board w/times and activities. Check-in throughout the day to see if your child is on task. Creating and sticking to schedules will be especially important for households that have competing technology needs and may even ease tensions or points of friction.

Announce transitions 5-10 minutes ahead of time.
Give your child time to transition to the next activity with ease. Transitions also give your child time to clean up after an activity and set up for the next one.

Rapid Reflection

• How flexible can you be with your schedule? Can you coordinate your work hours around your child’s at-home learning? If not, work around your schedule.
• When are computers available for at-home learning? How can other devices, like phones or tablets,  help balance your work-from-home needs with the needs of your child?
• Is your child an early riser? Do they have a ton of energy in the morning, or are they more low-key? What activities are appropriate for their energy?
• Can your child work on a focused activity while you take calls? 
• Can you leave guided activities for times when you’re available to help?

Need more help with time management?
The Boys and Girls Clubs of America has put together some great resources for parents on time management and technology safety. Visit the link and scroll to the bottom to access the PDFs: https://www.bgca.org/i-am-a/parent.

Create a space for self-directed learning

Just like you depend on your desk or office to get work done, children need a dedicated space for learning activities they can tackle on their own — whether they’re using laptops, tablets, mobile devices, or good, old-fashioned pen and paper.

Stay flexible.
As long as everything they need is within arm’s reach, a comfortable floor pillow and a coffee table work just as well as a traditional desk. Your child can also explore a few spaces throughout the day. No one said they have to stick to one spot! 

Personalize their space.
A decorative name plate or family photo creates a sense of ownership that encourages children to embrace their new learning environment.  

Rapid Reflection

• Where are your children currently doing their work? Has this been successful? Are there too many distractions in that area? 
• Is there a single place to keep track of all the items they need, like a basket or table?
• What materials do they need for the day? The week? 
• Do they need access to a power source for laptops or mobile devices?  An additional light source to read more easily? 
• Can they easily sign in to their school accounts and devices on their own? Do you need to be there to help?

Looking for self-directed reading activities?
Scholastic put together a wonderful and comprehensive book list broken up by grade band: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/teaching-tools/book-lists.html. 

Manage expectations—yours and theirs

Setting expectations with your child creates mutual understanding about what needs to get done when—and why.

Check in often.
Have emotional and productivity check-ins throughout the day in order to survey your child’s level of frustration or excitement about their learning. Longer check-ins at the beginning and end of your day will give you enough time to set expectations and reflect on learning together.

Stay flexible.
At-home learning means students may complete digital assignments around a schedule that works best for them. While schedules create consistency, it’s ok if learning is happening in time-frames that don’t “fit” the normal school day 

Anything is better than nothing.
Give yourselves space to have an unproductive day. If you only get two things accomplished on your schedule, it’s okay. You can always try again tomorrow. And when all else fails— read a book! It’s a great way to bond and support literacy skills at any age.

Rapid Reflection 

• What needs to get done today? What can wait until tomorrow or later in the week? 
• Do tasks or assignments need to be time boxed to move them along, i.e. giving your child an hour to wrap online research?
• How much support do they need to complete a task? Is it something they can tackle on their own? 

Want to connect with other parents to discuss all things at-home learning?
Join Learning Ally on Facebook or review their other great resources on their site: https://learningally.org/Solutions-for-Home/Parent-Resources.

Whether you create an iron-clad schedule or simply work around your Zoom meetings, everything you’re doing to support your child’s education speaks volumes—and it’ll pay off in the long run, too. We know it isn’t easy, but parents like you are crucial champions for your children and their learning. Thanks for everything you do! 

—

Milagros comes to Backpack Interactive with almost a decade of teaching and administrative experience. She holds an M.S.in Early Childhood Education from Hunter College and was a former columnist for Scholastic Teacher Magazine. A native New Yorker, Milagros enjoys a good Broadway soundtrack and a strong cup of coffee.