How Gross and Fine Motor Skills Contribute to Language Outcomes
HELPFUL TIPS FOR ONLINE LEARNING
We wanted to share a few tips we learned while experiencing our own adult “online learning” earlier this year.
ZOOM FATIGUE IS REAL!
As professionals who spend little time in front of a computer, we experienced first hand how difficult this adjustment can be.
Remember that your child, their eyes, their brain, and their body are adjusting to this new style of learning. If they are complaining, it is absolutely valid, and certain measures can be taken to ensure they are the most successful with this transition.
2. BREAKS ARE KEY
Be sure to provide your child with adequate breaks away from a screen to rest their eyes, move their body, and relax. Guide them towards breaks that are outdoors, screen free, and full of movement. Keep them hydrated, and full of healthy snacks & meals as well.
MOVEMENT BREAKS:
Animal walks: have your child “walk” around the house like various animals of their choice
Heavy work: Have your child carry a box of toys, laundry basket, or a backpack full of books to a new location to work
Red light, Green light
Simon Says
Blanket Roll: pull your child in a blanket, or roll them up and squish them
Offer choices: Giving choices of where they want to work
Be sure to remember to limit screen time before bed. This will help them get the best possible sleep for the next day of learning.
3. GET SOME HELPFUL TOOLS
Some bluelight blocking glasses can be helpful to protect your child’s eyes from the blue light of the computer/ipad screen. These can be found on amazon.
Offer various options for seating. Some examples include: a beanbag chair, a yoga ball or peanut shaped ball for more movement, or a supportive chair that keeps their feet flat on the ground, and their knees and hips at a 90 degree bend for optimal support.
Online videos or books for movement breaks, meditation, kid’s yoga, or other movement activities can be useful for short breaks in between lessons.
Remember to offer options when your child is having a hard time focusing. Alternative seating, breaks, and adequate nutrition and sleep will all help with this. Most importantly, don’t be too hard on yourself or on them! This is an adjustment for us all, and we’re doing the best we can. Remind them of this, we’re all in this together, and here to support each other through this difficult time!
Please feel free to reach out to your SLP or OT for any specific recommendations to help your child be most successful during this online learning change!
Amy Kilby MA, CCC-SLP
Amy Williams OTR/L
COVID-19: How can I help my child wear a mask?
REDUCING "SCREEN TIME" IN A DIGITAL WORLD
Technology has made our lives a whole lot easier, but it comes with a cost. Screens can cause some serious problems if we let them take over our lives and our household.
“Screen time” is any type of screen: a phone, tablet, video game, TV, or computer.
Too much screen time can be harmful to a young child’s brain development and can cause issues for many reasons:
The blue light from screens interferes with sleep. When children are sleep deprived, they have difficulty learning, developing, and regulating their bodies and emotions.
Too much time with screens can prevent interacting with other kids socially, which impedes development of social skills, problem solving, and executive function skills that are necessary in the school and eventually in the workplace.
Too much time on screens can lead to less physical activity. Physical activity is necessary for a growing brain and growing body.
It can be addicting! When screens (or turning off the screen at the end of the day) become a fight leading to frustration and arguments, there may be a problem. Screens should add to our lives, they should not be the thing our worlds revolve around.
A FEW TIPS TO CONSIDER:
Screen time is a TREAT
Don’t let screen time be the first thing your child goes to when they get home. It can be something they earn after completing their responsibilities (homework, chores).
Set an example
As a parent, you’re always busy. Do your best to set an example of a life without screens surrounding you at all times. Put the phone away, and be present with the family, even if it’s just for dinner time, or just to read a book with your child before bed, maybe to build a fort, or sing your child’s favorite song. Make this a priority. If your child sees the example you set by picking up a book when you’re bored, or making a new game with a rock you find outside, they will want to follow your lead. This will teach them so many more life skills than the iPad app they’re glued to. YOU are your child’s best teacher, no matter what the app companies may try to tell us.
Use alarms
If you say 30 minutes of screen time, mean it. Set a timer. Be clear that when the timer goes off, so does the screen. Like I said, screens are addictive, there may be pushback, but stay strong. It’s important to establish that the timer means the end. This consistency will make things so much easier in the future!
Be present
Children thrive on play and fun. If they see you having fun without a screen, they are much more likely to follow your lead. Get on their level, talk about what they like, play something they love, build a fort with a box! Get creative, I promise you will cherish the moments you spend together away from the screens.
turn off screens several hours before bed
The blue light from screens interferes with the brain’s ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. Take the few hours before bedtime to wind down and talk, read, or play as a family, without a tablet or TV on.
TIPS FROM OTHER PARENTS:
Make a rule that video games are only for weekends, not for school nights- this creates the idea that it is a treat, not just something you do every day. It also prevents the fight about doing homework and going to bed on time
Turn off screens at dinner. Make a commitment as a family to disconnect during dinner. Talk about your day, make jokes, enjoy your food without the distraction of your phone or the background noise of your tv.
Stay strong! Many of you may see these tips and be thinking “Oh no, it’s too late. My kid spends hours on screens each day”. You are not alone. You can do it! Little by little, work with your child to find new things they enjoy to replace that screen time. You can’t expect them to do it on their own. Be transparent with them of why you think this is a priority and work as a TEAM to find ways to spend your days TOGETHER doing other things besides relying on screens.
Amy Kilby MA CCC-SLP