How To Teach Kindergarten Kids To Deal With Stress When Learning Online

Parenting isn’t easy. There’s no manual to help you do it right. Since 2020, COVID-19 has made the job of parenting even more difficult, because there’s certainly no manual for how to help your child navigate a pandemic.

There are, however, legitimate ways to help your kids deal with the stress that can come with remote learning. Read on to find out how to teach kindergarten kids to deal with stress when learning online.

Remote Learning Stress
One of the biggest things parents wonder these days is how to deal with online school stress. That’s because online learning – while it may be easier in some respects, such as getting to stay snuggled up in comfy clothes all day – can be quite stressful for a child. It’s not the ideal way for a young child, especially a kindergartener, to be introduced to learning and stay engaged in the process.

Some of the stresses of online learning for kids include:

Isolation and loneliness
Children, especially young children, thrive around other kids. With online learning, they are physically separated from their classmates and may be spending a majority of their day without interacting in person with anyone but their parents, depending on the family situation.

More work
It can be difficult for any student to manage all the work that goes along with school, especially a small child. The reality of online learning is that the work becomes more complicated, as it must be done over applications on the computer or tablet. Expectations for self-directed learning may be a bit higher as well, which is something many children just getting into school are not ready for.

Physical demands
Sitting in a chair and looking at a screen for a majority of the day is not exactly something small children are good at. This takes a physical toll on your child because they must sit and pay attention to something that may not be as engaging for them as it would be in person.

Different instructional support
When kids are in a classroom with a teacher who can answer questions at any point or help with difficulties they may be having, it’s a completely different environment than being online. They simply do not have the opportunity for one-on-one instructional support as they have in person.

Stress Management For Kids
It’s not uncommon for kids, especially young kids, to have difficulty expressing how they’re feeling to you when they are stressed or anxious. Major changes in life, such as a pandemic, can definitely cause stress in children of any age, and as a parent, you must be on the lookout for it so you can take steps to help them manage it.

Some of the signs your child may be feeling stressed due to online learning include:

  • Headaches
  • Complaints of stomach pain
  • Problems sleeping
  • Changes in their behavior
  • Problems concentrating
  • Mood swings

These are also signs of stress in general, but they’re a good thing to be aware of to help you understand if your kid is feeling stressed and if online learning may be the source of that stress. Watch for these signs and keep track of your child’s moods and behavior. It’s OK to reach out to their teacher to try to come up with some strategies to help them feel less stressed out by their learning experience.

Steps To Help A Child Cope With Stress
There are several steps you can take to help a child reduce stress and anxiety surrounding their online learning experience. You can:

Create a schedule
Children need structure. Online learning may allow for a little more flexibility in your schedule than traditional schooling, but that doesn’t mean you should let all your routines go out the window. Not having regular school days to build a schedule around means you must implement one. Have a framework with bedtime and wake-up time at roughly the same time each day, and make sure you give them lunch and recess breaks, time for homework, and a little creative time for play.

Work toward balance
Bad habits can develop quickly when our situation isn’t what we’re used to. It’s really important for parents to give their young children a healthy balance of activity and learning each day. There’s going to be more screen time than what your kids are used to – that’s unavoidable, so make sure you do activities together as a family to balance this out, such as taking a ride on your bikes after school or taking a walk after dinner. Taking a socially distanced trip to the park can also be a great outlet, and it helps to remind kids that there is still a world outside. This will help them feel more connected and reduce their stress and anxiety, too.

Don’t be too hard on yourself
Parents, you need to remember that you are not the teacher. There is a lot of pressure on parents right now to step into those shoes, and that can lead to stress for parents too, which is something your children pick up on. Your role as a parent is to support your child and be their cheerleader, not their teacher. Praise your child for their hard work and encourage them to stick with things they may be struggling with. But don’t place the burden on yourself to be the teacher and the parent all wrapped up into one.

Things simply aren’t normal for many families right now when it comes to schooling. Parents are worried about their children on many levels, including how their education is progressing, so the stress everyone is under is not unusual. Just remember that it’s often best to step back and let your child do their work and go through their lessons each day, doing whatever you can to be supportive at home. In combination with the steps above, this will lead to less stress for everyone!

Featured image by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash