For the safety of children and their families, many early childhood centers and programs have made the switch to distance learning in recent months. As parents become educators and homes become classrooms, finding new ways to keep children engaged while learning at home can be difficult—but it doesn't have to be! With these inspiring ideas and interactive tools, you can Bring Distance Learning to Life in your home!
What Is Distance Learning?
Distance learning is a method of education with no in-person interactions between students and teachers, relying instead on digital communication like video calls and online messaging tools to stay in touch and share lessons. More and more educators are turning to distance learning to keep students on track and connected even when they cannot be together in person.
Why Is Distance Learning Important?
Distance learning can be beneficial in many situations and circumstances during all times of the year. For example, distance learning can give children the flexibility to work at their own pace if they're completing independent lessons and, especially now, helps keep teachers and their students healthy as they learn and explore together, just from a safe distance.
Learning from home is also a great opportunity for family engagement. It's important to remember that families are excellent allies and partners when it comes to education, supporting and extending the lessons their children learn in school at home. Families are now even more important as they are taking on the extra responsibility of acting as teachers while schools may be closed for in-person instruction. Distance learning helps keep the connection between home and school alive, providing children with a space for community, exploration, and learning that doesn't necessarily depend on parents creating new activities for their child every day.
How Can I Make Distance Learning Fun And Easy?
While not every distance learning situation is the same, it's important that children feel connected and engaged even when they can't be in school with their friends. Being able to interact with their teachers and classmates through the use of technology or shared experiences at home helps children retain their sense of a classroom community.
Augmented reality is a fun, easy, and interactive technology children and their parents can use to stay engaged and on the path to learning even when they're not at school! The Pre-K and Kindergarten Letters Alive® and Math Alive® Student Journals from Alive Studios are the perfect tool for learning at home. Letters, numbers, shapes, and animals come to life in 3D on your tablet or smartphone with these activity books and free mobile app.
These journals promote family engagement while teaching important literacy and math concepts introducing and reinforcing lessons in everything from sight words and letter sounds, to number formation and counting. Children will love exploring the activities in these journals with their 3D augmented reality animal companions and will be excited to share their new discoveries with their classroom community the next time they meet!
