How to Create the Best Home School Space for Productivity
Whether due to the COVID-19 pandemic or simply the parents’ choice, more students than ever are learning from home. This is a very new process for many. As a parent, you may be wondering how to set up your homeschooling space to ensure a productive environment.
Let’s look at some suggestions to help you develop some productive homeschool space ideas that will keep your child focused on success.
Comfort is King
A full day of school requires a lot of sitting in one place. Do your child a favor and make sure he or she has a comfortable office chair with ample support for the lower back. Not only can an uncomfortable chair lead to a bad back, but the simple feeling of discomfort can distract from the task at hand.
Physical comfort isn’t the only factor to consider. Reading with poor lighting can result in eye strain, which can even damage your eyesight. To avoid these issues, make sure your homeschool room setup has sufficiently bright light.
Consider adding to the learning space a lamp that mimics natural sunlight. These lamps provide the most comfortable lighting, and it really does feel like you’re sitting in the sunlight. The feeling of sunlight is especially calming if your learning space has no windows.
Divide the Room
If you do not have a room in your home to use as a dedicated home office, then a room divider is one option to provide a separation of living space and learning space. This simple barrier will allow you to section off a portion of your dining room, for example, to create a private learning environment.
While the room divider helps with the visual aspect of separating spaces, there is still the risk of outside noise becoming a potential distraction. The remedy to the noise pollution of your homeschool space is simply to use noise-canceling headphones. There are both earbuds and over-the-ear headphones with noise-canceling capabilities and a wide price range. If you are on a budget, the Wyze Noise-Cancelling Headphones are a great option.
Wall Calendars Aren’t Dead
We all have a calendar in our pocket at all times in the form of a smartphone app. This is convenient for setting reminders and appointments, but the good old-fashioned hanging wall calendar still serves a valuable purpose. Many children learn and remember information based on visual cues. Because of this, it’s a good idea to write assignment due dates on a large calendar on the wall of your remote learning set up at home.
Having this calendar always in their sight will dramatically improve their ability to remember due dates. The assignment calendar could also be used as a motivational tool, as a certain satisfaction comes from crossing a completed assignment off of the calendar. Let’s face it, all children have times when they could use the extra motivation, so you might as well take every opportunity you have to instill a sense of excitement in them.
Homeschooling Success
To set your child up for success with their schooling from home, you need to ensure that they have a comfortable learning space, which is well-lit and free from distractions. Make sure your child has a clearly defined way of tracking assignment due dates, such as a large wall calendar.
Finally, and most importantly, always encourage them to shut out distractions and focus on their school work.
