Is your kindergartner learning virtually? 6 tips to help young grade schoolers with virtual learning

The 2020-21 school year is getting started in earnest for Wake County Public School System students this week, and families across the county are getting re-introduced to the pros and cons of online learning.

More often than in the spring, kids get to see their teachers and interact with their classmates during live instruction this fall. For the youngest children, that can be easier said than done.

For now, school involves multiple Google Classroom meetings. They're logging in and out of instruction and juggling off-line assignments that they do on their own. And this will continue for nearly two months. Students in Wake's Plan B Transition plan will remain at home through at least Oct. 22 with the hopes that COVID-19 numbers are down by then and schools are prepared with the proper protective equipment and protocols in place to keep kids and staff safe.

For kindergartners and first graders, in particular, Syreeta Smith, Wake County's senior director of elementary school programs, said teachers understand that it's hard right now.

"It's important to remember that especially for kindergarten, being present doesn't mean being still," Smith said. "We're going to give our earliest learners lots of grace."

Smith said teachers may be keeping these early live sessions short at first, incorporating breaks and movement, and gradually building up their young students' stamina for longer sessions.

"We're all navigating new terrain here," she said. "In the beginning, we just need to give it time. And we really need to build up their attention span and their ability to engage with the screen."

The overall goal for the county is to offer two to three hours of live instruction each day with kindergarten on the lower end of that, Smith said. And younger students may not get that much in the beginning.

"It's a hard balance for us," she said. "Some parents want the two full hours. Some kids might be ready for the two full hours. So the kindergarten teacher will have to gauge the group."

If you have an early elementary student, Smith offered these tips for parents to help them navigate the beginning of this unusual school year.

Your child may be able to sit with their iPad and play a game or watch a show for 30 minutes, but sitting through live instruction with a teacher is a different experience. Parents can help, Smith said, by talking with their kids about what attentiveness might look like.

Focus on routines, such as a morning routine to get ready for school or a bedtime routine. Bring out a book and tell them that you're going to look at it for two minutes. Building up stamina requires practice, she said.

If you've been inside a kindergarten classroom, you know that kids aren't focused on only learning to write their letters or counting to 10. To learn early reading and math concepts, kids need to touch, feel and build. That's why those classrooms are filled with different learning centers and activities include lots of arts and crafts.

Families picked up Letterland workbooks and other materials in the last couple of weeks with hands-on activities. But Smith said any off-screen activities that parents can provide, such as arts, crafts and science experiences, are helpful.

"Anything that engages those fine and gross motor skills," Smith said, "Cutting, buttoning things. Writing doesn't have to be isolated to paper."

You can write letters with shaving cream or sidewalk chalk, for example.

These are hard times for everybody, including five-year-olds who were so excited to go to kindergarten this year. Through circle times and morning meetings, teachers are working to address some of those social and emotional issues. They'll be talking about respect, staying safe and showing self control, along with the habits of good citizens and how to share, speak and listen.

"Those things are still extremely important, even in a virtual setting," she said.

But Smith said it's important for parents to have regular conversations with their kids too as school begins. "Talk about how they're feeling," she said.

In a typical kindergarten or first grade classroom, kids aren't stuck in their seats the entire day. In many classrooms, they are constantly moving from one station to the next. So if your child wants to get up and get the wiggles out during live instruction, let them, Smith said.

"If they were in a typical kindergarten class, they'd be rotating to centers. They'd be moving around," she said. "It's quite normal for them to stand up and jump around. If they need to do that, that's fine if they turn the camera off so they are not disturbing their other friends."

Don't be shy about contacting the teacher, Smith said. Kindergarten teacher, in particular, are used to families, who might be new to a school system, peppering them with questions. And don't reserve your comments when there are issues.

"I would encourage parents to always keep in close contact with teachers," Smith said. "Not just when there is a problem."

Teachers, especially now when they aren't getting in-person feedback from their students, need to know when things are going well. If your child is really engaged in a particular lesson, let them know.

"It's a partnership," Smith said. "It's truly a partnership. And now more than ever it has to be a strong partnership."

This is a top concern for kindergarten parents, Smith said, even during this unprecedented school year.

Don't worry about it, she said.

"There is no expectation for our kindergarten students to start school being able to read," she said. "And, quite honestly, ... at the end of the year, there's no requirement to read independently for kindergarten students."

What is best for young kids is for them to be immersed in books and oral language. So surround your kids with books. Talk to them about landmarks and signs.

"We want them to engage in reading activities with purpose and understanding," she said. "We're going to be doing lots of activities to encourage reading skills, but I don't want parents to be concerned if their kids aren't reading yet."

Going forward, Smith counsels us all to extend some grace, patience and understanding.

"It's hard for all of our parents," said Smith, who has a seventh grader herself. ""These are trying times, but we're going to make it through."