By Linda Bonnar, MA, CCC-SLP, ATP, Director of Communication Pathways, Pine Tree Society
Whether you are homeschooling or your child is distance learning in school, these helpful tips are applicable to children of all abilities.
1) Make a schedule for the day.
What are the goals you hope to accomplish? Create the schedule together.
You can remind your child of the things that have to be done, but giving your child some control as to when things happen in the course of the day can make them a little easier to complete. Remember: Most people do better and are more motivated when things are done with them, not just to them.
2) Remember to be sure to work in breaks, movement and fun time.
We all take a break from our work at times during the day!
Childhood development experts give ranges of attention spans as loose rules to follow, but there really isn’t any strong empirical research that holds these ranges as tried and true.
Attention span can vary from person to person and might need to be adjusted depending on how effortful or motivating the task being presented is, and what kind of attention is necessary for completion. People often refocus frequently during tasks for a number of reasons, so keep your learning blocks long enough to get something done, but short enough to not lose them all together. (These ranges are suggested by brainbalancecenters.com.)
6 years of age: 12-18 minutes
8 years of age: 16-24 minutes
10 years of age: 20-30 minutes
12 years of age: 24-36 minutes
14 years of age: 28-42 minutes
16 years of age: 32-48 minutes
3) Remember, you are not alone!
We are all in this together and Pine Tree Society is here to help. We offer many remote services like Speech Language therapy. This is a great way to retain and continue to build skills during this time. Contact me at 207-386-5931 or lbonnar@pinetreesociety.org to schedule an appointment or learn more.