With the school year upon us once again, many parents are having to deal with homeschooling children. It’s the new norm as many schools attempt to adapt due to the COVID-19 pandemic that they are facing. It’s important to have a dedicated workspace for your children while homeschooling or virtual learning. Whether you are custom designing these areas for a permanent learning center or are utilizing kitchen countertops, nooks, bars and other areas of your home to adapt to the ever-changing world here are some tips that you should follow.
- Make sure you have a dedicated space or area to work. To develop good learning habits, or productive work habits, an individual needs a place or area that kids can go to every day without being interrupted. The kitchen table makes it difficult for many reasons. Cleaning up for mealtimes is an interruption. Having one space, one area can help form productive habits.
- The workspace should be easily accessible. As an example, if the workspace you design is on the lower level of your home in the furthest corner, and you have small children, it may be cumbersome to run up and down the stairs several times a day to assist them with their homework. If possible, try to find a central area where it is not going to be such a chore to get there. On the other hand, if losing weight is something you’d like to focus on, then having the work area further away might be a benefit.
- Let there be light. According to an article from Healthline, Exposure to sunlight is thought to increase the brain’s release of a hormone called serotonin. Serotonin is associated with boosting mood and helping a person feel calm and focused. Focus is the keyword as many of us have a difficult time doing this, anything that can help with focus is a plus.
- Minimize distractions. Think about all of the distractions and try to minimize them. For example; tv, noise from other siblings, family pets, toys, games. These are all distractions. You may want to make sure you have doors, to help keep the sound down. Or you may want to make sure the dog is kenneled. By keeping different types of distractions in mind when you are developing your learning center, you will be able to provide a win-win situation for everyone involved.
- The organization is another important key to homeschool, according to Leslie Maddox, who has a blog for rookie homeschool moms that are feeling overwhelmed. Maddox, stresses the importance of having a place where you can store supplies. Having a central place to put your pencils, paper and supplies are vital to your home learning center. Everything should be organized for easy access, quick pick up, and for inventory purposes. It may be a built-in storage center, or your storage made consists of files, containers, or boxes. It doesn’t have to be fancy, it just needs to work.
In summary, if you are building or remodeling your home, think about the future, even if you don’t have children right now. The new norm will be made up of virtual classrooms, learning centers in the home, and even home offices as more and more people work from home. If you need assistance with designing just the right workspace, give us a call at Top Shop Counters 920-434-4551, we can provide you the expertise in desk, countertop surfaces, and cabinetry. We help clients change with the changing times, and can provide a space that will help everyone to flourish and develop. Interested in how to clean your countertops, check out this blog. Featured photo courtesy.
