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Keeping Kids Motivated Through the End of the School Year

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Keeping Kids Motivated Through the End of the School Year

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Keeping Kids Motivated for Online Learning

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Helpful tips and techniques to encourage and motivate your kids during virtual lessons. Advice from Common Sense Media editors.

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Taking Care for Your Coronavirus Anxiety

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Taking Care for Your Coronavirus Anxiety

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Multiple resources for alleviating anxiety

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from the National Association of School Psychologists

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Helping Kids Stay Motivated During Remote Learning

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Helping Kids Stay Motivated During Remote Learning

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It is 11:00am on a school day and an estimated 55 million children in the United States are not in class today Instead, over 90% of school-aged youth are hunkered down at home while their caregivers ask themselves, "Can I do this?" Right now, over 120,000 U.S. schools are closed-many for the remainder of the school year. Basements and bedrooms have become classrooms and parents are challenged to create conditions that promote sustained engagement in learning.

Parents, you CAN do this. Here are some ideas for promoting youth engagement in learning and self-motivation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Harness Natural Interests
All of us are naturally drawn to certain activities and interests. Assign academic activities related to your child's natural interests. Look to build skills in the context of these interests. You can suggest that your child write an essay on the process of developing a video game, give a speech on the life of his/her favorite musical artist, take a virtual museum tour, or interview a favorite relative about a historical event. Working on high interest topics will keep your kids on task for longer periods of time without adult assistance.
Practice Goal Setting
Start out each day by asking your kids to set three daily schoolwork goals. Make sure the goals are challenging but fair and that you can tell if the goals were met. Can you see the finished product? Will you be around to monitor if they spent 30 minutes on math work? Come up with a daily reward for anyone who meets all three goals. These can range from special snacks to Zoom dates with friends or playing Xbox. A menu of rewards can include several options, which mixes up the reward of the day!
Reduce Distractions
Make a list of key distractions ahead of time that draw your child off-task. Should the cell phone be placed in the kitchen during schoolwork? Does sitting at the window lead to excessive people watching? Remove distractions yourself - rather than ask children to do it. Schoolwork should be completed in a location that promotes parent monitoring but minimizes distractions such as electronics and other family members.
Remember the Why
This tip is especially important for teenagers, who may need to pass an upcoming AP exam, fulfill course requirements, or complete a long-term project. Help teenagers remember personal reasons why they want to produce high quality school work. Make an art project with these reasons to hang on the wall or help them to generate self-statements to repeat when work feels boring. "I want to go to college out of state." "I need to maintain a 3.0." "Keep my driving privileges!"
Embrace Structure
Use a daily routine that is consistent each week. Include wake-up time, get dressed in school clothes, and schedule periods with different subjects. Keeping the plan and expectations clear will help academic work become a habit. If you can, find a designated place for schoolwork and only schoolwork. Remember the routine can be fun! Integrate physical activity, video study groups, and creative time into rotating blocks. Set up the routine to leverage motivation (i.e., math work needs to be complete before we can move on to art or cooking!). Schedule breaks between activities to allow time to transition. These breaks are the appropriate time for using the bathroom, getting a snack or a drink, finding materials for the next activity or stretching. Scheduled breaks will reduce the need to interrupt activities for these requests.
Maximize Choice
Involve your children as much as possible in the details of schooling. The more control they feel over the circumstances, the better they will engage. Create choices just to let them feel involved. "Do you want to have music or art today?" "Should we hold reading time on the porch or in the kitchen?" "Do you want to learn about dinosaurs or polar bears!?" But be careful not to offer choices that you cannot make good on.
Avoid Becoming TOO Involved
Sometimes the easiest way for schoolwork to be over is to jump in and do it yourself. Resist this temptation. Avoid helping too much with work, taking over, or sitting down one-on-one for long periods of time-these practices reduce motivation to complete work independently. The best way to help your child is through planning and goal setting together. Sit down at the beginning of the day (or each period) and ask your child to make a work plan that is realistic. Ask to see proof that the work was completed prior to moving on to fun or enjoyable activities.

If your child is struggling, reach out to the teacher to check the workload's appropriateness. Let the school know if your child is falling far behind or their focus problems are causing distress. Students with Individualized Education Plans (or "Section 504 plans") remain entitled to their accommodations during social distancing. Be assertive with school staff about your student's rights. If new difficulties with focus emerge or continue over time, seek professional support. Health practitioners, including mental health providers, continue to provide remote services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Learn a New Skill
Challenge your child to identify a new skill to learn during social distancing. For example, a nine-year-old girl on my block is building a skate ramp with power tools! A middle schooler I know is learning to play guitar for the first time. High schoolers are learning computer programming, practicing how to drive, and mastering the art of baking bread. Kids are learning a foreign language and training for their first 5K run. Use multiple choice to present options to younger or indecisive children. When all this is over, they will look back and say, "that was the time I learned how to do X!" Who knows, maybe "X" will spark a new passion, forge a career path, or provide a big boost to your child's self-esteem.
Reject Perfection
Given the stress of a pandemic, relax expectations for your child (and yourself) and try to focus on small positive steps each day. Keep an eye on your child's health and wellbeing and place their basic needs before their academic achievement. There will be plenty of time to catch up when all this is over. All families need to find their best-case scenario, which is often far from perfect. When parents are essential workers who cannot stay home to monitor schoolwork, engage a neighbor, family member, or college student who has nearly no exposure to others. Educate yourself on childcare resources for essential workforce members in your community. Do what you can.

Parents, you CAN do this.

1. Coronavirus and School Closures (2020, April 9). Education Week. Retrieved April 10 2020, from
https://www.edweek.org/ew/section/multimedia/map-coronavirus-and-school-closures.html
Resources
Managing attention and learning struggles during social distancing
https://chadd.org/guidance-for-uncertain-times/

Tips for parents during social distancing.
https://www.apa.org/topics/covid-19/quarantine-parents-tips

Proper citation link for this blog post:
Sibley, M.H (April 18, 2020). Helping Kids Stay Motivated for Learning during Social Distancing. https://infoaboutkids.org/blog/helping-kids-stay-motivated-for-learning-during-social-distancing/

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Helping Kids Stay Motivated for Learning During Social Distancing - InfoAboutKids

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It is 11:00am on a school day and an estimated 55 million children in the United States are not in class today Instead, over 90% of school-aged youth are hunkered down at home while their caregivers ask themselves, "Can I do this?" Right now, over 120,000 U.S.

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8 Tips to Help Your Child Focus and Stay Engaged During Distance Learning

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8 Tips to Help Your Child Focus and Stay Engaged During Distance Learning

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By Linda Carling, Ed.D.
Dr. Linda Carling is an Associate Research Scientist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education Center for Technology in Education. She specializes in learning engagement and design and is a parent of a child with a disability.
As schools are faced with the challenge of providing learning opportunities for all students at a distance, parents are called on to be more involved than ever before, particularly for their younger learners and those with learning challenges and disabilities. Maintaining high levels of engagement can be challenging even for savvy adult learners.

How do we best help our kids make the most of these distance learning experiences?

The term "engagement" refers to the amount and quality of time students spend on distance learning activities. Distance learning activities can be in a synchronous (real-time) learning experience where students have some type of scheduled online interaction with a teacher or group, or asynchronous (not in real time) learning experience where students interact with online resources at their own pace.

Regardless of the mode of delivery, many students are asked to be engaged in a way that's new to them. Teachers might hold live or video-recorded class lectures or activities, or perhaps parents are given digital learning resources to work through with their children. Without effective supports for children from teachers and parents in place at home, families can easily become disengaged and frustrated.

Here are eight tips to help your child maintain focus and stay engaged during this time of distance learning.

1. Understand the expectation for distance learning. How much time should students spend online for learning purposes? There are screen time considerations for all students, and older students can handle longer amounts of time than younger students. Your child's teacher or school should provide some guidance for what is reasonable. For young children, interaction and play is valuable for learning.

2. Determine what type of activities work best for your child. Are their certain types of distance learning activities that your child prefers over others? For example, does your child work better with synchronous activities where they respond to a live instructor, or in person sitting one-on-one with you? What learning platforms seems to engage your child more than others? The answers to these questions can be valuable for you and your child's teacher to help plan for learning experiences that work best for your child.

3. Encourage movement. Kids need to move their bodies frequently throughout the day. Allow time for exercise before your child is expected to focus on a distance learning task. Some children are able to better focus on tasks when standing. Consider having your computer or tablet be on a raised surface so that your child can stand.

4. Reduce distractions. Where possible, reduce distractions when your child is completing schoolwork. This includes noise as well as visual noise or clutter. A designated workspace that is comfortable for your child will be helpful.

5. Adjust your schedule as needed. If your child is frustrated - or alternately, if your child is very engaged in learning - make a change in your schedule to allow for a break (and revisit at a later day or time) or to spend time delving deeper into the topic. Some learning activities will be easier to move through than others. Consider working with your child on those activities or subjects that are more difficult during the times of day when your child is most alert and engaged. Learning material that is easier for a child, and therefore moved through more quickly, can be completed at a different time (such as in the afternoon or even another day). It's also helpful to share with your teacher what is working best for you and your child.

6. Use a checklist for focus. For some children who really struggle with focusing, a basic visual checklist of tasks needed for a particular activity will be helpful. For example, if the child is asked to watch a lesson, read a prompt, and then provide a written response to the prompt, the checklist would have keywords for each of these required activities: watch, read, write. The child would check off each task with you as it is completed, and receive some positive praise or another reward when finished.

7. Give your child (and yourself) a break. Your teacher does not want your child to be frustrated with or miserable about learning. In fact, teachers spend time trying to make lessons interesting, and to tailor instruction to provide the right level of challenge for their students. If something is too challenging, or your child has hit a frustration level, it's okay to stop the activity and give them a break. It's also okay to slow down the pace, which means giving your child time to think and process information. It also means participating in segments of learning one at a time rather than trying to tackle a whole lesson in one sitting. You can give yourself permission to pick that lesson back up another time or another day.

8. Provide immediate positive feedback. Each time your child completes distance learning instruction, provide immediate and positive feedback! Something as simple as putting a check mark, star, or sticker on the work assignment can go a long way in helping to motivate your child. And don't forget to celebrate yourself, as you are playing such an important role to help your child learn and grow.

Examples of rewards: praise; stickers; choose a movie; a treat such as ice cream, candy, or a popsicle; tablet time; choose a family activity; play with a special toy; free choice time; or an extra 15 minutes to play before bedtime

Teachers should plan for a variety of learning experiences, online and off, and be able to support parents by modifying or adapting activities to meet the needs of their students. Schooling from a distance is as new a territory for teachers as it is for parents. Getting feedback from parents about what is working and where they need additional support is essential.

With creative thinking and effort by teachers and families as partners, children will continue to build their knowledge and skills, but also build confidence and a love for learning.

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8 Tips to Help Your Child Focus and Stay Engaged During Distance Learning - JHU School of Education

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By Linda Carling, Ed.D. Dr. Linda Carling is an Associate Research Scientist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education Center for Technology in Education. She specializes in learning engagement and design and is a parent of a child with a disability.

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from National Association of School Psychologists

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Being a teen is stressful! Whether it's school, friends, or dating, the teen years are full of difficult changes-both mentally and physically. If you're like many teens, you may have difficulty dealing with stress in effective ways. You aren't alone, and there are things you can do to stay calm, no matter how stressful life becomes. All you need to do is stop, breathe, and be mindful and aware in the present moment.

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Being a teen is stressful! Whether it's school, friends, or dating, the teen years are full of difficult changes-both mentally and physically. If you're like many teens, you may have difficulty dealing with stress in effective ways. You aren't alone, and there are things you can do to stay calm, no matter how stressful life becomes.

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Kids Yoga is a free yoga and mindfulness Youtube channel geared for littles

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"kids yoga" "yoga for kids" "yoga for children yoga story for kids" "children's yoga" "yoga adventure for kids" "kindergarten yoga" "preschool yoga" "kids me...

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YOGA | MINDFULNESS | RELAXATION FOR KIDS! Screentime that gives kids SUPERPOWERS! ⬇️ D O W N L O A D T H E C O S M I C K I D S A P P ⬇️ 🍏Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cosmic-kids/ 🛍️Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cosmickids 🖥️ Desktop (great for teachers!): https://app.cosmickids.com/ 📺 Roku: https://rb.gy/44r8d -------------------------------------------------------------------- Why watch on the App?

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Social-Emotional Apps for Special Education Students

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Social-Emotional Apps for Special Education Students

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Here are nine apps to help special ed students of all ages build emotional literacy, learn self-regulation, and focus on problem solving and task planning.

Photo credit: Jayne Clare

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the cornerstone of emotional intelligence, as these abilities do not come naturally for some special education students. Children in special ed settings need to have their confidence, courage, and emotional awareness nurtured in order to successfully play, work, cooperate, and be productive in their studies. We have all heard that technology can be a great playing-field leveler in a classroom with diverse learners. It can also assist in providing social and emotional skills. Let's face it -- the digital lifestyle is here to stay, so using digital technology to enhance SEL makes perfect sense.

However, I have yet to encounter research that focuses on the effectiveness of using apps designed solely to enhance the social and emotional health of children. Researchers and educators have only begun to closely investigate the impact of these technologies on SEL. For special ed teachers, that research can't come soon enough.

Young children acquire and utilize their initial social skills mostly in the context of play and shared activities. Through play, they form their first interpersonal interactions and develop important social skills related to empathy, cooperation, conflict resolution, and self-control, which will be used throughout life to maintain healthy relationships with others.

9 Skill-Building Apps

1. Breathe, Think, Do (Sesame Street) teaches children to keep calm and carry on by introducing three possible strategies for working through problems. It touches on familiar emotional challenges such as problem solving, self-control, planning, and time on task. Intended for very young children, this simple app gives players different scenarios in which the Blue Monster character needs to regulate his or her emotions using the breathe-think-do technique.

2. Touch and Learn -- Emotions (Innovative Mobile Apps) is chock full of wonderful photographs representing four different feelings per page. The child is prompted to match the verbal cue with the appropriate photo. This app focuses on helping kids read body language and understand emotions by looking at pictures and figuring out which person is expressing a given emotion.

3. Avokiddo Emotions provides opportunities for younger children to explore a wide range of feelings through several silly characters and a plethora of props. This app incorporates activities to help children understand the subtle cause and effect of facial expressions. The main idea is exposing young children to a variety of feelings and helping them grasp emotional connections with those feelings.

4. Emotionary (Funny Feelings) is designed to give a wide age range of kids the tools and skills to express themselves well in our world of emoticons. The app has become a popular resource for the special needs population. This collection of emotions and funny feelings now allows users to draw their own emotionary "selfie" to match how they are feeling.

5. GoNoodle is a wonderful web-based way to get younger kids out of their seats and moving. These short physical activities provide brain breaks that can help keep them focused throughout a long day. Studies have shown that physical activity increases blood flow, which increases concentration and attentiveness. This enhances students' ability to acquire and recall information. These activities make them cross the mid-line of the body, engaging both sides of the brain. GoNoodle provides teachers with fun, interactive ways to get kids moving and feeling good about themselves.

6. IF. . . The Emotional IQ Game (If You Can) promotes teamwork and collaboration, accentuating how to be in touch with our own feelings and the feelings of those around us. With this app, kids (recommended ages 9-11) learn to listen, make friends, and deal with bullying in an adventure story/game format. IF's motto: "Play Learn Grow: Succeed at school with friends in life!" This pretty much says it all.

7. The Middle School Confidential series is a powerhouse of SEL lessons by tween/teen expert Annie Fox. The book/app series for ages 8-14 is a graphic novel sequence focused on making stepping-stones out of stumbling blocks on the road to becoming a teenager. Readers follow the adventures of a group of seventh-grade friends trying to navigate the ever-changing drama of their friendships, families, and school. Excellent resource!

8. Stop, Breathe & Think (Tools for Peace) promotes mindfulness, meditation, and compassion for middle and high school students and adults. Research has shown that people can develop kindness and compassion by focusing on them through mindfulness and meditation practices. You can cultivate your frame of mind in a very short timespan with simple meditation.

9. I would be remiss if I didn't include the The Social Express in this collection of apps. Its quality content keeps students engaged and on the path to mastering healthy social and emotional skills. Research-based webisodes give kids the exposure necessary to develop meaningful relationships and become more socially competent in all realms of life. This program covers the gamut from preschool through high school with a robust SEL curriculum.

Several apps can be used in the classroom or at home to assist in reinforcing social and emotional learning while also helping kids cope with the pressures that we all face. These apps can help teachers and parents in addressing students with special needs, and many are also available in a web format.

The Puzzle of Tech Use

Most students with or without disabilities can and do benefit from SEL-focused technology in the classroom. Incorporating these tech tools should increase student incentive to learn through individualized lessons, especially when tailored to a student's specific needs. When done well, tech not only reinforces key SEL skills that children need to learn, but it can also drive student enthusiasm and promote self-assurance.

This topic may seem like an oxymoron since we want children to learn how to focus during "real time" and how to live with less tech. A wonderful TED Talk addressing this conundrum is Sherry Turkle's " Connected, but alone?"

Do you know of any digital SEL resources for special education students? Please tell us about them in the comments below.

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Here are nine apps to help special ed students of all ages build emotional literacy, learn self-regulation, and focus on problem solving and task planning. Photo credit: Jayne Clare Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the cornerstone of emotional intelligence, as these abilities do not come naturally for some special education students.

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Psychological Tips for Managing Coronavirus Concerns

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Psychological Tips for Managing Coronavirus Concerns

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- From UMASS Amherst Center for Counseling and Psychological Health

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Questions and concerns about COVID-19? The UMass coronavirus page is frequently updated with the latest communications and advisories. If you would find it helpful to talk with a mental health clinician about your concerns, call us at 413-545-2337. In addition, the following tips can help you manage stress and anxiety that may arise in the midst of uncertainty or fears about health and personal safety.

Psychological Health Tips

Acknowledge reactions. Allow yourself time to reflect on what you are feeling and how you may be reacting to any fears and uncertainties of the future.

Maintain your day-to-day activities as much as possible while socially distancing. Set a schedule for sleep, exercise, and studying. Take walks or jog outdoors or work out with Campus Recreation. Make a study plan that breaks large tasks into smaller steps.

Connect with friends, family, and classmates to maintain your support network while socially distancing. Resist withdrawing and isolating yourself from the support and caring that others can provide.

Seek accurate information from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and limit exposure to social media and news reports that provide no new information.

Pay attention to positive news instead of only focusing on negative and fear-producing reports.

Follow the protection and prevention tips given by medical professionals such as University Health Services here on campus, national medical authorities, and your own medical doctor.

Practice calming rituals: Use stress management and relaxation techniques to help you maintain an internal sense of stability and balance when outside events feel threatening.

Seek supports & use campus resources. Reach out to friends and family and learn about campus resources. If you or someone you know has significant distress that does not seem to be getting better, talk about it with others or reach out to CCPH. Your campus community is here to help!

Avoid Stigmatizing or Generalizing

Be aware of your behavior or attitude change toward others from another country.

Avoid generalizing anyone who is sick as potentially having the Coronavirus.

Examine any irrational or rigid thoughts that can exist when there is uncertainty.

Download this information as a PDF.

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Center for Counseling and Psychological Health

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Questions and concerns about COVID-19? The UMass coronavirus page is frequently updated with the latest communications and advisories. If you would find it helpful to talk with a mental health clinician about your concerns, call us at 413-545-2337.

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Ten Tips for Parents Navigating the New Realities of Online Learning

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Ten Tips for Parents Navigating the New Realities of Online Learning

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With COVID-19 causing widespread school closures, children across the country are being given alternate resources, some online, to study outside of the classroom. Temporary solutions being devised for remote education range from online classroom tools like Google Classroom, to Zoom and podcasts by teachers. While parents are adjusting to this new scenario, during this time it's also important to help kids stay focused on learning and avoid overuse of games, social media, and videos.

"This is a stressful, unpredictable time for everyone, including families, parents and children. You can help your children by providing them with a structure and routine, and being a positive force in their education," says Dr. Pamela Hurst-Della Pietra, President of Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development.

With that in mind, Children and Screens has put together ten tips for families as they adjust to the new reality of learning at home.
1. DIGITAL QUARANTINE
Consider limiting your children's cell phones and tablets until their schoolwork is done satisfactorily, so that it can receive their undivided attention. Apps, games, and messaging features are fun, but they can also prove distracting. It may not be an option for everybody, but ideally, try to give your kids a dedicated device such as a school laptop for maximum online learning.
2. MAKE SPACE FOR LEARNING
Your children will achieve their best work in a quiet, comfortable, and dedicated space devoted to learning. Ideally, this will be a different set-up than where they normally play games or watch television. Keep in mind that children will be in this space for many hours each day, and parents should watch out for any orthopedic issues that may arise related to comfort and posture.
3. MONITOR THE (COMPUTER) MONITOR
In this new learning milieu, you can help by monitoring your children's levels of interest and engagement in adapting to their new schedule and at-home materials. The simplest way to do this? Observation. Look at your child's eyes to see if they're following along with the screen. Check if they're taking notes or zoning out. Ask questions at the end of a lesson. While this may require taking an hour off from work or stepping out for an early lunch, it's important to confirm that your children are indeed learning. If you find that your child is not engaging with the lessons, don't be afraid to contact the school district or teachers to better explore the issue. Sometimes, easily remedied technical problems such as bad audio, poor connection, or an unhelpful camera angle can make all the difference.
4. DIGITAL RECESS
Make sure that your children take plenty of breaks in order to get physical activity and time away from screens. Set alarms similar to those they would encounter at school and encourage them to get up, get some fresh air, go for a walk or bike ride, or have a snack so that they are not sedentary for the entire day.
5. FACETIME
In-person interaction is ideal for kids, but until it's safe for them to return to school, encourage your children to video chat or text message rather than simply scrolling through social media. You don't want your children to feel socially isolated, but at the same time, you want to protect them from becoming wholly reliant upon their devices. Sit your children down for face-to-face conversations about screen time. In order to give them agency, discuss how much time they think is reasonable to spend online and make a "contract," committing to goals for on-screen vs. off-screen hours.
6. KEEP IT OLD SCHOOL
Overuse of screen time can have adverse impacts on young brains, so it's essential in these special circumstances to be extra careful when it comes to the littlest ones. As much as possible, parents should encourage print and book reading. If available, request textbooks from your child's school along with other print materials in order to offset the amount of online learning they will be doing. Studies show that remote education can be challenging for all ages, but especially young kids, so do whatever you can and always err on the side of caution. Stimulate self-expression by having discussions with your children about what they are doing, and also encourage creative writing and imaginative story telling.
7. WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER
Remember that you're not alone in this journey. Check in with other parents to see what they've found effective or to ask if they need help. Share your concerns and useful hints. If you need contact information for other parents or resources, reach out to the PTA or your child's school. It is important that we all work together as a community for the good of our children and families.
8. PLAN YOUR WORK AND WORK YOUR PLAN
Good planning can relieve stress for both children and parents. Check in with your kids about their plans and help them develop a written schedule not only for the day, but for the week as a whole. Help them prioritize and learn to create goals, tasks, and deadlines, just like adults do when they go to work. Tasks that may not have been difficult for them while attending school in person can become more challenging when learning from home, so it's important to reinforce boundaries and offer incentives for healthy behaviors. To avoid disruption, some after-school activities may be offered via online video apps, Facetime, or Skype.
9. THIS AIN'T NO VACATION
Even though staying home from school might feel like a holiday, remind your kids that they're not on vacation. Assignments, grades, requirements, and tests like state exams, SATs, and ACTs aren't going away just because classes have moved online.
10. DON'T FORGET TO HAVE FUN
Plan off-screen activities for the whole family. Between school and work obligations, it's rare for parents and children to have this much time together, so turn it into an opportunity for bonding. Write predictions for a TV show that the whole family watches. Organize a tournament, family card games, charades, or chess, or get outside for a hike or walk together after school. Follow your community's guidelines about safe behavior and events, of course, but make sure you still find time for fun with your kids.

Without a doubt, this is a challenging time for parents, teachers, and children alike. Studies show that screen time can have both positive and adverse impacts on kids, and the shift to online education will only increase your child's time with their devices.

"Hopefully these common sense practices can help you and your family navigate this new terrain and make the most out of at-home learning," says Dr. Hurst-Della Pietra. You can write to me at info@childrenandscreens.com with any problems or suggestions that were not covered in this article."

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COVID-19 and At-Home Learning - Children and Screens

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Download this document (PDF, 277KB) PEDIATRIC MEDIA EXPERTS RAISE CONCERNS ABOUT GROWING HEALTH ISSUE: CHILDREN AND SCREEN TIME PEDIATRICS Journal Releases First-Ever Supplement Dedicated to Effects of Digital Media on Children Washington, DC: As the iPhone turns 10, screen time-and lots of it-has changed reality for today's kids, and even babies.

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Why young brains need help with organization and motivation

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Why young brains need help with organization and motivation

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-compiled by Peg Dawson

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Helping your Teen Succeed at Remote Learning

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Helping your Teen Succeed at Remote Learning

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-Psychology Today

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All over the United States, millions of teenagers are about to start working from home and parents may be wondering how they can set their teenagers up for success. Last semester, I asked a class of freshmen to track their time over a week. It may not be a surprise to parents of teenagers, but students reported spending many more hours on entertainment than on schoolwork. One student reported spending 33 hours watching Netflix and another spent 22 hours on YouTube and other social media. That is the equivalent of a part-time job, while also being enrolled in 4 - 5 classes. After completing their log, the students were surprised at how inaccurately they had estimated how they would spend time and how much time they wasted. Freed from rules about class attendance and class hours, students were unable to make good choices. Your teenagers, now freed from school, sports, and other extracurricular activities, are likely to have the same difficulties making wise decisions.

Here are a few tips for your teen based on what we know helps college freshman make their transition to the freedom of university life. Skills learned now will help them survive the current crisis and in the future.
Creating Cues for Productive Behavior
Establish a schedule and structure for the school day. Your teen has an established pattern that you want to recreate at home. Research has shown that setting up "implementation intentions" helps people accomplish their goals. Implementation intentions are if-then statements or triggers for action. For example, many of us have created habits for when we walk in the door. Without much effort, our minds know that if we walk in the door, then we'll put our keys on the kitchen counter. In the case of working from home, we can help our teenagers create intentions around when they will do their schoolwork. For example, they can set a schedule that after waking up in the morning, they will have breakfast and check their assignments for the day. Having breakfast becomes a cue for checking online for their assignments for the day.

In addition to setting cues such as "while I eat breakfast, I'll check my schedule," you can help your teen set a schedule based on times of the day. Again, this reproduces their typical school schedule. Setting an alarm on their phone or sending them a calendar invite for 11:00, for example, can be a reminder to teens that it is time to move on to a different project or assignment. If you are at home with them, you can remind them of what the alarm means. If you are not at home, you can follow-up the alarm with a text or call.

Social activities are part of your teen's usual schedule and should be included in the planning. Typically, students see friends at the beginning of the day, between classes, during lunch, and then after school. However, you want to help them keep focused on their at-home work. So, build "passing periods" into their schedule. This can be 15-20 minutes of time for teens to check social media, get a snack, and just generally veg out. Of course, this time should also be structured with start and stop times.

Because your teen is nearly an adult, you cannot impose this schedule on them. Your teen may already be experiencing anxiety and you want to encourage their sense of control over the situation. Plus, people feel a greater commitment to and satisfaction with outcomes when they experience procedural justice-when they feel that they have had a voice in the decision-making. Sit down with your teen and sketch out a schedule for the first few days of the remote learning. Be clear that the schedule can be altered in the future, as you learn more about how your teen's teachers will be handling the transition. Include a wake-up time in the schedule. They don't need to follow the same early morning routine, but they do need some structure around sleep. Sleep disruption has negative effects on emotional control, attention, and control of behavior (Dahl & Lewin, 2002).

Create a space that signals work. How your teen usually does homework may not be appropriate for how your teen tackles remote learning. When doing homework, students are applying something that has already been learned or becoming familiar with topics that will be covered in-depth later. Now, however, the online interface may be their first contact with the information. To help with this shift, set up a space that signals to your teen that they are "in school." Textbooks and school supplies should be at the ready and gathered in this space. If your teen will be connecting with classes remotely, this means battery chargers are available and the space is clear of distracting items. People respond to cues in spaces without explicit rules. For example, people speak more quietly in libraries, even without an actual librarian being present. You want to set up cues in the space that remind your teen of why they are there and what they should be doing while they are there.
Social Modeling
The earliest social psychology experiments, Triplett's original social facilitation studies, found that people work harder when they aren't alone. They do not necessarily have to be in competition - just co-acting with someone can increase your performance. Other research has found that the presence of others can set social norms for behaviors. If you are at home with your teen, you can set the norms for your teen and facilitate their on-task behaviors. You might doubt that you have any influence over your teen, yet research shows that parents are very influential. And, research by Tanya Chartrand has shown that we unconsciously mimic and respond to people in our environment.

Social modeling and setting norms mean that you follow a schedule that is similar to your teen's. Just as your teen checks their assignments and creates a to-do list for the day over breakfast, you do the same. Just as they stay off social media during work periods, you do the same. They need to see you do it. Knowing that other people are doing the same thing as you is motivational, but impact theory tells us that the closer the other person is to you, the more powerful their influence. Set up your workspace near to them so they can see you working from home.
Accept Emotions
The ending of in-person teaching is a life-altering event for teens. As the closures are extended and postponed events become canceled events, teens are likely to be anxious, scared, angry, and sad. And, teens may be unable to process or label these emotions. Accept that your teens are feeling very valid and very intense emotions. Then show them how to not react to those strong emotions, how to control emotions when they feel out of control, and how to reduce the intensity of those emotions.

Again, here is where you can be a role model. A parent's ability to manage their emotions is related to how well teens weather stressful situations (Bariola, Gullone & Hughes, 2011) and how well teens manage their emotions (Silva, Freire, & Faria, 2018). If you model how to label and think about emotions, you are providing your teens with a guide for how they should label and think about their emotions.
Be Patient
The current shift to remote teaching for elementary, middle, high school, and university students is unprecedented. There are teaching professionals, instructional designers, and tech support people scrambling to prepare technology and materials, administrators working through all the downstream consequences. Parents are trying to make their own transitions to working from home or not working at all. Now is the time for self-compassion as well as social distance.

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Helping Your Teen Succeed at Remote Learning

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All over the United States, millions of teenagers are about to start working from home and parents may be wondering how they can set their teenagers up for success. Last semester, I asked a class of freshmen to track their time over a week.

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-National Association of School Psychologists

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SEL4MA Webinar Archive: SEL and Mental Health Supports for COVID-19 Recording and chat archive from March 27, 2020 webinar that explored what approaches are being taken across the nation and around the Commonwealth to help young people to stay connected, reduce fears and anxieties, and continue to develop social and emotional skills they need for navigating current and future life challenges.

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Tips for Quarantined Parents during COVID-19 Pandemic

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Tips for Quarantined Parents during COVID-19 Pandemic

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-American Psychological Association

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Introduction

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are quarantined in our homes. Many of us have children and grandchildren to entertain and keep busy. And are looking for reliable, science-based information on what to do with their children, how to keep them safe and engaged in fun and meaningful activities.

With that in mind, we worked to put together and make available great information and tips to help parents and caregivers to play, teach, entertain their children in these times of pandemic and fear.

Below are links to various age-appropriate information and resources for parents, caregivers to do with children.

Stay well and be safe.

Emotions and Discussion Tips

COVID-19 Facts Tips

Resources in English

Resources in Spanish

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Tips for quarantined parents in the times of COVID-19

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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are quarantined in our homes. Many of us have children and grandchildren to entertain and keep busy. And are looking for reliable, science-based information on what to do with their children, how to keep them safe and engaged in fun and meaningful activities.

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As the number of cases of COVID-19 increases, so does the associated anxiety. For the general public, the mental health effects of COVID-19 are as essential to address as are the physical health effects.

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Maintaining Emotional Health & Well-Being During the COVID-19 Outbreak 

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Maintaining Emotional Health & Well-Being During the COVID-19 Outbreak 

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from mass.gov

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Maintaining Emotional Health & Well-Being During the COVID-19 Outbreak

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Resources and tips to help boost emotional health, mental health, and well-being during the COVID-19 outbreak.

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How Mindfulness can Help During COVID-19 Pandemic

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How Mindfulness can Help During COVID-19 Pandemic

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With the ever-changing status of schools and many parents working from home without childcare for the foreseeable future, it's hard not to start spiraling. Responsibilities seem endless, the situation dire, and it seems like time to yourself has become a thing of the past...

Take a deep breath. Literally. Feel a little better?

These are trying times, but incorporating mindful practices into your daily routine can help calm anxiety and build healthy coping skills. Here are some tips from our clinicians on making mindfulness work for you and your family.

Being mindful is what it sounds like. Taking time to focus on the present, being intentional and thoughtful about where you are and how you are feeling. Trying to center your thoughts and be in the moment. Sounds simple, but it takes work, especially now when concerns about what the future holds feel so pressing. Mindful activities can help. "Mindfulness isn't complicated," says Jill Emanuele, PhD, Senior Director of the Mood Disorders Center at the Child Mind Institute. Here are some simple activities she recommends:

Squeeze Muscles: Starting at your toes, pick one muscle and squeeze it tight. Count to five. Release, and notice how your body changes. Repeat exercise moving up your body.

Belly Breathing: Put one hand on your stomach and one hand on your chest. Slowly breathe in from your stomach (expand like a balloon) and slowly breathe out (deflate).

Mindful Meal: Pay attention to the smell, taste and look of your food. No multitasking.

Meditation: Sit in a relaxed, comfortable position. Pick something to focus on, like your breath. When your mind wanders, bring your attention back to your breath.

Blowing Bubbles: Notice their shapes, textures and colors.

Coloring: Color something. Focus on the colors and designs.

Listening to Music: Focus on the whole song, or listen specifically to the voice or an instrument.

Right now much of the personal time that used to be part of our daily routines - commutes, time alone at home, going to the store - is not available. This means it's extra important to be intentional about creating space to recharge. Deciding to set time aside each day to practice mindful activities is a great place to start, says Dr. Emanuele. "The morning, before everyone is awake, can be a great time to really ground yourself." Morning mindfulness can help set the tone for the day. "Do deep breathing, meditate, exercise, whatever mindfulness activity works for you," she recommends. Mindfulness doesn't have to be elaborate: "You can try mindful eating or mindful drinking with a cup of coffee. Sit there and just be in the moment. That's mindfulness. Taking five minutes to do that before the day begins is even more important now because this is not our typical routine and we're going to feel very, very out of sorts."

Right now it can feel like trying to do ten things at once is the only way anything will get done. For example, trying to fold laundry, make dinner and watch your child all while on a work call.

But, explains Joanna Stern, PsyD, a clinical psychologist at the Child Mind Institute, multitasking rarely works, and can actually increase stress. "Multitasking is a myth," says Dr. Stern. Instead, she suggests achievable goals for the day, trying to focus on one thing at a time. For example, scheduling work calls during naptime, allowing kids to have a little extra screen time while you make dinner, or asking older children to help fold the laundry while you finish cleaning up.

Mindfulness, explains David Anderson, PhD, a clinical psychologist at the Child Mind Institute, is "Anything that helps everyone take a moment to slow down, stay present, and come together." Designating time to practice mindful activities as a family will help everyone feel less anxious. It could be a daily family yoga session, or a quiet walk in the woods as a group, taking time to focus on the way the air feels, the sound of the birds and the smell of the trees. Another good family mindfulness idea is asking everyone to mention one good thing they heard or saw that day over dinner.

This situation is one of extreme uncertainty. We don't know what will happen, how long it will last or what things will be like when it's over. One thing we do know, however, is that worrying about it won't change the outcome. Learning how to tolerate the uncertainty is a huge part of building healthy coping skills for ourselves, which we then want to model for our children. "Right now it's very easy to let your brain spin out with the frightening possibilities," warns Dr. Anderson. "Practicing mindfulness helps bring us back to the present, and away from the brink."

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How Mindfulness Can Help During COVID-19 - Child Mind Institute

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With the ever-changing status of schools and many parents working from home without childcare for the foreseeable future, it's hard not to start spiraling. Responsibilities seem endless, the situation dire, and it seems like time to yourself has become a thing of the past... Take a deep breath. Literally.

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A wealth of virtual, home-accessible tools (apps, podcasts, videos, etc.) are now available to support mindfulness, relaxation and movement.

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The stressors in our lives are growing. Inner Explorer is offering an easy to use mindfulness program to support you and your family.

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A free online resource which allows a medium for kids to be active and be mindful.

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Headspace is an app for kids and adults with guided meditations.

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There are a lot of unknowns in the world right now. But one thing is certain - Headspace is here for you. To help you, we're offering some meditations you can listen to anytime.

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Free meditation app

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APPLE "BEST OF 2018" AWARD-WINNER
Want to sleep better, be more mindful, improve your relationships, and become just about ten percent happier? This is the app for you.

Our guided meditations, videos, talks, and sleep content will help you build (or boost) your meditation practice, and stick with it.

WHAT'S INSIDE:

- Video and meditation combos that make it fun and straightforward to learn to meditate.
- A library of 500+ guided meditations on topics ranging from anxiety to parenting to focus, ensuring that you can find exactly the right meditation for the moment.
- A sleep section filled with relaxing meditations that make it easy to fall (and stay) asleep.
- Bite-size stories, wisdom, and inspiration that you can listen to while on the go - for those moments when you're not feeling like meditation but want some mindfulness.
- New content released weekly to keep meditation from becoming a chore.
- Quick meditations that fit into your busy life-during your commute, lunch break, etc.

PRESS:

** #1 Top listed app in New York Times 'How to Meditate' guide
** #1 in Apple's 'New Apps We Love'
** Featured on The Daily Show, Good Morning America, Nightline, The Rachael Ray Show, and more.

SUBSCRIPTION PRICING AND TERMS:

If you'd like to unlock full access to our 500+ videos and guided meditations, we offer auto-renewing monthly and yearly subscription membership options. If you select an auto-renewing subscription membership option, payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase and your Ten Percent Happier subscription will automatically renew (at the duration selected) unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; your credit card will be charged for renewal through your iTunes account within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. You can turn off an auto-renewing subscription at any time from your iTunes Account Settings but refunds will not be issued for any unused portion of the term. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription, where applicable. For more information on our terms of service and privacy policy, please visit http://www.tenpercent.com/terms-of-service OR http://www.tenpercent.com/privacy-policy/

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About the 10% Happier book:

In his #1 New York Times bestseller, 10% Happier, ABC news anchor Dan Harris explores how his on-air panic attack in 2004 prompted him to search for a better way to deal with the voice in his head and be less yanked around by his emotions. Spoiler alert: he found meditation.

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About the Ten Percent Happier podcast:

In his top-ranking podcast, Dan talks with smart people about whether there's anything beyond 10%. The podcast explores whether you be an ambitious person and still strive for enlightenment and inner peace.

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Ten Percent Happier integrates with the Apple Health app.

If you're enjoying the app, please (re)post a review. It really helps!

Questions/technical support? Please email us at support@tenpercent.com.

Follow us on Twitter: @10percent, Facebook: @tenpercenthappier, Instagram: tenpercenthappier

Version 6.9.1

In this release, we freshened up our guided meditation (aka Singles) experience, adding new imagery for topics. We also made Singles easier to browse on a variety of devices. Finally, we updated fonts, and made some behind-the-scenes improvements!

As always, we regularly add new meditations and podcast episodes, and also regularly update the app. If you have feedback, we'd love to hear from you - send feedback, comments, or questions via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or support@tenpercent.com.

And if you are still reading, here's a snippet from the latest "Ten Percent Weekly" newsletter:

~~~Excerpted from "The Healthy Kind of Self-Doubt," by Jay Michaelson~~~

Last week, I was recording psychologist, Dr. Luana Marques, for Teacher Talks, the podcast I host in the Ten Percent Happier app. Although it wasn't the main point of her talk, a couple of lines in a script of hers really jumped out at me:

"You're not good enough!" "You are unlovable." "You will never accomplish your dreams."

Although we think we are being rational, the reality is that these thoughts are coming from our emotional brain, which is sensing danger. Shifting our perspective means really understanding that when our brain is in fight-or-flight, what we see in front of us and what we say to ourselves may not actually be reality.

This simple paragraph expresses, I think, a central insight of mindfulness: that it's not about repressing or silencing our inner-critical voices, but learning not to trust them quite so much.

On one level, Dr. Luana's point is pretty straightforward: when we're under stress, we think, say, and do things that we would never do if we were calmer and more centered. That may seem obvious, but actually changing our behavior is a lot harder than simply hearing someone talk about it. Behavior change takes work - like the work of meditation.

In meditation, you can see these patterns directly, in real-time, and you can see how they cause you to get stuck. For example, you might be hungry, tired, or restless, and you can watch your mind spin insane stories about you, meditation, life, the universe, and everything. Or maybe you're meditating and a traumatic memory arises, and you can feel your body and mind re-triggered. Perhaps you hear the voice of the inner critic, like in the quotations above, and feel the pain that it causes you.

If you see this again and again and again and again, eventually the mind learns - the brain learns - not to take the bait so much. You learn to become a little more skeptical of every thought that pops into your head, especially the ones that are cruel to yourself or others. You develop the healthy kind of self-doubt - not doubting your self-worth, but doubting your opinions about your self-worth...

For more, visit https://www.tenpercent.com/meditationweeklyblog/healthydoubt

Editors' Choice

Ten Percent Happier is specifically geared toward newcomers and skeptics, like its founder-TV anchor and best-selling author Dan Harris-used to be. It uses straight talk and a sense of humor to help you focus on sleeping better, reducing stress, and boosting concentration.

10% Happier is an understatement

I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder two years ago, and was told that I've probably been suffering from it much longer than I realized. Fast forward to 2020 - I became a first-time mom at 38 years old, suffered from postpartum depression, and just when I was starting to find my footing, the world was immediately hurled into the COVID-19 pandemic. The stress wreaked havoc on my body. Everyday I felt like I was physically drowning; my chest was cramped, my muscles ached, I was permanently exhausted but couldn't sleep, and my brain was foggy. I tried taking anxiety medication and it made me extremely nauseous, which further triggered my anxiety. I thought I was doomed; I felt so helpless. Then I read Dan Harris's book, 10% Happier, and I figured if meditation helped him, maybe it would help me. Now I use the app daily, in conjunction with a daily routine that involves yoga, reasonably healthy eating, supplements as recommended by my physician, and continued communication and collaboration with my support net of friends and family. It's part of a bigger picture, and it has made a world of difference. Physically, the chest tightness and muscular tension have decreased significantly. And mentally I find myself much more resilient in the face of stress, especially the kind induced by the intrusive irrational fears that come with GAD. Thank you to the 10% Happier team. In my case, "10% Happier" would be an understatement.

Wow - thank you for sharing your journey with us here. I'm so glad mindfulness meditation is helpful to you managing your anxiety and thrilled that Ten Percent Happier can help. We know it takes real work and commitment to stick with mindfulness meditation and your effort is a meaningful contribution to well-being - both your own and, in turn, to that of those around you. Thank you - Clea at Ten Percent Happier

The best $99 I've ever spent.

I dare say if you were able to quantify how much "bang for your buck" you can get out of any app out there - This has to be #1. I can't even begin to describe how effective this little gem has been at helping me learn the basics of meditation, manage my stress, learn more about myself as a human and increase my overall well being. I purchased this in May of 2019, it is now January 2020 and I will without a doubt renew next years subscription. I have a very stressful but rewarding job and was in the verge of burnout. Now, I feel in control and have been more productive than ever. I just found that taking time each morning for the practice lead to a better day. I am now taking a beginners meditation class with a group at a Dharma center and it's lead me down a path I didn't even fully understand I needed and could use but I'm glad to be on it. The hardest part for me was getting in the habit of using this daily. Luckily they have SO MANY ways to integrate meditation and mindfulness into your daily life and tips to help you do it. The videos are wonderfully produced, sound quality is top notch, the teachers are very knowledgeable diverse and insightful. They are also funny and relatable and not just all a bunch of "new-agey woo-woo!" I have my favorites and you will too. This was the best app investment I've ever made. I highly recommend.

Hi Dr. J-Mo, Thank you for this lovely review, sharing your story and talking about how mindfulness meditation has worked for you. We're so happy that we've been able to support you! Wishing you well - Clea at Ten Percent Happier

Unlimited access to Ten Percent Happier

The developer, 10% Happier Inc., indicated that the app's privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer's privacy policy.

Data Linked to You

The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

Information

Compatibility

iPhone

Requires iOS 14.0 or later.

iPad

Requires iPadOS 14.0 or later.

iPod touch

Requires iOS 14.0 or later.

Siri

Get things done within this app using just your voice.

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‎Our guided meditations, videos, talks, and sleep content will help you build (or boost) your meditation practice, and stick with it. WHAT'S INSIDE: - Video and meditation combos that make it fun and straightforward to learn to meditate. - A library of 500+ guided meditations on topics ranging from...

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-MindYeti is a research-based program assisting children and their caregivers to calm their bodies, focus their minds and better connect to the world around them.

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Mind Yeti is a library of research-based guided mindfulness sessions that help kids and their adults calm their minds, focus their attention and connect to t…

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Calm is  an app for kids and adults with guided meditations.

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Let's look after ourselves, and each other. - Calm Blog

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As days of isolation turn into weeks, many of us are feeling increasingly uprooted from our normal lives. In a world on lockdown, it isn't just our routines that are being disrupted, but our relationships too. Thankfully, distance doesn't have to mean disconnection.