We spoke with Dr. Ashley Moss of Spring Valley Pediatrics to discuss going back to *virtual* school. No, this isn’t anyone’s ideal scenario, but one silver lining is that virtual learning is giving us opportunities to find and shape other valuable life skills in our children.

Below are a few tips from Dr. Moss for Parents and Nannies to help foster resiliency and contribute to a smoother and more productive school day.  

??‍? Model Hopefulness and Positivity – As adults it’s important we model these emotions and demonstrate that we believe things will get better. Try talking about all of the people that are doing good things and helping our community navigate this pandemic. 

? Give Control – Help give children a sense of control to boost feelings of self-efficacy. Give them choices where possible. 

?‍♀️ Encourage Flexibility – Excite kids to be adaptive by embracing new ways of learning. 

? Allow for Thoughtful Planning – To avoid added stress, make sure to budget extra time before classes to make sure all logins work before zooms are scheduled to start. It’s already a long day in front of the screen; a little extra proactive planning can go a long way towards ensuring everyone’s stress levels stay low. 

? Create a Designated Learning Space – If possible, keep kids out of their bedrooms. 

? Adopt a “Class is over. Class. Is. Over.” Policy – meaning computer goes off after class. No extra Youtube videos. It’s break and outdoors time. 

??‍♀️ Plan Things to Look Forward to – Discuss what break activities will be ahead of time. What will the main “after school” activity be? Are there opportunities for safe social interaction with another child, such as bike riding?