The Dos and Don’ts of Virtual Learning for Preschool Students

Learning to Work WITH the Virtual Platform!

When teachers and parents were first tasked with making virtual preschool work during the early days of the pandemic, there were lots of questions about how it would work! Since most preschools are really based in play and/or hands-on learning and exploration, it was certainly a challenge at first to make sure that these foundations for preschool were translatable to an online platform. Now, almost three years later, educators have been able to test things out and explore all that the virtual preschool platform can do. If you’ve been considering online preschool, though, it can still feel like it’s hard to know where to begin. So, here are some tips from educators on using the virtual preschool platform as your little one enters early education!

The Dos:

Lots of educators recommend beginning your virtual preschool day with some type of morning meeting, most likely led by your little one’s educator. Many in-person preschool programs choose to utilize the morning meeting, as it usually allows little ones to say hello and chat with their classmates for a little bit, and then move on to discussing the day’s agenda. If your online preschool chooses not to do this, you as a parent can still do a modified version of it — you can write the date out, talk a bit about some of the online lessons your little one may do, and maybe ask them to share something! It’s a great way to lay out a loose routine for the day, and by doing it consistently, your little one will be able to get used to the layout of the virtual preschool day.

Another thing that is incredibly important to seek out for your little one is a virtual preschool that offers lots of options for your little one to learn. Because an excess of screen time can be really tough on little ones, it’s great to be a part of an online preschool program that ensures and encourages time away from the screen, too! Some programs even offer monthly activity boxes that help in making sure little ones are learning outside of the screen. You can incorporate activities that relate to the lessons your little one learns within your own home. If your little one is learning about measuring, have them measure different items around the house, or help you with baking! There are plenty of creative things you can do together that will enhance the learning your little one is already doing.

Finally, it’s great to make sure that you are working with your little one’s virtual preschool teachers! Keeping an open line of communication between the two of you is really important so that you can stay updated on your little one’s progress as they learn. It can also help your little one’s teacher learn a bit more about your child, which can help them understand how your little one acts and learns. It’s a win-win!

The Don’ts:

Of course, not everything has worked out perfectly with online preschool, and there are just a couple things to be mindful of as your little one starts virtual preschool. Firstly, it is ok if your little one has trouble fully participating. It’s a good idea to show up and help your little one participate early on in the virtual preschool experience. As the weeks progress, if your little one wants to play while videos are playing, that’s not always a bad thing. The virtual platform is meant to be a tool for you, not the end-all be-all of education. So if your little one indicates that they maybe need a break, it’s good to listen to them!

Online preschool can feel really tricky to navigate at first, but over time, things will get significantly easier for you and your little one. Your child’s educators are there to help you, and in no time, your little one will be able to engage with the platform in a way that works for both of you!

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