11 Kindergarten Study Tips for Online Learning Coaches

When parents and online Learning Coaches help kindergarten students “study,” it involves much more than reviewing school lessons. One of the most important parts of a kindergartner’s education is spending time sharpening his or her basic learning skills.

Here is a list of areas to focus on when helping a kindergartner study.

1. Behavior: Your student has to learn how to follow virtual classroom guidelines and safety rules. He or she must also practice good manners and treat others with respect.
2. Fine motor skills: Help your student practice writing letters and numbers, assembling puzzles, using scissors, and tying shoes. You can also try sensory integration activities to improve your student’s coordination, balance, and more.
3. Creativity: Give your kindergartner time to draw or paint and review the eight basic colors while he or she works. Listening to music is another type of creative exploration, so try our experiment with musical water glasses. Browse Pinterest if you want to find other creative project ideas for young students.
4. Socializing: Make an effort to organize study groups or playgroups, and also get your child involved in an outside extracurricular activity. He or she needs to spend time working with other children to learn how to share, take turns, listen, solve problems, and respect the property and feelings of others.
5. Vocabulary: Be thoughtful of using proper language to help your child build vocabulary. Expose your kindergarten student to a world of language that is used in real-life situations. Always introduce a new word with a follow-up definition. For example, “Johnny, I’d prefer you to sit on your bottom in the chair. Do you know what I mean by prefer? That means I would like you to sit instead of kneel on the chair, please.” Introducing your child to a broad range of language stimulates good conversation and deeper thinking skills.
6. Reading and writing: Developing your kindergartner’s word smarts means boosting his or her interest in reading. Introduce your student to book-friendly environments by taking trips to the local library and building your book collection at home, which will make books more accessible.
7. Math: Do hands-on activities using math manipulatives, which are paper clips, buttons, pennies, or any other small objects with which students can count. These can help students practice counting to 10, do basic addition and subtraction, and learn how to use the words and phrases “more,” “less,” “same as,” “none,” “some,” and “all.”
8. Science. Study science through activities and experimentation. For example, your student can make a blubber glove, create an edible heart model, or make a model shark float. During these types of activities, encourage your student to ask questions, make observations, and compare and contrast objects and materials.

Trying the kindergarten study tips above can help keep your kindergartener engaged during school. Learning Coaches also share their advice for conducting study sessions, so check out the suggestions below.

9. Work together. “I have [my son] sit on my lap as I read the questions, and I click on the answers he gives. If he does not seem to understand the question as asked, I offer another way to ask the same question or I try to get him to think deeper about his response until he understands what the question is asking.” The younger the student is, the more guidance he or she will need while studying. Walking your student through each step is a good technique early on, but make sure to also take some measures to boost your kindergartner’s independence throughout the year.
10. Take breaks often. When your student gets bored and restless while studying, just take a short break. One parent said, “We had healthy snacks and active move-around times between classes when the kids were younger.” These techniques also work for study time later on in the day.
11. Learn on the move. “We used a hop ball as a chair for a couple years there,” said a parent—and an exercise ball would work well, too. Letting your student move around instead of sitting still can be effective for students who are body smart or who work better when using touch and movement. Simply moving to a different room can also stimulate your student’s senses. This parent mentioned that, “For language arts, we took the text to bed, snuggled, read, and discussed the story before going back to the computer.”

Once your student masters basic virtual classroom skills, he or she can progress to developing independent study skills for online school success.

What are your tips for helping kindergartners study? Share your advice with us.