For almost 2 full school years, Covid-19 has greatly affected the way that our children interact with others, play with their friends, and the way they learn. For parents, this means having to be more hands-on in their children's education, especially as online learning persists. Whether your child is attending classes online part-time or full-time, here are some tips for making sure you and your child are completely ready for a seamless online learning experience.

The first thing is a very low-tech need - give your child a space. Just like many of us have an office space at home that allows us to be our most productive selves, giving your child a dedicated place for class (that's not just your kitchen table) is the best way to help them get into a focused learning mindset.

Next, find out what platform their school is using. Whether it's Zoom, Google Hangouts, or Skype, familiarize yourself with the tools they're going to use and help them practice logging on, joining the chat rooms, and troubleshooting their mic and camera. To keep things simple (unless the school requires this) we recommend that you use the built-in mic and camera on the laptop they're using. If they're using a desktop, a headset and affordable webcam set will also work great, though you may need to spend more time reviewing how to set them up with your child.

Third, show them how to use simple time management tools. We're all familiar with Google Calendars or even just tracking our time and schedule on our phones. Since your child will be spending lots of time on the computer for school, show them how to integrate tools such as Google Calendars (or whatever platform the school uses) to manage their projects, scheduled class times, and due dates.

Now that your child is all set up, do some practice runs with them so they're feeling confident and ready to tackle the new school year. When they start, give them space to use their new skills but be available if they need help troubleshooting.