9 ways to keep kids motivated during virtual classes

• Provide structure and routine. Sticking to a schedule provides the stability kids need to keep their eyes on the prize. Plus, it minimizes their instincts to go rogue. When expectations are set, it’s more likely they’ll be met.
• Establish accountability. Maybe you can’t motivate your kids— but their best friends can. Have them schedule daily check-ins with friends over texts or social media. Accountability helps kids realize they’re not alone and gives them a tangible reason to work hard.
• Incentivize learning. Kids may be motivated by rewards, but you want to make it feel as though they’ve earned their treat (or you’ll end up in a vicious cycle). If they finish one packet, they get a half hour on the tablet; two packets, 45 minutes, etc. (Screen-time rewards may not be your usual motivation go-to, but we are in unusual times!)
• Experiment. If a kid is struggling with reading a book, turn it into a read-aloud or audiobook. If math is “too boring,” do the problems on a whiteboard or outside using sidewalk chalk. A change of scenery can do wonders for a kid’s motivation.
• Break up the day. If you have some control over when they do the work, break things up a little. Let them have a slower-paced morning and do their work after lunch, for example. But make an agreement in advance: “If you take the morning off, you still have to get your schoolwork done before you can play online with your friends later today.”
• Change the timing. There’s nothing magical about the hours of 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. — that’s just when we’re all used to school happening. Of course, if your kids are attending live online classes, you have to accommodate those schedules. But for things like working through a packet of assignments from a teacher, there’s no harm in experimenting with different times of day.
• Mark the occasion. Give kids something to look forward to. Plan an online family/friend celebration, like a virtual class party or a Zoom dance. Or do a family movie night and let them choose what to watch.
  Let them see progress. Use a calendar or other visual aid to mark time so they can see how much they’ve accomplished and how much more there is to go.
• Do a related activity. Build upon and extend what they’re learning with a natural connection. If they’re learning about the solar system, let them stay up late and use an astronomy app to map the night sky.