Top 5 Tips for Setting Up a Remote Learning Space for Kids
By: Irene Banks
Tags: Kids, Design, Interior Design, Remote Learning, Pandemic

Top 5 Tips for Setting Up a Remote Learning Space for Kids

With remote learning likely to continue for the remainder of the school year, here’s how to set up a remote learning space that will promote mental and physical well-being. Irene Banks Dec 22, 2020·7 min read

Photo by August de Richelieu from Pexels

During the COVID pandemic, the most common question I’m asked is — how do I set up a remote learning space for kids? While some are thriving, many more kids are struggling with schooling from home. They’re having a hard time concentrating, the lessons aren’t sticking, and anxiety and depression are reportedly on the rise. Caregivers are struggling with the same problems. In this article I’ll share my top recommendations for setting up a learning space that promotes mental and physical well-being. These tips will help kids and adults alike work through what are hopefully the last few months of the pandemic.

Tip #1: Think About Function

Photo by Andrew Neel from Pexels

Throughout this article, I’ll be referring to this image of a student working. The room is beautiful but it’s a good example of an arrangement that won’t work for remote learning for the long haul.

You may have heard the phrase ‘form follows function’, but what exactly does it mean? Well, when it comes to setting up a remote learning space for kids, the space you don’t set up is just as important as the space you do set up. This doesn’t mean that you need a huge house, yard, and dedicated home classroom. A functional learning space doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Your goal is not an Instagram-worthy interior design and you might already have most of the items that you need. Other items can be affordably acquired from family, friends, or second-hand. Piling on too many things — supplies, gadgets, and décor — is likely to increase kids’ stress, not alleviate it. If a child is cooped up in a single spot all day, surrounded by clutter, technology, and other people at home, she’s likely to become overwhelmed. Spending too much time in an environment like this can lead to anxiety, depression, or both. So, it’s best to keep things simple and as least restrictive as possible. This doesn’t mean you have to create a trendy, minimalistic home classroom. While a simple design works best for remote learning, simplicity is not the goal; function is.

Tip #2: Adequate and Proper Lighting

Did you know that eye fatigue leads to millions of visits to the doctor each year? Eye strain, dry eyes, and headaches are all on the rise in kids because they’re not learning in a space with adequate or proper lighting. For example, in our image, we see what at first glance appears to be a well-lit space with plenty of natural light. The problem is the lighting isn’t designed for the kinds of work kids do when they are remote learning.

The space is filled with ambient lighting which is the general light in a room. It usually comes from a window or an overhead light and blankets the whole space. Here, there’s a competing source of light that’s more important for our student’s task at hand — the light from the computer screen. As she works, she’s facing the window, and her eyes are constantly adjusting from the screen to the window and back again. The light from the window is far brighter, so she might squint to stay focused on the screen. Too many hours working like this will cause eye fatigue and perhaps a headache. This will lead to poor concentration.

Our student might try to overcome this by sitting with her back to the window. Then, she would experience a different problem. The light from the window would bounce off the screen and cause glare. Glare is light in a place where you don’t want it to be and usually shines directly into a person’s eyes. It’s a leading cause of eye fatigue. Glare can also happen when there’s an overhead light behind the student that shines down on to the computer screen. Glare can be overcome by an anti-glare screen protector. It would be better if our student faced the wall as she worked. This way the light from the window would not shine directly onto the screen. Because she’s sitting on her bed, facing the wall would be difficult. Which leads to the third tip.

Tip #3: Supportive Seating

Another leading reason for doctor visits each year is back pain which is often caused by poor posture associated with computer use. Adults who spend most of their working hours on a computer without access to ergonomically correct seating often experience neck, shoulder, and spinal problems. An ergonomic workspace is just as important for kids. In our example, our student is likely to experience pain if she does most of her schoolwork sitting on a bed with little to no back support. This will lead to muscle fatigue and impede her ability to concentrate.

It would be better for her to sit in a chair with a firm seat and supportive back. Ideally, her feet should be flat on the floor, her forearms should be supported, and her seating should help her maintain good posture by keeping her back straight and shoulders down. She should also take regular breaks by moving about and taking her eyes off the screen.

Tip #4: Color Psychology

Did you know that people spend billions of dollars on paint each year? Color has a huge impact on how people feel in a space. Monochrome looks, ones with a single color in various shades, are popular. Our student’s all-white room is a good example. It seems light and airy and she has access to natural light and a view. But over time, the all-white walls might lead to some unexpected feelings. Neutrals like gray, white, and beige can make a space look clean and minimalistic, but they can also be monotonous if they aren’t broken up by accent colors. Feelings of dullness or sadness caused by the monotony might crop up if she spends too much time focused on her computer without the right colors to elevate her mood.

Picking good colors for a child’s remote learning space is challenging. Often, the only room available for the child to work is the bedroom which must serve competing purposes — a place to sleep and a place to work. People sleep best in spaces that are filled with relaxing colors while they work best in spaces that are painted with energetic colors. Luckily, there are some colors that work well for both purposes. For example, green and blue are good colors for concentration. Green is a color most often suggested for home office design because it mimics the natural world. It’s lively enough to keep people focused but not so energetic that it’s distracting.

Accent colors can be added to bring more of a desired feeling to a space. Yellow is cheerful and can be combined with green or blue to help with focus. Red is an energetic color and can be used in small doses for visual interest. Lavender is soothing and has been used to help people who are anxious or depressed.

If painting the entire room isn’t an option, there are other ways to bring in color. You can paint a feature wall in green or blue, add plants to bring in greenery, or add colorful homemade artwork to provide visual interest. It’s best to avoid shades that are too dark or too muddy which means that they’re desaturated. These colors can lead to feelings of depression which will in turn make it difficult for the student to concentrate.

Tip #5: An Organizing System

Minimalism is a nice design trend, however in reality students have a lot of stuff. Books (yes, even still), gadgets, toys for younger kids, and office supplies for older kids. All this accumulated stuff, if not organized in some way, can cause over-stimulation and lead to burn-out. Computer work, Zoom calls, pen and paper assignments, reading, and being constantly surrounded by others in the household affect a child’s mental well-being. That’s why a simple organization system is key. While home organization accessories are big business, you don’t have to spend excessively, or even at all, to create a system that works. Keep old cereal boxes to store papers, keep boxes from on-line shopping to store art supplies, or use tissue boxes for pens and pencils. Engage the kids to create all sorts of containers using household items and they’ll even have fun while doing it.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Tip #6: Bonus Tip!

I repeat! Engage the kids to create all sorts of containers using household items and they’ll even have fun while doing it. The key to creating a functional remote learning space is to engage the very people who will use it all the time. The pandemic as been horribly difficult on everyone but especially our children. Psychologists will probably be studying the after-effects for years. To get through what look to be the last few months, something can be done now to help kids. Include them in creative decision-making. Help them find a good lamp or a supportive chair. Let them choose paint colors or create artwork for their walls. Try to avoid adding more tech gadgets because these can lead to over-stimulation. Trust your kids and encourage their creativity and you’re bound to create a learning space that will not only get you through these long months but will enable your children to flourish.