With more students transitioning into full-time studies through a public virtual school, families are in need of the perfect space in their home for learning. However, finding a place to complete homework and coursework can be difficult. Often times, children have to share space with siblings are family members. Or, worse yet, have no space of their own. This makes it very difficult to concentrate and be successful.

In this article, I am going to share four ideas that can help you create the perfect spot for virtual learning at home.

Location Within the House

The first and most important step to virtual learning is finding a quiet room that can be dedicated solely for this purpose. Ideally, there should not be any distractions from household members or TV screens in the background.

Depending on the size of your residence, you might have more options than others. Some families have become very creative in finding a dedicated room, or spot. Here are a few creative examples for virtual learning areas within the house:

• A quiet corner of a room with furniture (desks, bookshelves)
• A basement, attic or finished garage
• An unfinished room that is not in use
• The top of a refrigerator (not a joke!)
• A room with a lock or deadbolt (this is the most locked down virtual learning space!)
• Backyard storage shed

Setting Up Your Virtual Learning at Home Area

Once you have found your virtual learning space, it is time to set up the area and decorate the space.

Decorating the Space

Decorating your virtual learning space can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. Below are a few DIY decor ideas for virtual learning spaces:

• Get a virtual learning sign (e.g., “Virtual Learning Zone“) to create an official space
• Take photos of your favorite books and hang them up on the wall as decoration
• Use bright colors or patterns that are eye catching, but not distracting. You want students to be able to focus on their virtual learning.
• Place a desk, bookshelf, storage space, or shelves, if they needed.

Choose the Right Furniture

The furniture you choose to fill this space will play a large role in creating an effective virtual learning environment. Choose desks and chairs that are comfortable for students, but also suit their needs. A desk with plenty of room for laptops is ideal!

If you have space, virtual learning desks with built in storage are perfect for students who prefer to work on their laptops. These desks can be found at most major electronic stores and come in a variety of colors – so they’ll fit into your virtual learning environment!

Virtual Learning at Home Supplies

After a dedicated space has been identified, decorated and furnished, the next task is to find household items that can serve as learning supplies. From books for reading comprehension practice, or dictionaries with word lists, games such as Scrabble where there are letters already laid out across the board waiting for students to spell their words–these tools make virtual learning at home easier than many would think.

In the virtual learning space, you can keep other items like flash cards, math problems on a chalkboard, or puzzles laying around to be worked on in free time.

The key is not to try and replace a traditional classroom space, but rather use the home space to encourage learning as much as possible.

Fun Space in the Home

One of the key benefits of learning at home is that there is less structure than the traditional brick-and-mortar school day. Generally, virtual schools afford students the opportunity to learn “any place, any where, and any time.” This means that a student does not have to sit in front of a computer for 6-8 hours every day, during standard school hours. Rather, it is encouraged that virtual school students have regular breaks in their day.

Here are some areas of around the house that families have used to create a “fun” space for when students are not engaged in virtual learning at home

Backyard

Many virtual students enjoy the freedom of playing outside in their backyard. It may be just a matter of putting down some old carpet or outdoor rugs for easy cleanup when kids are finished, and letting them play during breaks from virtual schoolwork.

Family Room

If there is enough space around the TV to set up another spot for study purposes, virtual students can enjoy a break in the family room. This space is also great for virtual school work because it is often where families are gathered, too!

Basement

If virtual students want to get creative, the basement is a great space for hobbies, crafts and other projects.

Garage

A virtual student can use the garage for fun when not doing coursework. One activity, for example, might be fixing something that needs to be repaired. Another activity could be working with power tools on wood pieces or granite rocks.

Attic or Loft

Since virtual school students have the opportunity to take virtual learning breaks throughout the day, an area worth exploring for fun could be attics, or lofts. Attics and lofts provide virtual learners with the opportunity to have virtual schoolwork in a fun space, while also doing other activities like:

• Organizing things like old clothes
• Fixing lamps that need to be taken apart and put back together
• Working on crafts like sewing, painting, or woodwork
• Finding old photographs or collectibles
• Finding artifacts to create a family tree

We hope these tips will help you create a quiet study space for virtual learning in the home. In addition to making sure your space is functional, it’s also important that it be fun and inviting so that kids feel excited about spending time there.

What are some of your favorite ways to make spaces more welcoming when virtual learning from home? Share them with us!