Parents are feeling the pressure as they attempt to help their students with their school work from home. A common question that teachers are hearing from parents is, “How do I motivate my kid(s) to do their work?” Distance learning motivation is a hot topic right now so the teachers from the Lucky 2nd Grade Teachers Group came together to give some of their top suggestions for distance learning motivation.

We suggest printing out the free handout of these ideas to send to your families. They will appreciate them! They can be found at the bottom of this blog post.

1. A punch card for lessons completed with a fun treat once it’s full. -Sydney L

2. A daily menu with lots of brain breaks and fun activities. -Mandy M.

3. Fun Friday— complete week’s assignment for a prize/activity. -Abby R.

4. Buy fun stickers or Mr. Sketch smelly markers. Allow the kids to pick out the sticker or use the markers to correct their work while you check it over. -Angie O.

5. Some of my parents are sending me a picture of their child completing an activity each day! It is not required, but some of them tell their child that Miss P wants pictures of them learning, and it really motivates them! Plus, I now have some adorable photos. -Alyssa P.

6. By checking in, they get pictures of our pet rabbit (this can work with any pet!). -Michelle S.

7. I'm giving private Zoom meetings one-on-one with students & their parent along with dojo points for every assignment completed. Students can read a book on Zoom if they get enough points, bring show & tell on Zoom, or choose our Go Noodle for Zoom. -Brittany T.

8. I am giving mine Class Dojo points for participating and mailing prizes. -Donna H.

9. I send Go Noodle or other Brain Breaks throughout the day via the bloomz app. I've also been recording read-alouds and parents have been using them as Rewards for finishing the daily work. -Gianna F.

10. Zoom Dance Party. -Kate M.

11. Play Toothy as a whole class on Zoom with the teacher. Kids can solve the question on a piece of paper and hold up their answers when prompted. The tooth can be added on the screen and/or on their own Toothy faces! -Angie O.

12. Each morning, I start the learning off with a picture book read aloud and then they complete their own video response to a flip grid video response topic. This allows them to see all of their friends still, share a little bit about their home life, and learn a little bit from their peers. -Kyle R.

13. I did a virtual spirit week. Parents posted pictures of their kids doing what was on the list for each day. I sent a picture too. This week I'm doing a Flat Stanley activity where students post pictures too. -Donna C.

14. I do a Facebook live each morning and we have a different theme each day. Tomorrow is Wacky Wednesday. -Kate S.

15. I do a video check in each morning. I’m doing shout out on my videos for the students who are participating and completing activities. -Linda A.

16. Create a sticker chart and when it's full let them choose dinner, family dance party, FaceTime a friend, outside activity together such as drawing with chalk, help cook dinner or make a special snack, craft time, fun science experiment, pick a movie to watch together, sleepover in the living room, or turn the table into a fort. -Jackie D.

17. Set daily goals and use timers when possible. Have incentives for when goals are met such as family cooking time, family game night, family walk, free art time, etc. -Emily S.

18. Once they finish their assigned work for the day, give them some free time on their device. There are tons of free websites to choose from that kids love! -Angie O.

19. Reward them for completing their assignments. Use rewards that don't cost any money, such as extra game time, extra play time, sleep in late, stay up late, pjs all day, or family game night. The possibility are limitless! -Kendria B.

20. If you have a treadmill or a bike have the child do some of their work while exercising. -Andrea H.

21. Tell them you are proud of them. -Jacqueline R.

Grab our free checklist and send home some of these ideas to your families! They will appreciate it!