How Online Enrichment Classes Are Different From Remote Learning

Every child goes through times when they suddenly decide to pursue a newfound passion like dance, playing the guitar, or photography. As a parent, making sure that their drive and motivation are aimed at productive endeavors often becomes your ultimate goal. It's certainly not an easy task, but that objective can be possible by making the right choices. For some kids, online enrichment classes may be the best path to take for them to unlock their full potential.

What are online enrichment classes?

Online enrichment classes are lessons that your child wants to take. These are meant to support your kid's chosen activities — not a time to pressure them or stress them out. The focus is on improving themselves instead of chasing a standard set by an institution. Students are free to pace themselves according to their capabilities and to take as many sessions as they want.

Won't this mean more time in front of the computer?

Even if classes are being held online using devices to connect with teachers, it's still crucial to note that these classes can be flexibly scheduled. Online enrichment classes are not excess baggage — they should be considered like extra toppings for a sundae. You are free to choose where to put it and how much you would like to include.

According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, for children two- to five-years old, non-educational screen time should be limited to about one hour per weekday and three hours during weekends. Knowing that online enrichment classes can be flexibly scheduled, as a parent, you can identify the days when your child has less screen time and can have their lessons by then. Choosing suitable days to schedule sessions won't compromise your child's screen time exposure.

What are the benefits of online enrichment?

Online enrichment classes offer several perks. First, these are lessons that your child wants to join. They are not forced to do them, and they will have more motivation to learn these lessons. Second, your kid will not be pressured since they can take their own time with learning concepts. It is not the same as how things are done at school where your child needs to catch up with the whole class, or there's a standard that must be met within a prescribed period. Third, online enrichment classes can be flexibly scheduled, which means you can manage your child's screen time well.

There are plenty of ways for online enrichment classes to help your child reach their goal. Through Outschool, you can avail one-on-one learning sessions for your child so that they can get personalized instruction and tutoring on any subject. These lessons can prove to be extremely useful as they may help know the specific points where your child is having difficulty. On top of that, these challenges can be immediately and carefully addressed by a professional assigned to your child.

According to Cal Newport, Associate Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University, it's best to ask the question, "What value are you getting out of the time you spend looking at screens, and what value are you losing?" By looking at all the benefits, you'll soon realize that your child's moments for online enrichment classes can be time well spent.

How can a parent make the most of online enrichment for their child?

It's vital to make the right choices and ensure that your kid's drive and motivation are spent on more fruitful — not to mention fun and engaging — endeavors. As a parent, you should carefully consider the following:

• Which classes does my child want to go to?
• How much time can my child dedicate to their newfound passion or hobby?
• What's the best schedule for my child's lessons so that their screen time remains manageable?
• Can my child keep up with a group, or is it best to do one-on-one mentoring?
• Where can I find quality online enrichment classes?

To answer the final question, Outschool is an excellent place for your child to take their next steps towards unlocking their full potential. The platform offers over 140,000 interactive online classes led by educators that you can trust.