Back-to-school routines look different during COVID-19 pandemic

As students prepare to head back into learning mode, the classroom will be a bit different this year.

No desks and no peers - instead, a virtual learning format.

Even with the change, experts say it's important to get your kids into a back-to-school mindset.

Dr. Mitch Prinstein is a professional in adolescent mental health and a professor at UNC.

"Kids have been at home for a very long time," Dr. Prinstein said. "They've been at home at the end of last school year. They have been home for the summer. And now for the fall they need to feel like something Is changing in their schedule. They need to feel in a way which their routine is reflecting a new type of activity every day, it's not just an extension of what they have been doing all summer."

Dr. Prinstien suggests a few things to help transition students to the back to school mindset:

- Parents, if you can, set aside a space that is specifically for learning- perhaps that a spare room in the home or a spot at the kitchen table

-Parents of elementary students: make sure you allowing your child to do school work in chunks, and allowing for physical activity and relaxation time.

-Parents of middle school students: Students at this age will need positive reinforcement. It's important to recognize that it is hard to sit and focus on a single task without being surrounded by peers.

-Parents of high school students: At this age, teens can monitor their own work. Make sure your student's screens are on school work and not on social media