I recently attended a very helpful Zoom workshop about parenting 24-7 during the COVID-19 pandemic (with parenting coach Rachel Bailey (Rachel-bailey.com)), and I wanted to share several of my takeaways for those of you who are home with your kids.
Create Fun Rituals.
Rituals are a great way for you and the kids to mark the days of the week and to have something fun to look forward to. You may already be doing some things that you could turn into rituals. My advice is to keep it as simple as possible. Some things we do in our family are Taco Tuesday, Movie Night (with popcorn!), and Breakfast for Dinner. Clearly, I’m motivated by food. Some non-food ideas are Pajama Day, Silly Socks Day, and Saturday Night Dance Party. Again, keep it simple.
Rethink Your Rules About Screen Time.
Instead of having a rule that your kids get a max of 3 hours of screen time each day, flip it around. The new version of the rule could be that your kids get 3 hours each day without screens. The rest of the day, try not to worry about it too much. Listen, the reality is that we can’t, and shouldn’t, entertain our kids all of the time (that’s another blog topic), especially when we are working from home.
Prioritize Mental Health.
This is the most important tip, in my opinion. Parents are feeling a lot of pressure to ensure that their kids are staying on top of academics and online learning during the pandemic. But that’s not as important as emotional well-being (yours and theirs). Read this blog post for tips on parenting a newborn during the COVID-19 pandemic. Keep in mind that mental health struggles have the potential to interfere with a child’s concentration and motivation and might affect how well they adjust when schools reopen.
Additionally, social distancing can be lonely and disorienting for kids. Parents need to be available to help kids cope with emotional ups and downs, fears, and uncertainty during the pandemic. One way to check in with your kids regularly is to play the “Rose & Thorn” game over dinner – all family members describe one positive part and one negative part of their day.
This is a scary time, and even young kids can sense when adults are stressed out. Depression and anxiety in parents can cause anxiety in kids–so, take some pressure off of yourself about homeschooling. Maybe this will create additional space for your own self-care, which is good for you and your family. In a nutshell, don’t underestimate the importance of prioritizing your family’s mental health.
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