My blogs tend to be about library and reading-related things but in these rather strange times I thought I’d pass on a few tips about coping with having children at home for an extended period, and how to help both them and you maintain your sanity and sense of perspective. I’m not going to post a list on online resources, social media is full of these (so many that my head is spinning – and thanks to everyone who is putting stuff out there for people to use), this is more of a “how to” list. It relates more to younger children but will also help those having to deal with teens as well:
* Structure your day. I know from working at home how important this is. If you don’t then the day will just wander away and everyone will get fed-up, bored and rather disheartened very quickly. Children are also used to (and like) structure; it gives them a sense of security. This is important for young children but applies to older ones as well; those that are used to “doing their own thing” in the holidays, and being out and about with friends. Don’t forget, when they are at school their day is organised.
* The easiest way to do this is to break the day down into timed slots and allocate activities for each one. They don’t have to be detailed at this stage, just an indication of whether it’s going to be learning activities, creative time, quiet time, screen time, etc. Keep it simple; if you make it too complicated you are unlikely to stick to it. Depending on the age of your children, these could be 30 minute or 1 hour slots. Or you could follow their school timings.
· * Then
– plan what you want to do for the week. This is where you allocate specific
topics and ideas into each slot. If you’ve been given activities, a curriculum,
etc. from school use them. Make sure you set goals and give rewards too. And
mix it up a bit for variety. Planning what you want to do in advance will save
you having to think “what shall we do next”. Have more activities organised
than you think you’ll need – children often take less time to do things than
you think they will. And if they don’t show any interest in what you’ve got
planned you have a back-up.
· * It
doesn’t all have to be “traditional education”. Children learn through play.
They learn by helping you make cakes, by playing with water and different sizes
of containers, by playing games. Life will still need to go on around them
being home (ie: washing, cleaning, cooking) so involve them.
· * One
of the best pieces of advice I ever read (which stopped me stressing) was that
if you give a child a chore to do, remember they can only do it according to
their level not yours. So, for example, if you ask them to dust they may not do
it quite the same way as you. Eliminate unnecessary tasks. Yes, bathrooms and
kitchens need to be clean but this isn’t the time to defrost the freezer or
worry about washing the windows. It can all wait!
· * Don’t
try and fit everything into one week. You may have to prioritise the core
subjects and leave others on the back burner for now. It’s important for
younger children to maintain literacy skills (research shows that these drop
during the long summer break) so read, read, read … and then read some more.
Note - reading doesn’t have to be story books – recipes, instructions,
information books, it’s all good practice.
· * Also remember, you’re not expected to be an expert in every subject they’re
studying. It’s okay to say you don’t know something or don’t understand. Find
out the answer together (one of the things I loved about being a school librarian
was how I was always learning something new thanks to random questions from
students). Let them explain things to you – this is a great way of reinforcing
what they’ve learnt.
· * If
you have children of different ages at home it can be hard. The younger
children often want to do the same as the older ones but they don’t have the
equivalent skills or expertise. The temptation is to give the older children
worksheets and devote time to their younger siblings. But all your children
need some time and attention from you. Why not involve the older children in
some of the activities? For example, they could act as “reading buddies” –
reading to younger children or listening to them read. Think about activities
that they can all do at their individual level or games that are based on luck
rather than skill. Also, if it's possible try to give them some time-out from each other.
· * However
– stay flexible! It’s your schedule so you can change it. The idea is to give
you some sort of aim and guidance for the day/week but if you’ve had a bad
night, if everyone suddenly feels a little bit wobbly, take time out, cuddle up
under a blanket and watch a feel-good film or read a book.
· * Make
sure you build in some break times. If it’s dry and you have a garden, get
outside. If you live in an area where you can go for walks, do that. Cycling is
another option. Fresh air and being outdoors is good for wellbeing. Have the
break times after some desk work so the children can burn off some energy. Any
sort of vigorous exercise (depending on your circumstance) is probably best in
the afternoon when they will have had enough of being indoors and sitting
still. Limit snacks to break times – and make sure they understand this –
otherwise they’ll be asking for food all day.
· * Set
up a workspace and use it every day. People who work from home have desks; I
know when I sit at mine my brain switches into "work” mode. If I’m
lounging on the sofa in PJs this doesn’t happen (or, what is more likely,
making the mistake of picking up my latest book first thing in the morning
before I’ve even got out of bed). Have all the necessary materials close at
hand so that you’re not spending time trying to find them. Get a couple of
boxes to store everything in – it will make your life easier and less
stressful.
· * If
you have to work from home AND home-educate children accept that your
productivity is going to be lower. This won’t work with young children; it
might work with older ones but they will still need some sort of direction and
input from you. Keep things in perspective. This is not going to last indefinitely; enjoy the opportunity you have to spend more time together. Remember that feeling of "it's never going to be the same again" when they started school? Now you've got a chance to grab some of that special time back.
· * Screen
time! This is likely to be where you have your biggest arguments. It’s going to
be hard but it will be better for them, for all sorts of reasons, to limit it.
A lot of what is available and what the school sends for them to do will be
online. During a normal school day they would not be spending this much time
looking at a screen so letting them chill with the iPad or in front of Netflix
wouldn’t have the same effect. However, if they are spending all day doing
screen work and then spending downtime in front of screens, there will be no
balance. Try to mix up screen activities with creative and practical
activities. If you don’t have enough computers for all the family then sort out
a rota. And make sure you don’t spend all day on your phone yourself.
· * Finally
– if you have younger children and you’ve just had enough – stick them in the
bath! Mine were always so amazed at having a bath in the middle of the day that
they would play for hours! Doesn’t quite work the same for older children
although you could always set it up as a spa with candles, chillout music and a
good book!
