The pandemic has been quite stressful for working parents. Not only do they have the responsibility of meeting their families’ needs — but they’ve also had to support their children as the latter engage in distance learning. Parents have had to learn how to balance working from home and kids’ distance learning without getting overwhelmed. As children take on this unprecedented mode of learning, parents will have to find the right balance between providing for them and supporting their education.
Understand that during these times, it’s crucial that you establish healthy coping mechanisms for yourself. Don’t push yourself to your limits and instead be comfortable with relaxing, scheduling play sessions with your child, and being honest about your situation. Doing these and more may help ease the burden of the current circumstances. Continue reading.
Take A Break
Prior to the pandemic, your life and daily routine revolved around schedules. While you may still follow one now, it’s definitely not as overwhelming as it was before. Now, you’re tending to home responsibilities, while attending to your kids all the while working from home. The line between work and leisure have blurred, leaving you with nothing but exhaustion at the end of the day
Take this as a gentle reminder to take a break. Try not to stress out when some parts of the house is not organized. Give yourself some breathing room to just allow your house to be in the state it is.
Allow yourself some time to check in with your kids’ daily lessons, but also make sure that you also talk about other topics. These small moments not just offer breaks in the daily monotony, but also offer room for relaxation and genuine parent-child interaction.
Schedule Play Sessions
Routines during any type of remote learning or working setup are important in achieving productivity. Navigating pandemic life around a schedule is actually one of the best ways to restore some semblance of consistency.
However, you have to understand that anything can change during the pandemic even without prior notice. For example, you might find yourself working overtime, or your child may experience requirement delays due to taking sick days or weeks off. Whatever it is, try to lighten the load for both you and your child by scheduling play sessions with them.
During breaks from your work and their online classes, take a few minutes to invite them outdoors and do safe activities, such as taking a short walk, running around, or playing with their favorite action figures. For parents, this is a great way to unwind with their child. Meanwhile, the kids benefit from staying active and feeling more energized to take on the next leg of their classes.
Make A Kid-Friendly Spot in Your Home Office
Since you and your kids are working and learning in the same house, it’s not realistic to expect them to stay away from you or be mindful of your boundaries. The fact is that they will hear you working in the other room, just as much as you will hear them reciting during online lessons. Instead of fighting this, it may be more welcome to embrace this arrangement.
A great way to do this is by setting up a kid-friendly spot in your home office where your child can visit whenever they can. For example, parents with younger children should consider putting a designated area or basket of toys that the kids could play with during their free time. Allow your child to spend around 30 to 40 minutes doing this and set expectations so as not to disturb you or your work.
For parents that haven’t been able to spend much time with their kids during the pandemic, having an area in the office or playroom where they can both bond together will be a welcome addition.
Communicate with Your Child’s Teachers
Remember that distance learning doesn’t mean that you’re fully responsible for your child’s education. There’s a good chance that their teachers and instructors have also had difficulties preparing for the remote school year, but they are still the experts in creating child-appropriate lesson plans.
Knowing this, it’s helpful to continue being involved in your children’s education. As much as possible, establish a clear line of communication between you and the teachers. This is one effective way of ensuring that your kids are on track with their lessons and assignments, and are not falling behind in their classes.
Key Takeaway
Many parents during this pandemic are wondering how to balance working from home and kids’ distance learning effectively. The adjustment period for both parents and children has not been easy and it’s no surprise that both might feel extended levels of stress when it comes to juggling multiple things at once.
Fortunately, these techniques can assist both parents and children in finding normalcy together at home. Taking breaks, fostering parent-teacher communication, and spending fun and relaxing moments with your children can all be healthy ways of coping.
