Day 25 of self quarantine: I still love my kid.
Apart from all negative outcomes that come along with the COVID-19 pandemic, there is also a bright side to the current situation. When you have all the time in the world, you can dedicate it to your loved ones.
Being on lockdown with your whole family is not easy, right? Especially if you have kids. Here at Evently & Get Hitched most of us have kids aged 4-8 years. Is it challenging to keep your kid occupied while you need to concentrate on work? It definitely is. And we know that the situation won’t change for almost half a year because the Maltese government confirmed that schools will remain closed until the next scholastic year. So should we give up? No way.
When I was still a kid, most kids in my class said they wanted to become a teacher when they grew up. Those girls are now grown women, many of whom have kids, and the current lockdown situation is the perfect opportunity to implement your childhood dream – become a teacher for your kids!
Teenagers are having online lessons and are more independent overall. Therefore, whilst its easier for them to occupy themselves, younger kids require a lot more attention.
Here are 7 tips from a teleworking mum of a very active 4 year old girl:
1. Plan your day in advance
The day is almost over and you see: the laundry basket, dust here and there, and other small or big things to do. You will accomplish those tasks tomorrow. So start to plan the next day from the previous evening. Create a plan for the day and try to stick with that plan. It is great if you can plan for a whole week ahead and follow the agenda religiously, but starting small and planning day by day will increase your productivity incredibly.
2. Wake up early
Let’s be honest; there are some major advantages for us women working from home. We don’t need spend time getting ready, we don’t need to apply makeup, and we definitely don’t need to worry about “what to wear?” Moreover, we don’t have to commute to the workplace. If you used to wake up 2 hours or so before getting to your desk – keep on doing it. Use that time to take on your biggest chore on your to-to list. Once that is done, the other tasks will be much easier to manage. Don’t have much housework to do? Perfect. Use the time to prepare some activities for the kids, print worksheets if needed and set up a comfortable place workspace for your little ones. Try to make sure that their tasks and activities are not monotonous. This way, they will remain focused and occupied whilst you concentrate on your own work.
3. Hide the tablets
Well you can keep it, if your kid really uses it for learning. There are so many educational apps that you can download for free. Even though kids might enjoy learning on their tablets, it’s not recommended to let them do so for a long period of time. There are so many activities that kids can do offline, but if you run out of ideas simply scroll Pinterest, subscribe to specialised mailings, visit particular web pages and get inspiration from there.
4. Delegate the housework
Don’t be afraid to give a small housekeeping task to your child; everyone needs to learn basic cleaning skills… and you might just have some fun together whilst you teach them! Most kids from the age of 3 are capable of handling basic cleaning duties in the house, such as dusting the surfaces or clearing up their toys. You can also teach them some other tasks such as putting dirty clothes in the laundry basket, watering the plants, washing and drying lightweight dishes, wiping the dust from reachable surfaces; feeding pets and even vacuum the floor (my kid loves this!) You cannot expect super high quality cleaning from your kid, but it is still worth it. Forming a habit of cleaning up and keeping things in order is a very important task, but it’s not the only one. In addition to developing a sense of responsibility, you are also educating your child to develop organisational skills, an ability to calculate time and effort, management, creativity and respect for other people.
5. Cook in bulk
One more time saving hack is to prepare food for several days or a whole week, in advance. You will save a hours of your precious time per day simply by planning the menu for the week in advance. This will allow you to prepare a thorough shopping list, but be prepared to spend half a day behind the cooker. The easiest way to store meals is to freeze them in portioned dishes and then simply reheat when needed. Once the cooking stage is eliminated, the preparation of lunch becomes very quick and easy, so even kids can serve themselves without interrupting you too much.
6. Aerate your home often
Currently, most of us spend most of our time at home. Without knowing it, we are actually polluting our own households. It is therefore very important to ventilate your home as much as possible. Stale air may negative impact your mental & physical health; increase depression, and affect problem solving and decision making skills. It is great if you have a balcony, terrace or rooftop. There are many activities that can be implemented together with kids in limited, but open air space: reading books, drawing with chalks, planting seeds and growing a mini garden, swimming in the pool, building a shelter and much more. The fresh breeze and spring sun will definitely leave a positive impact on the entire family.
7. Do not overwhelm your kids
It is not just us adults that are going through a stressful period due to the lockdown. Even if it looks like a big fiesta for the kids, it is not. They are experiencing discomfort too. They are out of school, far away from friends and aren’t able to visit their grandparents, just to name a few discomforts. At this stage of isolation you should ensure the comfort of your kids and provide them with the best care possible. Try to balance the development of their soft skills with the attainment of knowledge.
Things that matter
The school can give your kid knowledge in Mathematics, languages, art, physics and chemistry, but the biggest responsibility of educating your kids lies on the shoulders of your family. The family is a leading social institution, and the most important factor in the formation of personality. Such values as integrity, philanthropy, compassion, education, diligence, responsibility, love for the native culture, and respect for the older generation should be instilled in the family.
The beauty of being together with your kids is that you can teach them to love and care, to develop their talents, to strengthen their personality. Right now you have time to invest in the person of whom you would be proud years later. Even if you are so busy and not managing to help your kids with homework, just help them to remain human, clear, cheerful and bright, as we all are while we are young.
