1. Tips for balancing work and Childcare during COVID-19 Pandemic

6/5/2020

Are you struggling with working from home and taking care of your children at this moment?

Today I will share with you three tips of balancing your work and childcare during the shelter in place.

The first tip is: To create and maintain a stable routine with your children.

Children are generally afraid of the unknown. Consistent routine is important with children of all age groups.  If you have infants and toddlers, routine gives them a sense of security and stability. Knowing what‘s happening, helps infants and toddlers feel safe and secure in changed environment. For older children, I recommend you to create a schedule with your children together. It allows your children to have a sense of control, independence, and self-discipline. Also, children will start to establish expectations and confidence. It brings your children healthy and safety awareness, for instance, washing hands every time when coming back from outside, wearing masks before leave the house.  Most important, the routine helps create a calmer household, because the whole family knows what to expect, therefore, stress and anxiety are reduced. As caregivers, you will have better pictures of what the day look like, so you can fit your working hours properly. For example, you know your children will nap every day from 1pm-3pm. That’s the time you will schedule a meeting and phone conference.

The second one is: To allow your children to have indoor and/or outdoor physical activities every day.

It can help build healthy bones, muscles, heart and lungs,  and maintain healthy body weight. Exercise support their balancing skills, fine gross motor skills, as well as brain function, and cognitive development.  Taking exercise can reduce the brain stress, help children focus on their quiet works. If you find your children have hard time concentrating on reading and writing, it signals that they might need some physical exercise before they restart. One reminder, please avoid playing latex balloons with your children, because the pieces of broken balloons are serious potential choking hazard since they are easily sucked into the throat and lungs.

Last but not least, the third tip is to be creative.

Think about this, how often do you stay home with your children everyday like right now? This is a great chance to have some family time doing something you want to with your children but don’t have the time before. Like baking, planting, and learning new skills. This is an opportunity for you to spend time with your family, be silly, and have fun.

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