Keeping Your Kids Productive at Home

The current state of affairs has made it impossible to tell when things will go back to 

normal.With the schools closed and classroom learning suspended indefinitely, it is very easy 

to find yourself struggling to balance between working from home and keeping your super 

energetic kids in check. It would help if you found ways to direct their energy into productive 

and educational activities. Here are a few ways you can keep your children in check in this 

lockdown while still creating enough time to handle your work and most importantly, keep your 

sanity:

KEEP A SCHEDULE

Naturally, children will show some resistance towards education and anything to do with books.  The current situation does not help, and some children think that they're being sent home for a lovely long holiday. You will, therefore, have a hard time getting them to move from their beds and screens and back to their books.

The best way to go about it is probably by creating a schedule. If you let the kids do what they want and randomly remind them to study, you will soon have a big problem in your hands. When surrounded by the comfort of their beds, the TV, their phones, computers and gaming console,  they will be literally deaf to you.

Working with a schedule is easy;  you define what should be done at what time and make sure that everyone understands that. You give them precise wake up times,  breakfast periods, study times and time to rest. This way, everyone knows what is expected of them. 

REWARD THEM

 With kids, motivation is essential. It would help if you gave them a reason to do what is expected of them without rebellion. You should be able to reward them whenever they attain an important milestone or accomplish daily goals. 

This gives them something to look forward to.  Make sure that the reward is something they will not want to miss out on. It could be as simple as a special treat,  exemption from some chores, or you could let them do something that is usually  not allowed (As long as it does not harm them or look like unfair treatment to the other children.) For example, you can get your son some baby boy clothes or a pair of stylish baby shoes for your daughter.

SET GOALS

Setting short term objectives and goals for your children will also help make them more productive. When they know what they are working towards, they will put in more effort to make sure that they attain it before the deadline.

The goals should not take too long or involve too much work. They should be something that the kids can see clearly and can focus on without getting too tired. For instance, your preschool kid can be asked to colour some few fruits or write some numbers before lunch hour.

If the kids are studying online with their teachers, you won't have to deal with creating schedules and setting goals. They may have a predefined plan of study that will need you to make sure that they are present and doing what they're supposed to be doing.

LET THEM REST AND HAVE FUN

Children thrive better when they are having fun with whatever they are doing. Don't press them too hard and make it feel like a fearsome study session with a frightening teacher. Instead, let them carry on with a pace they can handle. You can incorporate fun activities in whatever they are doing and make sure they have something to laugh about. For example, you can help them learn using humorous but educational stories. This not only makes learning more exciting but also helps them remember things better.

In the daily schedule, make sure that you include plenty of time to rest and have fun. Let them go to the backyard and jump around before getting them back in for another study session. Let them play with their toys. Join in if you can and roll in the grass with them. If you don't have readily available outdoors, bring out a card or board game and have everyone participate. Let them watch funny clips and listen to some music. Include other fun activities that do not involve books such as music and dancing. You'll find that they will remember what they learn from such activities better than what they learned from their books.

SPEND TIME WITH THEM

 This may seem very hard if you are working from home and also have to take care of other things such as House chores. You will, however, realise soon enough that not much will be done without your presence. Monitoring your kids and checking in on them every once in a while will be unavoidable. This, however, does not mean that the only time you spend with your children is when you are monitoring them.

Family bonding is crucial for mental health and emotional growth.  The current situation makes everyone very prone to psychological problems such as anxiety and depression. Even kids can quickly start struggling emotionally if they are not given the appropriate attention and guidance. Spending time together with them will not only help you on this front but will also help to strengthen family bonds.

You can take time off your work to spend some quality and fun time with your children. You can play with them, help them study or teach them something new.  For example, you can ask them to help you prepare lunch or dinner. It is in moments like these that you will see how your children open up about their problems, their view of life and their interests. 

In conclusion, it is not very hard to care for your children and make sure that they are productive in the lockdown.  You only need to make sure that they have a schedule and they follow it, that you are actively involved in their learning and fun times and that you are there to listen to them and talk to them. While you are at it, do not forget to take care of yourself. Ask for help if you need it.