The last two months have been tough for any adult. Families are locked at home trying to find a balance between work, school, leisure and sport and while keeping everyone sane.
Tip 1: Manage your expectations and responsibility and stop trying to control everything
It is essential to accept that now your main job as a parent is to go through this difficult time with a minimum damage – hold it together and maintain positive family relationships. Reduce your stress level – the whole world is not going to end if it is not perfectly clean at home or if you are having pizza for dinner. Take care of your mental health while in self-isolation.
Tip 2: Establish a routine
It is not easy to balance work, school, hobbies and even sport at home. Having a daily routine can help you to manage it all.
Here are some tips:
- Stick to your regular schedule. Wake up at the set time, have breakfast and start your day.
- If your work hours are at the same time as your children's school hours, start together. So, you will set the right rhythm.
- Take regular breaks to warm up. Turn on some cheerful music, dance, jump, and have fun together. Don’t forget to let some fresh air into the room.
- Involve children in household chores. Do not push them off, but rather do something together around the house. This is much more fun!
Tip 3: You are a parent, not a teacher
You don’t need to be your child’s teacher, the responsibility for that lies with the school.
- Don’t stand over your child during the classes. Virtual learning replaces school, so the child should study by himself.
- Don’t try to be a teacher. It is normal that you are not able to teach, there are lots of YouTube videos on teaching different subjects – it is best not to argue with the child and to let teachers do their work.
- Make a schedule that is close to your child’s typical school day. Give your child 45-60 minutes for each lesson. Don’t forget about breaks!
- Stick to the timetable! Don’t extend the classes until late. You can also divide the school day into two parts, for example, put the most difficult subjects before lunch, and the easier ones – after.
- Set a rule - no distractions during lessons. Screen time is okay for breaks only.
Tip 4: Shift your attention
Don't focus on the negative, try to see opportunities and to enjoy the closeness. Try something new and involve your children in it! For example, do something that you've been putting off for a long time – from sorting out photos on your smartphone to learning new skills and English grammar.
Or, just a nice thing: a TV series or a book from the "when I have time for that" list. This is the time!
Enjoy your family’s company with fun activities and games: paint, play with Legos or do puzzles. Make things with your hands and involve your children!
Tip 5: Keep your mind occupied
Limit your screen time. We know that now there is a catastrophic lack of live communication, joy, and good emotions. It even has a name - dopamine fasting.
There is a way to get your "happiness hormone" even in self-isolation. Start learning. Try to deepen your knowledge in a familiar topic. Improve your English, for example. Remote learning is no worse than a full-time course. The same lessons, only virtual, where the teacher communicates with students, gives them tasks, checks homework, and the students create projects, listen to podcasts, watch movies and even prepare for exams.
Remote learning has some subtle advantages:
Now you don’t have to go somewhere and spend a lot of money on language schools in order to learn English with a native teacher and communicate with people from different countries. Moreover it means having new friends from all over the world and live communication on interesting topics.
You can just join our project – we have launched a new “anti-virus” programme: online lessons with UK teachers in international groups. A real language environment at your home!
Send us a message and we will tell you all the details.
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