Learn ways to amuse the children when they are all at home at the same time.
The July school vacation has arrived, and with it a doubtful feeling for those who live in the same house. That is the reality faced by those who have children and, at the same time, are working in home office due to the new coronavirus pandemic. While the children are excited about the period without classes and with a wide choice of amusements, the parents often don’t even have free time during the workday to offer the attention the children need.
The first point to be highlighted is: it wasn’t the child who appeared on camera at the time of the meeting. It wasn’t the children crying that interrupted the crisis with the client. It wasn’t the noise of the cartoon that disturbed your thoughts. On the contrary, it was the work in the midst of the pandemic that invaded our homes. If for adults it’s hard to concentrate between the neighbor’s loud music and the dessert that seems to be waiting for them in the refrigerator, imagine how much harder it is for the child that sees parents at home all day long – something that used to happen only at weekends – but who must understand that they are not available.
That said, the first and most important tip is to be patient with the little ones, who, besides the lack of attention from parents that are working, must also deal with the fact that they can’t go out due to the restrictions imposed by the pandemic. From that comes the huge challenge of keeping the children entertained and, of course, fed. This brings us to the second tip: the opportunity of giving the children autonomy. Except for the main meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner, all the other snacks must be taught so that the children themselves – respecting, of course, the complexity of the task by age group – can help themselves.
Be it a sandwich that doesn’t need the use of a knife, be it a cookie, cereal, milk, or juice, among many other options, it’s worthwhile to teach the children the task, so that they feel enabled to help themselves. Another important tip is to keep the children as close as possible to their usual routines. That is: bedtime, getting up in the morning, mealtimes, must be respected, in order to avoid that breaking habits become a problem in the future.
And part of this routine is, of course, your working hours. You must define schedules and signals of time and space that show the children, for instance, that while you are at the computer they must understand that it’s your work-time, but they can appeal to you if necessary. And establishing what is “necessary” with the child is important, because children tend to respect deals that they have participated in negotiating.
On the other hand, adults must also respect their time with the child. In order to do this, during mealtimes, breaks from work, and schedules outside of office hours, it’s important to give the child your full attention, without being distracted by your smartphone or computer. Speaking of technology, use it in your favor: at critical moments at work, streaming services can be used to entertain the children. Authorizing games on smartphones, computers and videogames are also part of a good deal, as long as time limits are established.
However, the main bet should be on handiwork. Encourage the creation of drawings, for instance, that can decorate your desk or even the walls of the house. Another solution is creating a routine for caring for houseplants and pets. This solves two problems at the same time: it gives the children a chance to deal with responsibilities compatible with their age, such as feeding pets, and watering plants, for instance.
Encouraging reading, creating a system of bonuses, is also valid if the child is not too fond of books. This encouragement, even in a compensatory way, giving extra time in another task that the child prefers, or in other ways, will help the child to create a reading habit. You can reward the child for each number of pages read, or for each book read. You can, for instance, let the child stay awake for an extra hour, as long as this hour is spent on reading. It is also important to set aside some time to sit and read next to the child, in order to teach by example.
Last, but not least, it’s also valid to respect the child’s moment of boredom. Idleness stimulates creativity and will make children create mechanisms that will help them to seek what pleases them on their own. Every time an adult provides entertainment, children think this act depends on others, and not only on them. Give your children space to create stories and games. In the future, you’ll remember this stimulus to the child’s capacity for developing creative ideas.
