Children must have structure. This means that your children's daily schedules should include a variety of activities to ensure they have a mix of play and work. Have a look at the five suggestions below so you can have an easier time creating a schedule for your children.
Bedroom Clean-Up Time
An activity like cleaning their bedrooms can keep your children occupied, teach them personal responsibility, and also help you all bond as a family. For this reason, you can set a day, either every other day or every week, to clean their bedrooms.
Cleaning the bedrooms is important because there are germs that can live on dry surfaces like toys for several hours and on moist surfaces such as bathroom sinks for up to three days. Teaching your children to keep their bedrooms clean will keep them safe and healthy.
Outdoor Play Time
With everyone studying and working at home, it seems like there is minimal time to get outside. It's important, however, for your children to spend some time outdoors to break the monotony of staying indoors. Because the CDC has shared a recommendation for everyone aged from two years and up to wear a face mask in order to reduce their risk of contracting or spreading COVID-19, get some masks in case you decide to take a walk around the block and see neighbors. If you or your children might have any contact with someone who doesn't share your home with you, mask up so you get the most out of your time outdoors without risking disease.
Reading Time
School work should not be forgotten while you come up with your schedule, so make sure you set aside some time for your children to read. Make sure that there's time for your children to read both school-related material and material that's not school-related. This will help them develop good reading habits that will last throughout their education, making it easier for them to grasp concepts. Make it a purpose to read with them at least once every day, as this will give them something to look forward to.
Homework Time
Apart from reading, make sure you include time to do homework in the schedule you come up with. This could be right after school to make it easier for them to remember what they read, or at a time when you will be able to sit with them to help them out. If your child is in a private school where class sizes with student-to-teacher ratios of 12:1 are common, it should be even easier for them to get their homework done. This is because there may be a period in which they can interact with their teacher to clear up questions they may have during school hours.
Important Tips: Keep it Flexible
When coming up with a schedule, keep in mind that things can happen that will make it impossible to stick to the set activities. Always have a backup for such occasions. For instance, if you get an impromptu work meeting scheduled for the time you had set aside to read stories or work on something with your child, you could have them watch an online story instead. Don't sweat the small stuff because it will extend to how you are around the children. Take each day at a time and be patient.
Sit down with your child to come up with a schedule that they're comfortable with. This will ensure your home is organized and that your children are responsible for their own spaces and schoolwork.
