Working from home with kids can be a challenging adjustment, especially if it’s your first time juggling remote work and family responsibilities. By following these tips and tricks, you can establish household best practices to make the transition smoother for everyone.
1. Provide the Right Tools for Working from Home with Kids
Just as you need the right tools for work, your kids need the right tools to succeed. Depending on their ages and your school district, this could mean:
- Readings and/or assignments
- A computer or tablet for virtual learning, loaded with the correct software or app
- Essential school supplies such as pens, pencils, notebook paper, calculators, etc.
2. Structure and Routine for Working from Home with Kids
Almost everyone thrives on routine and structure, especially children. Even if you don’t follow the same hours as a typical school day, having an established weekday schedule and trying to stick to it could help. Be sure to include:
- Assigning household responsibilities, such as chores
- Hygiene routines, including regular bathing and frequent hand-washing
- Chances for movement, including time outside and/or virtual exercise routines geared toward kids like dance or yoga
3. Timely Screen Time
While we love our phones, computers, tablets, and video games, and can use them for productive learning and socializing, too much can lead to overstimulation or lethargy in kids. If possible, try to limit screen time to the afternoons or evenings.
If you do need to rely on screen time more frequently, there are many educational resources to help them avoid zoning out while watching mindless YouTube videos. Some include:
- Math: prodigygame.com
- Science: kids.nationalgeographic.com
- Reading: squigglepark.com
- History: historyforkids.net
4. Alternate Supervision
If your spouse or partner is also working from home, consider childcare split shifts, where one parent is responsible for kid supervision in the morning and the other in the afternoon, or in 2-hour chunks. Alternating supervision responsibilities allows each parent time to focus primarily on work, and establishing the routine ahead of time allows you to schedule phone calls or video conferences when you know you’re less likely to be disturbed.
5. Accept and Communicate
Accepting the fact that life, work, and our kids’ educations aren’t going to be “normal” for a while might make the difficulties of our new realities easier to face. During a crisis, needs and capacities are going to fluctuate, and that’s okay. Be sure to communicate both your goals and needs with your partner, children, colleagues, and supervisor.
