Your family has been staying indoors safely for quite some time now.
Your children have switched to online schooling and your company is also letting you work from home.
Basically these social distancing protocols have been put in place to stop the novel coronavirus pandemic from spreading.
As a responsible citizen, you are doing your bit every single day.
Given the situation, here are some useful tips to help you establish routines for learning and working effectively from home.
Work and learn effectively as a family
Suddenly your family is now figuring out ways to live together 24/7.
You, your parents, your spouse, and your kids have to learn and also finish designated work - together and unconnectedly - under a single roof!
Also, as a working parent, you are left with no or very little time to plan a foolproof 24/7 schedule for your children at home.
Thankfully, some schools have started classroom alternatives for older children.
So a half-day online teaching schedule is in place for relaying instructions to your children and to keep them engaged.
Yet you are still wondering if you need to play the role of a substitute teacher during the remaining part of the day to your kids.
Not to forget, your office work and household chores keep piling by the second!
In order to ease the pressure on your gang, follow these rules and work smoothly from home
• Set up segregated spots at home for you to work and your kids to learn.
• Have labelled work devices like separate laptops and tablets for office and school meetings.
• Provide your kids ample resources to engage with. These include toys, games, online videos, books, craft and drawing materials.
• Schedule frequent breaks for kids and for yourself to move around, play and exercise.
• Write down daily goals and targets on a notice board or a whiteboard or on the fridge for everyone to see and abide by.
Follow a routine as a family
Only a few weeks ago, before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, you and your family used to follow a fixed weekday schedule.
All of a sudden, the lockdown has changed your routines.
This can get stressful if you do not plan your days properly.
Also, talk it out with each other regularly.
Explain your kids about why they are staying indoors with patience.
Entertain their questions and answer them as logically and honestly as possible.
Also discuss your day-to-day structure during this time. If it is not planned yet, build an action plan now.
If your kids are 8+ years old, let them help you create a time table or a daily schedule that they can hang on the refrigerator or somewhere that they can see it.
Here's a plan to help you schedule your weekdays
Your timetable should basically stick to your family's regular weekday schedule.
• Wake up on time, freshen up and get dressed within a deadline every morning.
• Have breakfast together like you used to before stepping out for school and work.
• Decide to work without distractions for fixed time spans.
• Alternate baby care and child monitoring with your spouse or any other adult at home for fixed time spans.
• For young kids and toddlers who have no online schooling going on, 20 minutes of activity time followed by 10 minutes of physical activity might work well.
• Older kids, teenagers and college goers can focus on working for longer stretches and take breaks between subjects.
• Include your hours as well, so your children know when the work day is done.
• Include breaks from screen time like office work, tele-work or schoolwork for everyone.
• Make it a habit to relax and connect with each other during these breaks.
• Also list the times for learning, exercise and breaks.
• Schedule time for nutritious home-cooked lunches, fruit breaks and snack/coffee breaks.
• Please add afternoon nap times for kids in this schedule.
• At the end of the day, have dinner together as a family and discuss the day.
• In the evening, enjoy family time. Play indoor or board games, read books together, watch a movie or exercise together.
• Stick with your normal bedtime routines. Everyone should get enough sleep and wake up fresh the next day.
Learn together and level up your skill game as you stay put indoors.
There are many courses on Naukri Learning that you can suggest to your family members.
Your broader goal for the next few weeks is not just to fulfill the requirements of your job successfully.
All the while, you also have to care for your family physically and mentally.
Hence, take the whole COVID-19 situation positively, plan well, be productive, and enjoy this time with your family at home.
