With the reality of school and daycare closures, and workplaces shutting down or moving to remote working, many families are faced with the prospect of a little too much togetherness! This time away from school isn’t quite the same as summer vacation because everyone is encouraged to avoid crowds. Bottom line – you and your family will be spending lots of time together day after day after long day. You may survive the virus, but will you survive each other?
There are things you can do to make this enforced “together time” productive and enjoyable for your whole family.
Structure
Sleeping in, watching TV, or playing computer games all day will get boring. Pretty soon the kids may start irritating each other, and well, you get the picture. All the articles I have read suggest that having structure and established routines in place is helpful for the whole family. Of course every family is unique, so your routines won’t be the same as any other family, but the general structure will be similar.
For instance, even though you won’t be racing every morning to get the kids up, fed and off to school, it is a good idea to have a family wake-up time. Establish a morning routine that works for your family, and please make sure that it includes having breakfast together to get your day off to a good start. Depending on the ages of your children, perhaps they could help in either preparing the food or cleaning up afterwards.
Learning and Studying
You should also set aside time for learning and studying. I have seen lots educational sites on line that are offering their services at no cost. I have been so impressed at things that are being done by principals and teachers to maintain the connections with their students.
By the way, parents should be involved in this learning time by either facilitating their children’s lessons or perhaps using this time to learn something new.
Family Entertainment Time
This will be when you and your family can spend time together in a fun and light way so that positive family relationships can be maintained. Bring out the cards and board games and have fun!
Exercise
It is very important to get some kind of exercise every day. You can establish an exercise routine or just take a walk or a bike ride. Make it rigorous enough to get your blood pumping and to stretch and strengthen your core.
Free Time
Some time should be devoted for everyone to have free time to do what they would like to do within the confines of your area. Free time allows each individual to explore and do things that bring them happiness and helps reduce stress and anxiety.
Refocus
Being forced to slow down can allow you and your family to refocus and spend more quality time together. It’s an opportunity to renew your attention on the people you love the most.
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