How to get organised with children at home during the lockdown
We know that children and adults alike would love to spend the day in pyjamas. However, if you want your children to adapt to these times of social confinement and for you all to be able to balance online classes, homework and working remotely, the first thing you need to do is organise your daily routine at home. Although we are aware that every home is different and that it's easier to say than to put into practice, we want to try to help you with some simple tips for managing these days. We hope they will be useful!
Now that children don't have school and we all have to be together at home all day, experts say it's important for the whole family to continue to maintain routines similar to their usual ones. Not all households will be able to fully achieve this, depending on work situations, but as much as possible try to wake up and put your children to bed at the same time as usual. This will prevent them from having disrupted sleep and help to make the situation more natural, so that when they have to go back to school, it won't pose any problems for them.
If your work allows it, take advantage of being home to eat breakfast with the children, as a family. You can spend this time planning your day with them, talking about the importance of healthy eating or distributing some household tasks to everyone. These are good opportunities to chat to your children that you don't usually have due to the lack of time.
After a good breakfast, brush your teeth, shower, get dressed and start the day!
Classes at home
If you have to work from home, this is the best time for your children to do homework, study or read for a while. If they are younger, they can do some crafts, cutting outs or draw and paint.
Here are some activities to entertain children using simple materials.
Don't forget to take a mid-morning break! It will help you clear your mind from work and your children will also be looking forward to a little more attention. Have a snack: a piece of fruit, a handful of nuts or a yoghurt – remember that during these times, it's important to maintain a varied, but healthy diet. Children will not use up as much energy as they normally would, and they should not eat too many foods rich in sugars and carbohydrates, which may cause weight gain.
Lunch time is also a good time to do things with family. You can involve your children in making the day's recipe, or they can help you set the table while you cook. If you don't have time, and have to get back to work in an hour, you could prepare meals the day before or during the weekend and store them in food containers. Have you heard of batch cooking? Discover this new trend here to plan your weekly menu.
Afternoons for extracurricular activities
Afternoons can drag with children at home, and even more so if you have to work remotely. But as mentioned previously, try to maintain the usual routines.
After eating, clearing up the kitchen and resting for a bit, as you normally would, children may have to return to their online classes or have finish off their homework. If not, help their minds stay active using activity books to improve their handwriting, maths exercises or books full of educational activities. Another option is to do puzzles and jigsaws, and you can even find some interactive puzzles that they can do on their tablet or computer. They could also start writing their own diary, and encourage their creativity by asking them to write their own adventures or stories.
The early afternoon hours are also ideal for doing extracurricular activities from home so you don't lose your skills or abilities. For example, if your child plays an instrument, they may spend an hour or so practising, or learning a language, listening to podcasts or spending time with activity books to keep their mind active. Don't forget to exercise! They will not be able to play football or basketball, but you can do some kind of exercise at home all together with a video tutorial.
Two hours of family entertainment
When working hours allow you to turn off your computer, you can take advantage and stop for a snack, and decide as a family what you are going to do for the next two hours. Some ideas:
- Family board games
- A yoga class for children
- Sort out family photo albums
- Do some simple baking: a cake, some biscuits or a pie.
- Teach them how to take care of plants, the garden or a vegetable patch, if you have these spaces.
- Organise their wardrobes and their room with them.
- Watch a film all together
- Organise their toys and clean them
- Talk to your friends or family via video chat
- At 20:00, clap on the balcony or play "I spy" with your neighbours
Get to bed early!
With the excuse of not having school the next day, children may want to stay up later at night watching TV, but you should try to put them to bed at their usual time. Let them change their schedules just for the weekend! This means that their weeks at home will be more normal and they'll be able to rest long enough to keep up with their virtual classes and homework.
You can end the day by reading a book with them or telling them stories of your childhood or their grandparents. Take advantage of these days to talk more to your children and share some special moments.
We are delighted to see our customers use our products creatively. Why not try being creative too? But do remember, any modifications or changes that you make to IKEA products prevent them from being resold or used for their original use, and so voiding IKEA product warranties and your right of return.
