Parents are bracing themselves as the school year gets into full swing, with many children around the country participating in remote learning. Working at home while managing a child’s remote learning experience means more challenges – and fewer opportunities for work-life balance. Savvy parents employ these five strategies for making the household run more smoothly, even when everyone’s locked inside together.

1. Address Kids’ Stress, Too

Though parents are feeling the bulk of the pandemic stress, kids aren’t immune. Children are experiencing significant shifts in their daily lives and are also dealing with big emotions. Fortunately, there are ways parents can offer support.

In addition to offering expert advice on parenting products, Mom’s Choice Awards also highlights that activities like gardening can support kids’ mental health. Setting aside a quiet time as a family is another helpful way to reconnect with stressed-out kids.

Addressing children’s challenges amid the pandemic can help the work- and school-focused days pass with fewer outbursts and interruptions.

2. Give Each Day Structure

Forgetting meetings and losing homework (even the digital kind) can throw your entire day off. One strategy for coping with the ongoing chaos is by giving each day some semblance of structure.

Setting boundaries and creating a family routine are both excellent ways to stay productive each day. You may not be able to guarantee meetings won’t run long, or that technology will always work properly, but a regular routine can help everyone feel at ease and reinforce good habits (like early bedtimes).

3. Innovate the Learning Experience

Sitting in front of a computer for a few hours each day may sound like fun to your young student. That is until they discover the monotony of ongoing Zoom meetings and stringent online safety rules. Making distance learning more engaging can help spice things up – and there are many educational technology tools you can employ.

But whether your teen is using Virtual Reality (VR) tech or your school-age child is downloading files to learn to code, you’ll need reliable internet to make it all work. Fortunately, a faster internet connection is one thing you can rely on for work, school, and gaming – despite pandemic circumstances.

4. Separate Your Workspace

Though your kids may need adult oversight in their online classrooms, setting aside the time and space for your work is essential. Separation may be the biggest trick to navigating work, school, and parenting amid the pandemic, notes NPR.

Ergonomics, an abundance of light, and sufficient power outlets are all home office necessities. But choosing a quiet area away from the TV (and the kids’ playroom or the living room) is also a crucial factor. If you have younger kids, in addition to school-age children, childproofing your office will also be essential.

5. Don’t Do It All

Doing everything yourself can feel tempting and even necessary at times. But designating responsibilities – whether to your kids, partner, or hired help – can help you stress less and accomplish more.

In fact, learning to handle responsibilities is good for your kids. So, passing more chores or household duties off to them is both strategic and good parenting. They learn to do more for themselves, and you have more time to spend on your personal or professional goals.

Making the switch to both remote education and work can be daunting. Most parents lament the lack of support when it comes to tackling work responsibilities and running a household – including overseeing the education aspect. But while a true balance may be nearly impossible to achieve, these strategies can help you tip the scales in your favor.

Photo via Pixabay

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