How Parents Can Survive, Thrive, and Flourish during COVID-19 Pandemic!

/ Parenting / By

Wow!!  Who saw this coming? 

Schools and businesses closing!

Children and parents at home…all day…together, doing home-work (pun intended!) and home-school (online school, anyway).   

Figuring out how to make this work can be extremely difficult for both parents and children. 

If the additional challenges of being a work-at-home or laid-off parent aren’t enough, being the home-school teacher, hall monitor, playground supervisor, and activity leader could be, if not overwhelming, at least a little intimidating.  Right?

All the various extra-curricular activities that served to keep your children entertained, happy and tired enough to go bed at night  – sports, dance, gymnastics, music, church, theaters , school mates, grandparents, friends and neighbors- are gone.

This can be an anxious and scary time for everyone, but especially kids & teens.  Keeping them occupied and active in fun activities will help reduce the fear and anxiety – yours and theirs!

We have just the thing, at no charge and no expectations other than the warm feeling that we were able to provide needed and welcomed resources!

Establish and Keep a Routine

Children and youth (even adults) perform and behave better when they have a consistent routine – in today’s world, where so many things are uncertain and outside of your control, establishing the certainty of a routine will be a settling force in your home. Control what you can – your routine and your attitude.

School

With online home learning, staying connected with student learning remains critical. As a parent, your involvement is crucial to the success and performance of your child(ren) and will take many forms:
        • checking homework
        • setting up a schedule
        • adding more fun and excitement (see ideas below)
Your engagement and participation is even more important than when the kids were in class at school. By knowing what’s happening in their online classroom, you’ll be in a better position to help your student increase focus on the coursework, assist with questions, (even if you don’t know the topic or subject, their teachers are accessible and willing to help). The greater your participation in their learning and education, the more you ensure the college and career readiness of your child(ren).

A few tips of how you can best support your student with home learning:

        • Designate a space for learning
        • Develop a realistic routine that works for your family’s needs.
        • Review the Home Learning Guides with your child and set daily and weekly goals.
        • Create their learning schedule. Consider the following:
          • Build-in brain breaks–going outside, taking some deep breaths, etc. (see ideas below)
          • If you are also working from home, set clear times when you are available to offer support, boundaries are important
          • Use timers for keeping younger students on task
          • Remember each kid has different needs at home and at school.
        • Praise your child and yourself! A good ratio of praise to criticism is a minimum of 5 to 1. Yes!  5 compliments to every criticism (use BIT – share the behavior that deserves praise, what impact it had on, you or your others,  and ‘thank you for that wonderful (behavior).
        • Celebrate successes often! Make it fun and exciting

Make your time together fun, educational and entertaining

Schedule and take time to do things you don’t usually have or make time to do, like:

  • Play and try new games
  • Have bake-offs or cook-offs, or both!
  • Teach kids a new skill or hobby
  • Do art shows and competitions
  • Hold family movie nights with popcorn and treats (that you made in your bake offs!)
  • Stay active, inside and get outside (staying 6 feet away from people, of course 😉)
  • Have dance parties. Don’t be afraid to take a quick break from home school and just let loose and shake those tail feathers.
  • Snuggle up and have family read aloud
  • Get the fancy dishes out for breakfast, or lunch or dinner or all of the above
  • During your evening meal, have each person share what their favorite thing was about the day
  • FaceTime, Marco polo all the family your friends
  • Check-in with people and see if they need help
  • Help where you can
  • Play games over FaceTime, zoom.us, or Google Meet
  • Help your kids be pen pals with a friend from school or cousin or person far away using real snail mail, stamps and all.

 

Take advantage of online resources that not only entertain but educate:

Here are just a few different ideas you’ll enjoy:

  • Take tours of amazing places:
  • Watch some exciting activities
  • Visit free activity based websites
      • DIY.org

    This website has interactive videos and ideas for projects in different areas including art, innovation, science, laughter and everything in-between. Most videos are paired with projects that kids can do at home.

      • The Chaos and the Clutter

    This website has ideas for different types of games for families of all ages, shapes, and sizes.

      • Family Disney

    This website has games, crafts, and other fun ideas to do together with your kids.

      • Project Learning Tree

    This website centers many family activities around trees and the science surrounding trees.

      • PlayWorks

    This website has games and ideas for elementary school-aged children.

Schedule physical activities and exercise

You already know that exercise is beneficial for your body. Did your know it is also great for your brain? Here are 10 benefits for your brain when you exercise regularly that will help you not only survive but flourish!

  • decreases stress
  • decreases social anxiety
  • decreases improves working through emotions
  • prevents neurological conditions
  • gives you feeling of happiness
  • increases energy, focus, and attention
  • slows the aging process
  • improves your memory
  • improves your blood circulation
  • decreases foggy brain
All these benefits from exercising regularly. Who knew? Right?

Give yourself and your kids some ‘alone time’.

Schedule a few minutes a day for yourself. A few moments alone where you can relax and ponder will:

      • increase productivity, creativity, and mental strength
      • reduce behavior problems in kids
      • give you an opportunity to plan your day and your life
      • increase self-knowledge and self-awareness
      • allow you to focus more deeply

If you are married or have a significant other, making ‘alone time’ for the two of you is crucial to your relationships well being. Schedule a time daily for for just to the two of you to connect, catch up, and express appreciation of love. It will keep the fire burning!

Be grateful Gratitude expressed early and often will direct your mind and body into an upward spiral. Not focusing on how great you are, but on the good things in your life. As you focus on the good and teach your children to do the same, the bad won’t necessarily go away, but the gratitude will give you greater strength and will brighten your kids and your day. Gratitude:
    • reduces stress levels
    • improves sleep quality
    • increases your emotional well-being
    • makes your heart stronger and healthier
    • makes you a more effective leader(whether you like it or not, if you have children you are a leader and they need you to be a good one!
    • makes you more likely to exercise.

    Bottom line: exercise and gratitude, even in challenging times, will make you happier and stronger.

One last great thought to keep in mind is “Lighten and Brighten”. Take the opportunity to lighten someone’s load or brighten their day.

It pays to never suppress a generous thought or gesture (using of course the proper social distance!)

There are, of course, many other activities, websites, creative ideas and opportunities to make this the most positively memorable experience of your and your children’s lives.

Commit today that you will not just survive, or even thrive, commit to yourself that you and your family will flourish!

We at Flourish First wish for you and your family the very best!

Here are some additional ‘TRICK”s and tips for raising successful kids from Inc magazine.

If you would like to learn more ways of improving your life and developing your soft skills click here.

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