Being in a lockdown situation is tough, but even more so for your child who is familiar with a routine in their everyday life when at school. Likewise, you most likely have a daily schedule and pattern.
While you have no control of other people’s actions right now, you can make sure that you maintain a structure at home which is essential for both you and your child. Having a routine in place, will help keep you sane.
Here are some tips for your daily routine:
Each day does not have to be the same, but it is important to set necessary times for vital activities. It is important for the mind and body to have a regular bedtime and wake up time to ensure that your body has the correct amount of rest. Changing sleeping patterns can have a negative impact of mood for the weeks ahead. Limit electronic device times before bed to allow you to switch off easier and get to sleep faster.
Set times for breakfast, lunch and dinner along with a snack if required. People without a schedule will end up nibbling at food, over-snacking or reaching for unhealthy foods to give them a sugar boost. Having a time for meals also allows the family to come together and talk about their day, bonding about what they did. It also gives everyone an opportunity to communicate any concerns.
Plan exercise, regardless of how active you are. While some may find strength and enjoyment from an intense workout, those who do not work out regularly will have major benefits from even being outside in fresh air. Where possible, head to a green open space for clarity, peace and a sense of calm. Exercising the muscles will help to burn off excess energy we may have from being indoors all day. This is especially important for young children, who spend a majority of their day being active. Exercising will also help with sleep patterns so try to ensure both you and your child can get some physical activity at some stage of the day.
While socialising face to face has been banned, humans need to make communication with others as a way to help lift moral and stay connected with each other. Communicating through devices will help keep children in contact with friends, but do limit the time or your child may end up sitting on a device all day. Scheduling this into your daily routine allows everybody to understand a time that is acceptable to call, not interrupting lessons or family dinner time. While this is important for our mental health, please ensure to limit social media and communication. At times like these, the media can scare us, especially children who do not understand what news to believe.
Finally, the most important part of the schedule is schoolwork. Your child needs to be exercising their brain to help keep them motivated and on track. The best way to plan for this is to work of the school day schedule. If lessons are 45 minutes each, ensure that your structure also focuses on one subject for this length of time. Forcing your child to spend longer on a subject than what they are familiar with could create a difficult situation. Make sure to schedule regular breaks, even for just the toilet or a drink of water. If the child moves around at school between lessons, they may need 5 minutes to walk around a garden to clear their head before they recommence learning. Please also remember that a child may not be sitting in their seat, writing with pen and paper all day. In lessons, they may be researching on a computer, creating with their hands, moving around the room to get equipment that they need or reading a book. Learning comes in many ways, so if you are monitoring your child while they work, understand that they could be using different techniques to complete an activity.
Schedules are vital to keep our minds and body focused. While you may be happy not having a rigid schedule right now, bear in mind that this pandemic is temporary, and life will return to normal. Without a schedule right now, returning to work and school could lead to a very unsettling period, where some children may have trouble getting back into their daily school routine. Therefore, introducing a routine now, will support you and your child’s social, emotional, intellectual and physical well-being!
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