How to Manage with Kids at Home During School Closures
With students staying home from school due to COVID-19, many families are experiencing unplanned disruptions to regular routines. According to UNESCO,Ā 105 countries have closed schools and educational institutions nationwide,Ā impacting over 897.1 million children and youth.Ā
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Since many of us are trying to balance work from home responsibilities with our childrenās schooling and care, weāve put together a few tips to help navigate this time.
Five Tips to Navigate Time at Home with Children During Coronavirus
1. Create a schedule.
Setting up a daily routine is beneficial for allĀ children, butĀ can be especially useful for children with ADHD so they know what to expect and it encourages self-regulation. Keep your childās normal sleep routine, and set a schedule not only for individualized learning, but also for meals, breaks, physical activity, and free time.Ā
2. Empower your child.Ā
Children can use the Time Timer to help them set and track their own time and have a say in their individualized learning. Time Timer visual timers give children the ability to have a concrete, visual representation of time, and they can set the colored disk themselves and watch the time disappear.Ā Ā
While keeping a regular schedule is important when it comes to independent learning, it can mean scheduling allotted amounts of time, rather than a time of day. This may help some children focus on aĀ particular subjectĀ or task. For example, students may focus better and keep track of their own time when they know they should be spending 40 minutes reading and 20 minutes on math. With scheduled durations for school assignments, your child can manage their learning independently.Ā Ā
3. Make it fun.Ā
Be sure to make time for fun and break up learning sessions with times for games, special projects, or pursuing individual interests. Brainstorm projects and activities with your child for things you can do around the house, or for younger kids come up with a list of things they love for them to choose from. You might pick theme days, do puzzles, read stories together, plan a kid-friendly science experiment, or āplay restaurantā and have your child help with meal planning by getting creative with what they can make from the pantry.Ā Ā
4.Ā Be active.Ā
While we are staying home, itās important to stay active and get outside when we can! Play backyard games, take walks in your neighborhood (if you and your children are healthy, whileĀ maintaining a safe distanceĀ from others), have dance parties, or practice yoga with Cosmic Kids Yoga, play activity games.
5. Curb screen time (and stay connected).Ā
Of course, you are likely juggling a lot right now between working from home and childcare. Screen time will happen, so plan for it with scheduled times and try to choose videos that are educational (animals and nature are always popular!) or are interactive, such as FaceTime with family and friends to stay connected with loved ones during this time. Sticking to a schedule and daily routine and using the Time Timer can help to limit screen time to certain periods.Ā
For individual learning, we recommend theĀ Time Timer PLUSĀ or theĀ Time Timer MOD.Ā Ā
Additional Ideas, Support, and Resources
See below for a sample schedule for kids with ADHD, as well as links to virtual museum tours and concerts, activities to keep your kids engaged at home, free subscriptions to education websites, internet access provisions, and websites that offer free audiobooks and eBooks.
- Use this sample schedule for elementary school kids with ADHD learning from
home from ADDitude magazine.
- Take a virtual tour of museums around the world to experience arts and culture from your home.
- 50 Activities To Keep Kids Busy during social distancing.