5 Steps to Working from Home with Kids During COVID-19

The COVID-19 crisis has led to an avalanche of advice on how to effectively working from home. Most articles on the topic talk about staying connected with colleagues, using the opportunity to work to your own schedule, and being productive in a distraction-free environment.

But for those of us juggling a full-time job with childcare, the main challenge lies in managing the biggest distraction of all – our kids.

It’s no use telling a parent with three children under the age of 10 to take regular breaks from work to clear their head or find time to do a morning yoga class. They’ll just be grateful to get through one video conference without a child making an unscheduled cameo.

For parents who are currently struggling, here are some tips for making it work.

1. Don’t Try to Recreate a Day at the Office

Try to be realistic about the situation you’re currently faced with. You won’t be able to work your usual 9 to 5 workday or focus intensely on a project for hours at a time. The quicker you accept this, the better it will be for you and your family. Instead, try to establish a flexible schedule that will work for you, your kids, and your partner, if applicable.

This could mean focusing on work before the kids wake up or dividing your work tasks into small bite-size chunks to ensure you have regular breaks to spend with your family.

If you live with a partner who is also working, you’ll need to coordinate your schedules and take turns being on parenting duty.

While these unprecedented circumstances call for a flexible and tolerant approach, it’s important to set some clear boundaries. If your children are old enough to understand, consider talking them through your schedule each morning, highlighting points in the day when you have free time to spend with them. For younger children, a few simple instructions, such as no interrupting phone calls, might help your day run a little more smoothly. You could even implement a star-chart system to encourage them to stick to these rules.

2. Try Not to Stress About Homeschooling

Many teachers are sending schoolwork home to help parents keep their children’s education on track while schools are closed. For older children who can work independently, this shouldn’t present too many problems – it gives them something to do and they can work alongside you.

Younger children, however, tend to require constant supervision and assistance with schoolwork. Set aside a small amount of time each day and just do your best. Don’t worry about what doesn’t get done and don’t spend hours of the day trying to help your kids complete every assignment or task the school sends through. These are unprecedented times, and unless you’re dealing with a teacher who is completely lacking in empathy, they will understand.

Instead, think of some fun learning activities to do with your kids such as a science experiment or a nature walk. At such a stressful and uncertain time, the opportunity for parents to spend more quality time with their children is a much-needed silver lining. Don’t allow the pressure of home-schooling to turn a potential positive about your current circumstances into yet another challenge.

3. Manage Your Team’s Expectations

You have absolutely nothing to gain by pretending things are normal. It’s important to be open and honest if you’re struggling and to ensure you manage the expectations of your manager and colleagues.

Chances are, you’re going to be late for video conferences, you’ll need to take unscheduled breaks in the middle of the day so your kids can let off some steam, and you’re going to be working at odd hours. Keeping everyone informed of your movements ensures your colleagues will be understanding and won’t expect you to be responsive every minute of the day.

Talk to your boss about how you plan to manage your workload and let them know if there are any areas where you might need some assistance.

4. Set Up Snack and Activity Stations

Preparing snacks and meals throughout the day will seriously hinder your ability to focus on work. Instead, spend half an hour preparing snacks for the day ahead. Stash them on a low shelf in the fridge so your younger kids can help themselves throughout the day.

If your kids are too young to spend any time alone, consider setting them up with a mini workstation next to you where they can do various activities, whether it’s drawing and painting, playing with Play-Doh, or building with Legos.

For older children, this could be the perfect opportunity to assign some new responsibilities. Let them create their own schedule, which includes some activities they would like to do both independently and with you. Task them with making lunch for the whole family at least a couple of days a week, which could save you a lot of time and gives them some independence.

5. Remember You Don’t Have to Be the Perfect Parent

Corona virus seems to have inspired an entirely new genre of social media posting, which sees influencers, celebrities, and even your next-door neighbor sharing snippets of their seemingly idyllic lock-down lifestyle.

Whether it’s a photograph of a freshly baked loaf of bread, evidence of a newly acquired hobby or, of course, a video of their children delighting in a hands-on craft activity, these posts are sure to make those who are already struggling to juggle their professional and family lives feel even more inadequate.

Remember, there’s only so much you can do, and no one is handing out post-lock-down awards to the most creative parents. Your kids will be fine (and, let’s face it, most likely delighted) if you put on Frozen 2 for the eighth time this week so you can crank out some work for two hours.

The best thing you can do for your employer and your kids is to avoid burnout. Good luck!

Image Credit: Lithiumphoto / Shutterstock