How to keep the kids busy during Quarantine

How to keep the kids busy during Quarantine

For a lot of Nigerian parents who have been asked to work remotely, this means extra challenges when trying to balance the demands of work life and home life while coronavirus remains a concern. Kids demand around-the-clock attention—and parenting while juggling conference calls, never-ending emails, and tight deadlines is no joke. So, here are few tips to you navigate your new life outside the office.

Create a Schedule

While it’s tempting to declare a quarantine a holiday and park the kids in front of the television, drastically changing your child’s schedule can be a source of stress for you and the kids. It's important to line up your day carefully, with set "office" hours. How many hours do you hope to work in a day? When will you return calls? What can you accomplish while your son or daughter is playing in the next room? The same goes for your children. Keep their usual routine such as when they’ll have play time, reading time, and rest time. Something that can help is to ask teachers for recommendations on how to replicate your child’s day in the classroom at home.

Separate mum and business role

If you don’t learn to keep your roles as mom and businesswomen/employee separate, giving each other full concentration for a set amount of time, you’ll never feel like you’re doing either well. To separate mentally from the rest of the house, set up an office area. A kid-free zone that helps you to detach from the rest of the house.

Communicate

it’s OK to be transparent about the fact that you’re also juggling the needs of your kids, so your coworkers aren’t caught by surprise when a toddler walks into the room. Given the reason for working at home (the spread of coronavirus), some employers may understand the need for non-traditional schedules so it’s best to create a spreadsheet with your manager and the rest of your team on your availability for virtual meetings.  

Give your child a nonverbal "Do not disturb" when you need quiet time.

Every Nigerian mother has that look that they give their kid and the child just knows what to do. This is the time to maximize that because it’s crucial to set boundaries with your kids when working remotely. They need to know when you need to be in “do not disturb” mode and respect that.

Capitalize on nap time

Nap time is one chunk of the day when plug away without interruption. Whether your kids sleep for one hour or three, use this time to finish assignments that require your complete focus and concentration.

Alternate with your partner

If you’re in a position where both you and your spouse are working from home, alternating shifts with your partner can make working remotely a lot easier.  While you’re busy working, he is dedicating some time to home-schooling the kids or taking them for a walk.

Take breaks

Though you may feel pressured to overextend yourself while working remotely in order to prove to your team that you’re actually working, it’s critical that you carve out time to take a break and breath. You are doing well.

Stay safe!