Tips on Working Remotely with Children at Home

Online learning, home office, social distancing... These are just a few terms that we have become familiar with over the past two weeks. As the world shifts to living a life as remotely as possible, we understand there are many barriers when it comes to working from home, especially when it’s not just you in your household. Here are some tips to help you, your spouse, and your children achieve productivity, stay healthy, and most importantly, maintain a happy and harmonious household.

TIP #1
KEEP A SCHEDULE

It sounds simple, but it is easy to fluctuate from your daily routine when you don’t have to get up early to get ready and commute to work, or plan your daily tasks around picking your children up from school and getting home in time for dinner. Just because everyone is home indefinitely, that doesn’t mean you should kick the schedule! Get up early, get dressed in clothes that aren’t pajamas, make time for a healthy breakfast, and get started with your day around the same time that you would if you were in the office. The same goes for the kids – distance learning should not include sleeping in until noon. Have your children get up at the same time they do for school, let them follow their routine of getting ready, and they should also get started with online learning around the same time classes would begin.

TIP #3
SNACK BASKETS

Being home during the day means we have immediate access to all of our favorite snacks. With the fridge being steps away from our designated work stations, we can all be tempted to over-indulge. To limit these temptations, have each family member select several items for snacking between breakfast, lunch and dinner. Have them place their snacks into a separate pouch or basket. Throughout the day, everyone can pull their basket from the fridge and munch on the snacks they picked! Some healthy snack examples include fresh fruit, granola bars, sugar free juice pouches, yogurt, sliced veggies, and string cheese.

TIP #4
GET OUTSIDE

If it hasn’t already, it won’t be long until we all come down with a bit of cabin fever. Combat the feeling of being cooped up by getting outdoors as much as possible. Enjoy a picnic lunch as a family in your backyard, take your laptop on the porch for an hour or two, and if your children have reading assignments, encourage them to take their books outside and read in the sunshine. During non-work/school hours, enjoy a stroll or bike ride around the neighborhood to get some exercise.

TIP #5
PLAN OFF-SCREEN ACTIVITIES

Online learning and working remotely have one main thing in common – lots of screen time. Turn this time at home into an opportunity for family bonding by planning offscreen activities to enjoy together. Go old school – bring out the board games, side walk chalk, get a game of tag going in the backyard, bake cookies as a family... There are so many fun unplugged activities that are sure to keep everyone entertained and limit screen time.

It is certainly a challenge to balance working from home, especially when your new coworkers are your children. With these tips you can maintain routine, stay healthy physically and mentally, and strengthen relationships with your family.