How to combine telecommuting and homeschooling?

Tips on how to combine working from home and raising children.

In part due to the coronavirus pandemic, teleworking is already a reality in many households, for better and for worse.for better and for worse. And like any new habit capable of completely transforming our daily lives, beyond the positive aspects it can bring, it is also a challenge to which we must adapt.

Examples of possible sources of problems associated with teleworking are, for example, greater exposure to possible distractions and the temptation to keep an unstructured schedule. If we add to this the fact of having children to take care of, things become even more complicated in terms of their upbringing. How to make both roles compatible?

Tips for managing telework and parenting and child rearing

In many cases, having children at home is a complex situation for those who are still adapting to teleworking. Therefore, here we will review several useful tips for teleworking with children at home while providing them with a proper education.

1. Establish schedules

As in the face-to-face work, the establishment of schedules is an essential element for the proper functioning of the work activity and also to maintain at all times a physical and mental organization.

Habits such as getting up, going to bed or starting the working day always at the same time will allow us to structure the working day well. will allow us to structure well the day and to avoid accumulations of tasks to do, as well as to acquire a constant and energetic work rhythm, having rested daily with the right hours of work.and having rested daily with the hours of sleep we need. But it is also necessary to have time references for the beginning and end of all the main activities of the day, between the time of getting up and going to bed.

The establishment of schedules and work patterns must be complied with by all members of the household, including the little ones. In this way the children will learn that during the day there must be time to work but also to play, and at the same time there will be no incompatibilities and mismatches between the schedules of the little ones and those of the adults who take care of them.

By integrating the importance of time organization and discipline into their daily lives, our children will acquire work habits that will be very useful in the future for their academic and working life.

2. Create your own workplace

In the same way that it is necessary to have a daily schedule, it is also necessary to delimit the physical work spaces at home, places where we will spend several hours and are prepared and conditioned for it. At the end of the day, it will be necessary to create contexts that allow us to gather all our concentration capacity.

If you do not have your own office, you can set up one of the rooms in the house as an office, in which you will make it clear to the children that they will be able to concentrate on their work. make it clear to the children that they should not enter during working hours (with the exception of emergencies or times when they feel unwell)..

This workplace should have all the elements that we would find in a normal office: good lighting (natural light if possible), order and accessibility of work materials, absence of distracting noises or screens, etc.

As with older children, they should also have their own work space where they can do their homework and schoolwork in comfort and without distractions.

3. Make it clear what teleworking is and the associated house rules.

In order that the children are involved in this new situation it is necessary that they understand correctly, and with a speech according to their age, that it is a period of work in which silence and concentration are required.

In addition, it is necessary to make sure that they understand that during this period a series of special rules applied during these hours of the day must be complied with. These rules should be rather few and simple, to make it easier for them to keep them always in mind and to follow them spontaneously, without having to get actively involved in the work.without having to be actively involved in remembering them.

4. Schedule rest periods

It is advisable to offer entertainment alternatives when the child has finished his homework and has breaks. During these rest periods, the child should be able to mentally "disconnect" from what he/she has been doingThe child should be able to "disconnect" mentally from what he/she has been doing, in order to recharge his/her energy and have a good capacity to concentrate when it is time to go back to school or to the next class session.

Ideally, he should engage in an activity that leads him to fix his eyes on an object other than the screen he has been studying, both to clear his mind and to allow his eyes to rest after having always been focused on a point at the same distance.

5. Get up early

Taking advantage of the hours when children are sleeping or napping to carry out tasks that require greater concentration is also practical.In this sense, the morning is the best option, because it helps to prepare for the day without going to bed with the mind still very active (which usually causes problems to fall asleep).

6. Divide household chores

Another good way to educate the children in times of teleworking consists of to encourage them to participate in the tasks of the house.and to distribute as far as possible each one of the obligations in all the members of the family, in order that this performance does not remain only in the hands of the parents.

This can be outlined as a routine in which they have the opportunity to show their transition to adolescence and adulthood, assuming roles as family members.

Performing all household chores together is a good way for children to start a good way for children to begin to acquire the notions of responsibility and teamwork to achieve a common good..

7. To carry out activities with them

Spending time with children is essential to their education, and that is not satisfied simply by spending more hours under one roof because of teleworking.. That is why it is recommended to schedule some breaks to meet with them (if possible, in a different room than the one you dedicate to work or study) and help them in everything they need.

During the day we can plan creative and fun activities that our children can do on their own while we work, such as crafts, drawing, reading or painting, which can be done in different areas of the house as workshops.

There are many other activities that can be done with the children during the day or when we finish our working day, such as exercising together, playing board games as a family, eating together or helping them to review the lessons so that they can internalize what they have learned..