How to combine teleworking and educating your children at home?

Partly due to the coronavirus pandemic, teleworking is already a reality in many homes, For better and for worse. And it is that like any new habit capable of completely transforming our day to day, beyond the positive aspects that it can bring us, it also represents a challenge to which we must adapt.

Examples of possible sources of problems associated with teleworking are, for example, a 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 get even more complicated when it comes to their upbringing. How to reconcile both roles?

• Related article: "5 common sources of childhood anxiety that can affect little ones"

Tips for managing teleworking and raising and educating children

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

1. set schedules

As occurs in 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.

Habits such as getting up, going to bed or starting the workday always at the same time They will allow us to structure the day well and avoid accumulations of tasks to be done, as well as acquire a constant and energetic work rhythm, having rested daily with the hours of sleep that we need. But you also have to try to have time references for the start and end of all the main activities of the day, between getting up and going to bed.

The establishment of work schedules and guidelines must be complied with by all members of the house, including the little ones. In this way, the children will learn that during the day there should 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 care for them.

By integrating the importance of organizing time and discipline into their day-to-day lives, our children will acquire very useful work habits in the future for their academic and work lives.

• You may be interested in: "How to take care of your emotional well-being while raising your child"

2. Create your own workplace

In the same way that it is necessary to have set schedules on a daily basis, 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. Ultimately, it will be necessary to create contexts that allow us to gather all our capacity for concentration.

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

This workplace must have all the elements that we would find in a normal office or office: good lighting (preferably with natural light), order and accessibility in work materials, absence of distracting noise or screens, etc

As with adults, children should also have their own workspace where you can do your homework and school tasks with maximum comfort, and also without distractions.

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

In order for children to be involved in this new situation, it is necessary for them to understand correctly, and with a speech appropriate to his age, that it is a work period in which silence is required and concentration.

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

4. Schedule break times

It is advisable to offer entertainment alternatives when the child has finished his homework and has breaks. In these rest periods you should be able to mentally "disconnect" from what you have been doing, to recharge energy and have good concentration capacity when it is time to go back to study or to continue the next class session.

Ideally, you should engage in an activity that leads you to fix your gaze on an object other than the screen you have been on. studying, both to clear the mind and for their eyes to rest after having always been focused on one point at the same distance.

5. get up early

Taking advantage of the hours when children sleep or take a nap to carry out tasks that require greater concentration is also practical., and in this sense, the morning is the best option, because it helps to prepare for the day without going to bed with your mind still very active (which usually gives you problems falling asleep).

6. Distribute household chores

Another good way to educate children in times of teleworking is to encourage them to participate in household chores, and distribute, as far as possible, each one of the obligations among all the members of the family, so 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 towards adolescence and adulthood, assuming functions as members of the family.

Carrying out in common all the obligations of the house is a good way for children to begin to acquire the notions of responsibility and teamwork to achieve a common good.

7. do activities with them

Spending time with children is essential for their education, and that is not satisfied simply by spending more hours under one roof because of telecommuting. That is why it is recommended to schedule some breaks to meet with them (ideally, in a different room from 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 a workshops.

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