During this time of change, moms may be wondering how to go about this time off with their children. Yes, it is important to do the work that teachers sent home to keep their minds in school mode, but be sure to grab this special time with your youngsters and make it memorable. As a parent of two scholar athletes who are off on their own, I would also like to share some of my chapters from my parenting book with moms who are becoming the teacher at home.

Below are 9 helpful tips to help run your day while your children are home. At the end of the blog, there are chapter numbers from my book to read through. You can find it at www.wattpad.com.

Conduct Your Day like a School Day

After a few days of hanging in pajamas and watching movies, announce that there will be a schedule similar to school. Be sure to let your children sleep as much as possible though, especially high school age. This is a great time for them to catch up on their sleep. This means regular bedtimes should be followed. Since your child is accustomed to having rules during their day with rewards and consequences, don’t be afraid to use them. Using their devices can be the reward they work towards.

Cooking & Baking Days

Whether your child is ready to leave for college in the fall or still youngsters, this is a perfect time to teach them how to make their favorite home cooked meal. By having them work right alongside of you, they’ll learn how to cook it for the following week on their own. This is the best lesson at home consisting of all learning skills: reading the recipe, following directions, and learning measurement by hands on experience. This will be a memorable time that you’ll always remember.

Quiet Work Time

Like students, parents have work to accomplish too. Create a quiet work period on the schedule. This is a great time for middle and high school students to work on their writing assignments not to mention the parent getting some work done. This quiet time offers a calm environment for them to do research, writing, revising, and editing. During this time, younger students can work on the material that was sent home. Remember to implement your technology rules: Work must be completed in order to earn computer time.

Education Time on Devices

By looking at the school district’s website and the class web page, you should be able to find which educational apps your child’s class uses, for example the educational math program, Dreambox. Be sure to be available to monitor. As a teacher, we find students with other tabs and switch back and forth from games to education programs. A few reminders that the modem and internet can be turned off will help keep your student on the short and narrow.

Old School Devices

After time on their devices doing their educational programs, schedule time where there is time with old school items such as books, magazines, board games, and puzzles. If they are at a younger age, have blocks and their educational puzzles available. Along with these, allow them to get real creative and build forts to do these fun activities. Pulling out your Tupperware for young children is a great way to watch their visionary building efforts. Because it’s recently been hard to read or play games with your children during the normal work week, this is an excellent time to enjoy these special activities.

Outside Time

Although this is a time to shy away from neighborhood groups in and out of your home, it does offer the perfect time to do outside fun. Take a break from your computer work and enjoy watching your children ride their bikes up and down the street. Since there will be minimum to no traffic, this is a splendid time to enjoy their happiness. They can also throw the ball around with you, kick the soccer ball, and have some imaginary play time which is an ultimate activity for their brain growth. Having the immediate family venture off on a small easy hike is great exercise as long you’re certain not to be around crowded areas.

Learning the Skills of Laundry

Do you have middle or high school age children or even a senior getting ready to head to college next fall? This is a superb time to teach the lesson of doing their laundry. Since laundry was probably delayed because of the changes going on recently, now is a great time to teach them the skills of soaking stains,  washing whites, and the hows and whys of separating colors. Because they aren’t attending any events, they can even learn how to clean their sports clothing. Younger children can learn how to fold and practice putting their clothes away.

Spring Cleaning

Since most households have purchased cleaning supplies, now is an ideal time to teach them how to clean their rooms. Being cautious of the virus, modeling how to clean toilets, shower, and sinks for your children would be educational and safe. What a perfect time to make a chores list where your children can practice doing dishes, vacuuming, and setting the table. Because we’ve probably all said one time or another how we wished we had extra time to teach these things, here we are with that blessing.

Family Movie Time

Grab whatever snack you have in the house and choose a fun movie. By selecting comedies, it will help create a happy go lucky atmosphere. These movies would be a perfect reward when you are guiding them to do their school work and maintaining the technology time. For older students, this is a valid time to watch movies like Freedom Writers and The Diary of Anne Frank with your children. Movies with such teachable moments would help them understand the world a little more. Showing short videos of the Depression of 1929 and the Dust Bowl would be ideal to show how others survived other times in history when they had to go without or make changes in their lives. It would make them feel as if they aren’t the only ones who had to live through times like these.

Enjoy Your Children

Every mother has wished for more time with their children. Now that we are blessed with this time at home with them, use the time wisely. What a blessing. When they are off someday to college, you can look back and always remember the special time you all spent during this event. They’ll remember if forever, you’ll cherish it the rest of your life.

Answers from my Book

**My book is currently at www.wattpad.com  to share for free to all moms and parents. Look it up by the title, Parenting Scholar Athletes, however know that these ideas work for all children. The following chapters will be helpful in this time off from school and work.

Chapter 3, Stick to a Schedule is probably the most important point at this moment. The first few days off from school and work may be spent in pajamas but be sure to implement a schedule with fun activities along with the school work.

Chapter 7, Fear vs. Love is a fabulous chapter offering us all ways of facing fear and the feelings that come along with it.

Chapter 9, Be Friendly, Not Their Friend, offers strategies and reasons why we need to be our children’s mother first. It offers help with creating rules, ways to stay consistent with them, and how to implement rewards and consequences easily.

Chapter 10, Coachable Through Positive Thoughts offers ideas for moms with children who are looking to fulfill their dream of playing their sport in college for NCAA. What a perfect time to read this chapter and then research ESPN 30 for 30 documentaries that tell the true stories of being  scholar athlete. They show how important it is to have sportsmanship and a positive mindset.

Chapters 11 & 12, Cut the Cord of Technology and The Power of Technology respectfully, will help moms understand the harm and help that technology and time on devices does to our little ones’ brains.

Chapter 13, Emotional Intelligence IQ vs. EQ, is a chapter explaining what SEL (Social Emotional Learning) is and how parents can help their children with it right at home during everyday experiences.