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How to work from home with children during the coronavirus lockdown
As most schools remain closed, parents continue to struggle with working from home with their kids. Here's some top tips to make life easier
Working from home with your children is not ideal. There's no way around that. Just picture the political science professor Robert Kelly’s young children gliding into his office just as he was being interviewed live on BBC News television. The video clip went viral. We are all Robert Kelly.
This unwelcome distraction struck a chord with parents all around the world because juggling work commitments with hectic family life is tricky at the best of times but now most schools and offices are 'open from home only' under coronavirus lockdown guidance, your children are home full-time and you still need to get your job done remotely.
It’s important to manage expectations – yours, your boss’s and your kids’. No, you may not have a straight eight hours to work non-stop. But you can still do your job well.
Read more: How to work from home successfully
How to work from home with the kids
Make a plan with your boss
Tell your manager that you need to adapt your work routine around childcare and perhaps respond to requests via email more often than phone.
“Be realistic and remember that combining home education with home working is difficult but possible,” advises Dr Paul Kelly, consultant educational and child psychologist.
“Looking after kids at home is a full-time job so if you have to work on top of that, you won’t be the perfect employee and the perfect parent at the same time. Prioritise - it’s not going to be possible to do everything.”
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Make a plan with your child
Kelly emphasises the importance of making a plan with your child.
“There needs to be a good discussion about how this is going to be very different for you and them.
"Be honest about what you need to get done and let them help create a schedule – they’ll buy into it and be more settled than if they’re told what to do. It’s really powerful.”
On the upside, your child might love the prospect of being at home more. Use this time to be creative and help them discover a new passion for baking or music, for example.
“If your child is inspired and motivated then they are going to be engaged in what they do,” adds Kelly.
Anxiety about health and family might compound any tension, but it’s important not to transfer anxieties to children.
If things unravel and everyone is getting stressed, Kelly suggests remembering the word STOP in your head: “Even if you’re half way through an email, stop and go for a walk together or do something different, something physical, just to change the behaviour patterns and your script - it shifts everything.”
10 top tips for working from home with children
For parents
1. If you’re one of two parents at home, master the art of tag teaming. Set clear allotted times to work while the other parent entertains the children. Flexibility and teamwork are key.
2. Find a quiet space to work. Some parents lock themselves in the bathroom, the car or even a cupboard to avoid noise whilst on a work call.
If you have an office (preferably with a lockable door), teach your children to respect an ‘unavailable’ sign on the door when you’re in a meeting. Otherwise, set up your own work space and invest in noise-cancelling headphones or a headset and microphone with an easy-to- access mute button.
3. Be productive. Try adopting the principles of the Pomodoro technique, developed by a time management specialist, to work smart in bursts of 25 minutes. Stay focused and use every minute wisely.
For pre-schoolers
4. Make the most of sleep time. Work efficiently when your little one naps in the day, before they wake up in the mornings or once they’ve gone to bed for the night.
5. Up the empathy. “Think about what your child responds well to, do they like cuddles or curling up on the sofa with a book together?” explains Kelly. “Ask yourself ‘what do we do that makes my child feel safer, calmer and happier?’ Put those things in place and it will help both of you destress.”
For primary school age children
6. Invest attention. Factor in certain times in the day to fully engage with your child with short activities. “By giving them the attention they’re craving, you’re building up the bank of attention and they might engage in independent play or homework afterwards.”
7. Get moving. At school, children have wake and shake sessions, playtime outdoors and sports lessons. Integrate exercise into your day – practice sport in the garden or download yoga, dance and fitness sessions to follow together.
For teenagers
8. Co-negotiate. “Right from the start, get involved and ask to see their school work, help them access online resources - being part of their world can really help. Ask them what their plan is – give them agency,” says Kelly. “If they’re techy, they might even be able to help you with a PowerPoint presentation.”
9. Stay connected. “When monitored, online games can be a positive way for teenagers to engage with friends. Use Skype or make old-fashioned phone calls to family – we’re all social animals so that’s vital.”
10. Curate screen time. Quality is more important than quantity, advises Kelly: “If we can use technology to help occupy children at the same time as educating, stimulating and interesting them, it’s a win-win situation. For example, using an app to create a stop-motion animation with Lego characters.”
Read more: How to set-up the best home office work space for productivity in lockdown