Language to Use
Managing Expectations about Time Spent Together vs. Time Needed to Finish Work
Because a longer closure situation while parents are working from home looks different than typical time spent together at home, we believe using distinct and clear language about the expectations will help the children understand these different boundaries. Letting your children know when you will have a chance to share time together will help them feel better about the independent time. You can offer to have a snack with them, to read a book, or to work together for a period of time after they have worked independently. With older children, it can be helpful to be honest with your children about how interruptions to your work means it takes longer and limits the time you can devote to focusing on them.
Here is some simple language you can use that is consistent with the language they are familiar with from school:
“This is our independent work time. We can work together after we finish our independent work.”
“I need to focus on my work right now. If you need my attention, you can tap my arm quietly. If I put my finger up, that means I am not ready yet but will give you my attention soon.”
Helping Children Understand the Change in Routine
This is a stressful time for adults, and children are incredibly receptive to the feelings of the people who surround them. While children do not necessarily understand the scope of the situation, they sense the emotional shift in their surroundings and can be sensitive to changes in routine. When explaining why we need to be even more careful about hygiene and cleaning, we have been explaining that it is important for us to stop the spread of germs that are making people sick. It is also important for children to hear that they are not in great danger of being sick and their parents are not in great danger, but everyone might be passing the germs on to people who would feel very sick from this illness. The CDC has compiled a basic resource to guide you through conversations with children on this topic.
Maintaining Routines
Although each classroom at MACH has a different overall schedule, there are many commonalities in routine that you can translate to home. As you look at finding structure during this closure, it would likely be helpful to sit down with your child and create a schedule together of what your days will look like. Children respond well to a visual schedule to help them understand what comes next. It would be helpful for children to have an idea beforehand of when they can expect to be working and playing on their own and when they can expect time with you. Picking activities for them to do at certain times each day can also create a comforting structure to the day. For example, you could decide to prepare lunch together each day and then clean up together, or they could start their independent work time with a podcast each day.
In general, each child would be used to this approximate schedule at school:
Work time (often independent work time in the morning)
Challenging academic works
Art
Cleaning works
Practical life works
Blocks
Puzzles
Outside Time
Circle
Books
Songs
Experiments
Lunch
Rest/Nap
Outside Time
Work time (play-based works either on own or with friends)
Legos
Dollhouses
Dress-up clothes
Magnet tiles
Board games
Train sets
Baby dolls
