April 21, 2020

Parent and Caregiver Support - Tip #1

Many parents and caregivers are finding themselves having to juggle an extremely large amount of responsibilities during this time. While following the “Safer at Home” order, parents now are faced with running the household, homeschooling their children, and managing new ways of work. Obviously, this can lead to increased stress in these times, and as the required order stretches longer over the weeks (and possibly months), many parents will experience ongoing and increasing challenges with keeping their kids engaged and active while keeping the household in functioning order.

Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing some tips to help ease some of the ongoing stress and help everyone be engaged while staying “safer-at-home.” Here is the first in the series:

Tip #1. Have a daily routine. Setting up a daily routine will help give order and fluidity to the day, and help you feel more in control of the day. Also, a routine will help provide children with structure and clear expectations of what is happening and when.

The type of routine will vary from child to child, based on their level of independence. For children who may have a lower level of independence, or a shorter attention span, a First-Then Board is a great way to map out the day. Basically, it is a very simple representation of the statement, “First we do this, then we do that.” As certain tasks or activities are completed, the board can be updated to reflect what will happen next. This type of board could be very useful in situations where focus is required for the current activity, with the promise that a more preferred (or fun) activity will happen afterword: “First we will pick up our toys, and then we can watch a video on the tablet.” A great way to use this throughout the day is by printing the sheet and placing in a clear plastic sleeve. You can then use dry erase markers to update the chart as you move along your day.

For older children who may have a better grasp of time, a visual schedule is a great addition to your toolbox. This type of schedule lays out the activities for an entire day, with times blocked off for each one, so that the child has a clear understanding of what is happening and when.

We have created a free printable First-Then Board and Daily Schedule to help during this time.