3 Helpful Tips for Balancing Caregiving and Work During Lockdown

“Overall, the pandemic appears to have produced a unique immediate juggling act for working mothers of school-age children,” U.S. Census Bureau economist Misty Heggeness wrote in the recent paper, ” Why Is Mommy So Stressed?.

In fact, even before the pandemic, as many as 73 percent of working parents spent nearly 24 to 40 hours of their week on caregiving responsibilities, according to research.

Here are a few tips for working parents that can help make work and life more manageable during the pandemic.

Sync Work and School Schedules

Syncing your work schedule with your child’s virtual school can help you create a structured day that includes both focused and free time. You can set your lunch break to match your kids and use this time to answer any questions they may have about the day’s lessons. Then, you can get back to work together!

Encourage Independence in Kids

If your kids are older and able to handle more tasks independently, the pandemic is an opportunity for them to build essential life skills. For example, your kids can fix their own snacks before class or during their lunch break. They can also practice prioritization and time management by organizing their virtual classes, chores and calls with friends in an online calendar.

Make Time for Self-Reflection

Feeling caught up in the chaos of the pandemic? You’re not alone. It can be exhausting taking care of your home, work, and kids in the midst of a once-in-a-lifetime global event. As you sit down for work, you might be thinking about a million different things at once: “Does my child need help with their virtual classes?”; “Have I left the stove on?”; “Am I reaching my work targets?” In moments like these, it’s best to express your emotions authentically with your family and make space in your home for self-reflection and self-care.

Keep Kids Engaged With Osmo

If you’re looking to supplement your kids learning, Osmo is here to help! Our fun, hands-on games engage kids in core subjects and help them build on the concepts they are learning in school. Since Osmo is designed for independent learning, you don’t need to supervise your child, either. Not only that, but they’ll be less likely to interrupt your video calls while their absorbed in learning!

Here’s all you need to do to get your child set up with Osmo:

1. Place your device in a compatible Osmo Base and secure the red reflector over the device’s camera.
2. Use physical game pieces to draw, code, spell, and more.
3. Osmo scans the table and your child’s creations come to life onscreen!

In conclusion, we hope these tips make working and learning from home a little easier for your family. For information on all of Osmo’s games for kids. visit the rest of our website. We have puzzles for kids, educational games for preschoolers, and a wide range of STEM activities for kids that make math, science, and coding learning interactive and enjoyable!