We all know that the school year looks a little different this year… who’d have ever thought we’d be navigating a worldwide pandemic? So how do you survive it, as a parent, without pulling your hair out?

Whether your child is homeschooling, doing virtual or remote classes, traditional school, or some sort of hybrid option, we’re all feeling the pressure and, possibly, the stress and confusion along with it…

• Tech troubles
• Too much information to process
• Irregular schedules
• Constant Changes
• Child Care Issues

Let’s go over a few ways you can make it easier on yourself, and your children. These strategies and tools are working well for me and family, so far. Some of these tips you’ve likely heard from other sources, but some maybe not…

The basics…these should be obvious and simple right?

Well, darlin…I get it…it’s not always that simple. What your family dynamic and day to day life looks like can make these things a little more challenging than they should be. I’ll be writing more in depth about each one in coming days, so please comment which ones are the most challenging for you, and why, so that I can attempt to offer you some personalized solutions in those posts.

1. Create a environment where your child can study.

I know. You want to check out already. You’ve heard it a thousand times…bear with me, ok?

This doesn’t mean that you need to purchase the perfect desk, lamp, chair, etc, etc…Seriously. Don’t over complicate it. My daughter usually curls up on the couch with the dog and her computer or whatever books/papers she might need for the day. She is unbothered by any chaos that might be going on around her. My son, on the other hand, prefers to work in a quiet room at a desk. He has quite a set up for gaming, and usually just clears that space, closes the door and does his thing.

Here are few ideas and tips for creating a study space for your child, wherever you may need to make that happen! What specific obstacles are you trying to overcome to make this happen for your family?

2. . Utilize a family calendar. And teach your children to use it properly.

So many options. Digital, paper, wall, dry erase, pocket calendars…having this available to everyone in your family will simply make your life easier. I even have a ‘Good Morning’ routine set on Alexa so that she will read me all of today’s events, and those for tomorrow. Why tomorrow? In case I need to do something TODAY to prepare for tomorrow. I rarely actually open my calendar now unless I’m adding something to it…and Alexa can even do that for me!

If you’re going with a paper calendar, I would highly recommend one with large squares, maybe stickers, and one that you can use a PENCIL with. Plans change, events are cancelled, you know the drill…nothing worse than having bunch of pen and marker scribbles on your calendar. One of my family calendars is the More Time Moms calendar. It doesn’t matter if your actually a mom or not, this is an amazing calendar. I have also used the planner offered on this site, and love it just as much!

What’s your favorite calendar?

3. Save the emails and notes for later.

Yep. I said it. You don’t have to look at it all RIGHT NOW...it’s ok to wait. And it might be more productive to do so, especially if you have a job. It’s very tempting to open and at least skim those school emails as soon as they come in. Why don’t I want you to do that? Because, some days/weeks, there are SO MANY! And that ONE that you needed to actually act on can easily get lost in the clutter.

I’ve been lucky so far this year. Most of our teachers and administrators are doing a great job utilizing clear subject lines in their emails and breaking thing down into bite size chunks when they can. I’m using this to my advantage…for example, I haven’t even opened the email that says “PICTURE DAY” in the subject line. I assume it’s a reminder of that date (already on the calendar because a flyer came home) and, maybe, it tells us a little more about what that’s going to look like this year. Today is Thursday. Picture day is next Wednesday. I don’t care about picture day yet. I’ll look at that one maybe Monday or Tuesday.

CLICK HERE for a more in depth post about school emails and other communications, and how you can best manage them. I have a few tricks up my sleeve there. Hopefully, you’ll find something useful! Please, also, share what is working for your family!

4. Teach your child to fish.

If your child needs you to hold their hand through every single assignment and activity, you’re going to lose your mind. Seriously. Cut the chord. Teach them where to find information, how to search for definitions, tutorials, and even their personal information (usernames, passwords, school codes, etc…) safely and productively. Depending on your child’s age, abilities, and independence level, this may look a little different for you than it does for me. And, I’ll tell you, it may require a little upfront legwork on your part. I assure – it’s worth your sanity.

I’m not saying that you should expect your child to handle every little detail…I’m saying make sure they know how to solve problems and find solutions without your input every 5 minutes…you want to be present, or at least available to them, and engaged to some degree. We’ll talk a little more about some ways to do this in another post, as well, and you can cherry pick what might work best for your family.

5. Create Routines and Structure, and build in some fun.

Make sure everyone knows what to expect each day. You may need to do verbal or visual reminders for yourself and your children. Also, if your child is doing remote, virtual, or hybrid learning, take advantage of that time that your child isn’t physically going to school. You might come up with some lessons or activities that matter to your family like religious education, music lessons, mini field trips, celebratory meals or outings, sports, planned physical and outdoor activities. Not sure I’ll expand on this topic, but if it is something that you struggle with, or if you’d like a picture of our days, I’d be happy to oblige.

6. Utilize Apps and Reminders on your phone and other devices.

Listen, I could write so much on this topic and spend lots of time reviewing and providing tutorials for each and every one…and I plan to do one for Google Keep – but the others, I’m going to assume you know how to use! Is there one you struggle with? Here is a short list of a few of the things I use personally. Of course, I’ll break these down into a post or two and go in depth into a couple of them. Of course, you’ll need to make decisions on what you’re willing to allow your child to access in regards to permissions and privacy.

• Google Keep App (available on Android & Iphone)
• Siri Reminders, Timers, Alarms
• Family Calendar on iPhone/iCloud (you might have a google calendar or other digital family calendar)
• Alexa is my bestie.
• A family computer (desktop) in a central location

Thanks for reading! I realized very quickly when I started working on this post that it was going to be entirely too long, hence the decision to make it a series. I welcome your feedback and any specific concerns that you may need help with!

You may be wondering, who they heck am I and what crediditials do I have that think I can speak to this topic? Well, despite the obvious that I am an actual parent, here’s what I can tell you briefly: I have three children, the oldest of which is 20. So, that’s 15 years of trying to juggle school and life. I am a former teacher and have spent about 20 years of my life teaching either in the classroom, in a corporate setting, and virtually. Basically, teaching is in my blood. I’m kind of see a need, fill a need kind of teacher at this point in my life. I see people struggling with all of the back to school tasks, procedures, and learning models this year…and, so, this is my attempt to spread a little love and assistance. Also, I have had an absolutely beautiful village of mothers, educators, and friends mentoring, encouraging and teaching me over the years. Every single of them has given me something that I can pass along – and, well, I just feel it’s my time to do that. So, take it or leave it! But I do hope you find at least a little nugget of help and hope in this series! And, if nothing else, know that you aren’t alone.

Much Love, and many blessings!

Grab you some super amazing hair accessories HERE.

Additional Posts in this series:

Creating a Study Environment

Save the emails and notes for later.