School Closings + the Impact on Families

My kids + I are officially looking at spending the next 2+ weeks together at home during these school closings. And I’m guessing you are too. When I started to think through the reality that we won’t be going to playgroups, the library, classes, or community gathering places to break up our days, I started to feel overwhelmed. I was dreading the weeks ahead.

I know I’m likely not alone in this feeling. Whether you’re facing a lot of time at home with the kids or you are relying on stand-in caregivers, I have resources to help relieve some of the stress. Today’s post should bring some structure to your days + help it be a positive time for everyone during school closings.

A Weekly Resource to Help You

Today’s downloadable resource has three parts. I’ll break it down for you into those parts so you know what you’re getting. If you want to jump straight to the download, the form is at the bottom of this post!

Daily Schedules

One of the most important things you can do for your family is to ensure that there is some structure to the days. Making a predictable routine is going to help everyone know what is expected + how time is going to be spent each day.

You may not think you have a structured home environment, but I bet it does have some sort of cadence. With school, clubs, + sports coming to a halt, much of this loose structure is lost. If you want to make the time at home meaningful, it will be important to help your family have some structure.

This download walks you through working as a family to brainstorm activities to fill your time + grouping them into categories. The activities are ‘may do’ choices, while the categories are ‘Must-Do’ parts of the day.

Examples of ‘Must-Do’ categories may be outdoor play, schoolwork, + free time, + chores. An example of some ‘May-Do’ choices within schoolwork might include Reading, Writing, Math, or Science assignments from school. There are many more specific examples within the download to help you get started, too!

Giving kids the choice of which they will work on during their ‘Must Do’ time will give them some autonomy. In setting some limits + expectations with a bit of give + take, you will strike a balance. You will achieve what is important to you while also showing your children that you value their voice + opinion.

Here is one of the sample schedules that you will find within the Daily Schedule download. It gives you an idea of how the Must-Do + May-Do activities work together to create a routine:

This download also includes a parent or caregiver ‘Week at a Glance’ outline. This will help you to plan more structured activities for your kids in order to keep things interesting during the school closings.

Not all schools are prepared with remote learning plans. You may be looking for some more formal learning opportunities during this time away from school. If either of these are the case, this is perfect for you.

Daily Activities

If you plan on organizing some of these extra activities or learning, this is definitely worth looking at!

I realize that this is a huge undertaking for so many people, so I wanted to help lessen the burden. Already in the download is a week’s worth of activities broken down into Must-Do categories. There are invitations to play, math, reading, writing, wellbeing, STEM, process art, sensory activities. They are all laid out for you within this one file–it’s so easy!

For now, Week 1 is complete + a part of the download. In the coming weeks, you can expect me to add to this collection. I will email you weekly to let you know when they are available to you.

Editable Templates

If you like the idea of planning out weekly activities or creating a daily schedule for your family, I have included copies of the templates. Just download the file or make a copy on Google Drive in order to gain editing access!

Don’t want to plan you’re own? Use my sample schedules in the download because they’re ready to go! You can count on receiving the future weekly resources + plans premade via email, too! So you really have the option of approaching this any way you want!

Looking Forward

As we navigate this time of school closings, please be sure to follow me on Instagram @BecauseofJericho. I am updating my stories + grid daily. There are quality + reliable resources to keep things meaningful + interesting in the coming weeks–don’t miss them!

If you are traveling for spring break, don’t miss Part 1 and Part 2 of my posts on flying with kids. Even if you’re driving, there are some great resources to try that will help to keep your kids entertained.

If you are looking to download your free self-care reference + customizable checklist, it is available to all subscribers! You can follow the link that pops up when you click ‘submit’.

Your contact information will stay private + will only be used to stay connected + to deliver all future downloads straight to your inbox.

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