Collaborative post
Picture the scene: it’s Friday night. The kids are in bed. You pour yourself a glass of wine, curl up on the sofa, and stick the TV on.
Average Friday night, or pure fantasy?
You deserve those rare moments of peace. But often, family life leaves you putting everyone else’s needs ahead of your own, and making time for yourself is hard.
Keeping the kids busy for as little as half an hour can snag you just a few moments of valuable quiet time. Check out this list to find just a few simple ways to keep them entertained, as well as tips on looking after you!
For them
1. Encourage them to get creative!
Any mum knows that the cardboard from the toilet roll or the boxes from your Amazon parcels can spark a child’s imagination.
Take a look at some arts and crafts ideas online, rescue a few items from your recycling bin, set your child a challenge and voila – who knows what you could end up with?
Probably just some gluey cardboard, actually. But hopefully a bit of a break too!
2. If you’re struggling with your new home-schooling role, don’t worry – you’re not on your own
Thousands of parents are finding themselves totally bamboozled by the insane amounts of homework that schools have been sending home.
If you need a little support with it, tutoring agencies like Teachers To Your Home offer one-to-one tutoring sessions at all educational levels, and currently provide online assistance too.
As well as helping your child to catch up, it gives you one less thing to worry about.
3. Don’t feel guilty about breaking out the screens every so often
Many of us are trying to cut back the screen time for ourselves as well as our kids, but sometimes all you need is just half an hour to get some work done or hear yourself think.
And in fact, some expert advice suggests that we should re-think our attitudes towards screen time during lockdown, as technology can be a great way for kids to stay in touch with their friends, and some video games even encourage them to be active.
For you
Once you have those hard-won snatches of free time, here are a couple of tips for making the most of them.
1. Meditation can be a great way to wind down – just 10 minutes a day can relieve stress and anxiety.
For bonus benefits, it’s also proven as a great sleep aid – perfect to help you nod off after a hectic day.
2. Work from home responsibly!
It might not be practical to stick to the 9-5 with little ones around, but make sure you dedicate time to being completely logged off – no checking emails before bed or clocking weekend overtime.
3. Treat yourself!
Whether that’s a sneaky bit of chocolate, the nice shoes you’ve had your eye on, or putting off the odd household job here or there in order to get a break, you deserve it!
These are our tips for juggling self-care with parenting. Share yours in the comments below!