Resources to Help Families Cope With Back To School (BTS) Stress & COVID Concerns
COVID-19 may be keeping more students at home this fall, or at least causing parents to take extra precautions at home. Like many parents, you may have a list of questions and concerns about maintaining safety and productivity this semester, all while managing your family’s mental health. These back-to-school (BTS) and distance learning resources should provide some answers and, hopefully, some peace of mind:
Cleaning & Sanitation at Home
Anyone who has kids knows that keeping germs out of the home is a struggle, even in the best of times. Be extra vigilant when they head back to school this year.
Teach your kids that hand washing for 20 seconds is essential for eliminating germs.
To keep those little mitts really clean stock up on hand sanitizer.
Get the school year started out right by cleaning your house top to bottom. 8 months in and we're all running low on motivation, so start small and tackle this task room by room as you can.
Use top-recommended products for eliminating COVID-19 germs when possible.
If you can’t find these cleaners in-store, you may be able to DIY disinfectants.
Online Learning
If your kids are learning online you may not have to worry as much about them bringing coronavirus into your home. But keeping them focused can definitely be a source of stress.
The right tech can make learning at home less stressful for you and your children. The right tech doesn't have to mean the most expensive!
Another option for reducing stress is to look for local learning pods for your kids.
Learning pods can also provide much-needed socialization for lonely children.
Protecting data and devices will be crucial whether kids learn solo or in pods.
Last but not least, don’t let parent shaming complicate your family’s BTS choices.
But It’s Also Important to Focus on Taming Tension
Whether your kids will be learning at home or heading back to an actual school, there is so much to stress about right now. Which is why you need some healthy coping mechanisms.
Consistent routines could be the key to reducing stress now and during BTS.
You can try adding mindful meditation to that routine to chase away even more stress.
If meditation just isn’t cutting it for your family, you can also try de-stressing your home.
Whether your child will be learning from home or heading back to school, this is likely to be one of the most challenging semesters yet. Arm yourself with tools and resources that will reduce tension and stress for you and your entire family. And remember: We're all just doing the best we can for our families in a, quite frankly, horrendous year.
Author: Jenna Sherman