If somebody had told you a year ago that everybody would be stuck at home, with schools and many workplaces closed, you would have struggled to believe them.

However, that is the exact reality we find ourselves in, as a result of the social distancing measures governments have put in place to protect health care systems and the vulnerable from the coronavirus.

We all understand the reasons for these measures, but that doesn’t make them easy to live with. Parenting, which is hard work at the best of times, has become even more intense and stressful with the kids home from school and requiring supervision and care twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

While in some places there are signs of the lockdown easing, in the near-term, we have to learn to deal with this new, difficult reality. Parenting has become more challenging than ever before in our lifetimes.

It is also crucial that parents are able to take care of their own wellbeing. It isn’t easy, but with the right approach, parents can take steps to manage work, child care, and their own mental health during this unprecedented crisis.

Here are five tips for doing so from the parents at Magikbee.

1. Create a routine/schedule

Creating a schedule for each day, and sticking to it, helps enormously in getting things done and juggling work, childcare, and managing the house. If you are living with a partner or family, build your routines together to make the best use of your time and divide up taking care of the kids.

Below is an example of a schedule created by Magikbee team member João to manage responsibility for the care of his three-year-old niece.

Taking control of your time by creating a schedule is a great start for managing the many tasks a parent has over the course of the day with kids home from school. Hopefully, it will give you some peace of mind, too.

2. Don’t worry too much if you think the kids are behind at school

Schools are shut, and kids are at home. In most cases, they have work assigned and video classes to attend. But let’s face it: it isn’t the same as going to school every day, and managing a group of kids digitally is really challenging for teachers.

A video lesson from home

Many parents will be concerned about their kids’ education in this period. Are they falling behind? Will there be a long term effect on their schooling?

There are two important things to remember. First, that all families with kids are having the same difficulties. Second, social distancing measures and school closures are temporary.

Are you kids falling behind? They might be, slightly, but it is nothing to worry about. Even if the lockdowns extend into the summer, children will be missing a few months of real school at the very most.

Bottom line? They’ll catch up! 

A couple of months off is not going to have any effect on your kids’ education in the long term. So don’t worry too much if you feel your kids are being less productive than they would be at school.

3. Let your kids play or watch TV

When the family is stuck inside, there are fewer ways to keep the kids busy (though if you are looking for some ideas, check out our blog post on indoor activities).

You will probably run out of ideas – and time! – for keeping them busy. That might result in more TV or video game time than you would normally allow.

If your kids end up watching more TV than normal, don’t stress. It’s not the end of the world, and like the education point above, it’s only temporary and won’t do any damage in the long-term.

Plus, choosing the right content helps a lot. For preschoolers and kids up to 12 years old, our app, kiddZtube, offers thousands of fun, educational videos. We’ve also added workouts, arts & crafts and other activity videos to entertain your kids in the lockdown period.

Some of the themes covered on kiddZtube!

4. Make time for yourself

This is going to be really hard. But you must set aside time for yourself! Even half an hour a day in a quiet space just to relax with a book, the radio, or a bit of Netflix will help you destress.

Make sure the kids, your partner, and anyone else you live with is aware of your me-time, and make sure they understand not to interrupt it!

5. Be gentle on yourself

This is an incredibly challenging period for you as a parent. If you don’t get things right, don’t beat yourself up about it!

Your kids may fight more, study less, watch more TV, and generally be a pain in the neck! That’s stressful, but it doesn’t mean you are a bad parent. So go easy on yourself and remember that this is all temporary.

Equally important as taking care of your kids is looking after your own physical and mental health. Make both an absolute priority so you are in the best possible shape to deal with this difficult time.