We miss all of you! We are still open here at Cutting Edge and we still have quite a few families coming, but we are scheduling the therapy times out so that this place stays pretty dead and we can sequester your kiddo in a very safe area. We have to adapt and follow all the rules that we’re being asked to follow. And we’re doing that, but there are lots of you that we miss seeing!
I’ve been asked to talk a little bit about school at home. Now that your kiddos are schooling at home, parents have become the instructors. It can be a little hard to handle!
1. Pace the Work.
Many of your kiddos have teachers who are sending packets of work home for your kiddos to do. I suggest pacing out and scheduling those activities. Decide when your school times are so that your kiddo knows that’s the expectation.
2. Stick to a Schedule.
Keep getting them up in the mornings. Resist the temptation to let them sleep in. This will pass, and eventually, your kiddos will go back to activities. We want them to still be in the pattern of getting up, eating their breakfast, maybe doing a movement activity, then going to class.
Your instruction time may only be 30 minutes, and then you may take a break for 30 minutes and then go back. It really depends on your family and what works within the structure of your time.
3. Have Reasonable Expectations.
I often hear that the packets you are provided with mean that you have to be pretty much one on one with your kiddo. Make sure you don’t set lofty expectations. I know many of you are working, so you have to balance out this whole situation.
For those of you who have kids that have special ed, or IEPs, I know this can be a very frustrating time. Any modification of the work is going to take a lot of intensive work on your part. If you have a household of adult members, share the work! Spread it out! I think it’s great for your kiddos to learn to do things with everyone.
If you’re clients here, talk to your therapists. They can help you. But your therapists are going to say, “Move, move, move! The kids have to move!” They can only go for so long sitting in a chair in front of a screen. We have to back that up with other activities. They can give you ideas for things to do at home, as well as things to do outside that are safe for social distancing. (And don’t forget, teaching your kids to wash their hands is a great skill! We sing the Happy Birthday song twice, and that gets them the full time of hand washing that they need to do!)
I hope this was helpful. Y’all stay safe and healthy!
