While you are home with your children

I'm seeing a ton of people who are suffering anxiety and feeling overwhelmed by all the school assignments, the schedules, the charts, the game plans. Folks, breathe.

Yes, for some people that degree of organisation, school at home as it were, works great, and good luck to them.

Everyone is different though and there are many ways to homeschool, including unschooling and experiential learning. Don't feel that just because a lot of people seem to be doing it one way, you have to as well.

Everyone is adjusting to a radically new situation. You and your children need time to adjust and process what is happening too. Some people are great at just slipping in to this new reality. Many people are going to need time to figure out what works for their family.

Many kids need time to decompress from their regular school schedule and ease in to a different type of routine at home, whether that includes simply following their own interests, adhering to distance learning programmes from school or more group family projects you want to work on with your kids.

You might find you have no choice but to allow way more screen time than you normally would, you may find that after a while the kids get bored with screens and decide to get creative of their own initiative.

There is no right way except what helps you and your family get through this unprecedented situation in the healthiest, happiest and most well adjusted way. For each family the formula will be slightly different.

Final point, remember that this is happening all over the world. Your kids are not going to flunk out of life because they may end up missing a few weeks or months or even a year of school. Everyone is in the same boat. "Falling behind" has a very different meaning when most of the world is out of school right now.

If crucial material is missed, well, your kids won't be the only ones missing it. Schools all over are going to have to make adjustments to their own teaching plans, schedules and curriculum when God Willing life is able to get at least somewhat back to normal and schools resume. This isn't what you need to focus on now.

Breathe, do what your family needs to do to keep the home environment as stable and calm as possible while everyone is stuck home together. Be-Ezrat Hashem we will all get through this and come out on the other side with a new perspective on family, life and hopefully plenty of humourous anecdotes too.