How To Survive Snow Days!!!

Winter is officially upon us!!

Bring on the snow, skating, sledding and hot chocolate with mini marshmallows..yum! Oh...and...school snow days

With the first snow day under our belts here in Ottawa, (with a few more than likely to come over the course of the winter) many kids were waking up this morning doing cartwheels upon hearing the news (I know mine were)...or possibly just jumping with excitement!!

While parents were left scrambling with what they will do with their kids?!?!

If taking a day off to be with the kids is an option for you, fantastic!

If that's not possible, though working from home is, here are some tips that will help you get some work done will your kids are equally occupied.

 1) Keep your morning routine the same as it would be if there were going to school. Maintaining your morning routine helps to start the day off on the right foot. Typically when we delay this, kids tend to get a little lethargic with wanting to do almost anything because they are still in pyjamas.

2) Have some structure to the day. If you need to get some work done, this will be a blessing, as it will provide them with clear expectations and reduce the number of times they will come up to you and tell you that they are bored. Children thrive with structure, while you don't have to be as precise as they would be at school, I do encourage you to write down lunch & snack times, in addition to when they will be able to go outside.

For those in-between timeslots, have them come up with some activities or some tasks that need to be completed. 

3) Be sure to get your kids outside! Fresh air has so many benefits; there is a reason why there are typically three recesses at school and forest schools are becoming popular. Fresh air doesn't only provide kids with an outlet to release energy. It also improves your child's health, as the fresh air clears out their lungs. It provides them with their daily dose of vitamin D, helps them restore their mood and also helps them get a better night's sleep! 

4) Be mindful of your work breaks. Working from home and balancing the kids is not always the easiest. However, with the above suggestions and scheduled breaks whereby you can provide your child with some much-needed attention (without work distractions).

This will not only fill everyone's cups in the family, but it will also assist with achieving a productive day at work!

Now that's what I call a win-win situation :) 

Happy Snow Day :)

Sylvia Corzato is a parent consultant & behaviour coach, and owner of Success in Steps. With over 20 years of experience supporting children and their families, Sylvia provides parents with tailored support and strategies to help them understand the 'why' behind the behaviours along with 'what' is maintaining them.

Her mission is to enable parents to be the driving force behind reaching and maintaining their family goals.