The pandemic has changed the way we go about many of our daily activities. Parents especially have had to make major adjustments, as most have gone from working commuters to work-from-home hermits.

In addition, many parents have taken on greater responsibility homeschooling their children. As daunting as the task may be, it is possible to adjust to the new normal. Here are tips from busy professional parents who's been able to successfully help their children do so.

The Key is In Dressing Up

The pandemic has taken away more than just time and activities. The new Covid-19 lifestyle has stolen precious structure from your children which you should attempt to give back.

Sabrina Tucker-Barrett, as a mother, has an interesting advice to bring structure back-- by dressing up! She suggests getting your children fully dressed "as if they're going into a school building". This makes sure that children aren't just aware of their daily schedule or expectations. This creates visual cues for them.

Time Block. Time Block. Time Block.

Time blocks is not a strange concept. We talk about productivity and time management a lot! But in this situation where children are forced to homeschool, time blocks is more important than ever.

Rachel Pedersen, mother of three, suggests timeblocking an entire daily schedule from Monday to Friday. Pedersen reminds us, "everyone is going through this. Yes, it is tricky. Keeping track of what should be happening when is tough. So make it clear! When is it time to homeschool? When is it time to relax?".

Do everything in your power to schedule effectively; this means creating blocks of time throughout the week to help you keep track of what should be happening and when.

Create a School Within a Home

Home IS school now. Coming back to distractions, it can be incredibly easy for your kids to become uninterested with schoolwork and gravitate toward fun activities. That's why it is imperative to create a separate physical space for the sole purpose of learning.

Correnda Hollaway, who's a parent and a grandparent, is no stranger to seeing kids gravitate toward fun rather than schoolwork. She says a separate space designed for children minimizes any distraction. She also adds, "check on them throughout the day like you would in a real classroom".

The key to getting your child to have a productive learning experience is to have a separate space designed for your child so that they are not easily distracted while learning and stick to the schedule that is led out for them by the teacher.

Patience is a Virtue

Krystal Duhaney urges parents to see the world and situation from their children’s perspective. She recently says, “be patient. Most children haven’t seen or played with their friends in several months. This is a huge adjustment, and they need your support. Check in with them often to see how they are doing mentally and physically. Don’t forget to check in with yourself too!”

This is great advice which should be considered heavily when considering the current frustrations of the new work from home life.

Know That Children Learn Differently.

Children learn at different paces and in different ways. Tonya Robertson reminds us, “every children learn differently. So we need to be flexible. We have to prepare to provide resources and additional help to adjust".

This is new to all of us! Give your children a break. Don't forget to give yourself a break either. It's the only way that'll help through this transition.