Sympathy, care, and concern for others, that’s the definition of compassion. And that’s the feeling we need to practice now more than ever.
As parents, you are facing challenges you never imagined just one year ago—the start of school may have felt hectic as you made those last-minute trips for school supplies and lunch boxes and felt the pressure to get the photo of your child with the cute “first day of school” sign to post on Facebook or to send to grandparents.
But this year, nothing compares to the uncertainty of virtual, in-person, or hybrid instruction (part virtual, part in-person). If you are a working parent, it’s possible that you still haven’t figured out how to meet your own work responsibilities, whether at home or at your workplace, while supporting your child’s in-person learning or supervising your child’s distance learning or the prospect of distance learning. Let’s face it, even those schools that have opened with children in class could face closures if there are virus outbreaks in them.
And even if you have come up with solutions, it is crucial to expect the unexpected. It is not realistic for your child to adapt to this new normal of mask wearing and social distancing without some struggle, and that is where compassion comes in. There may be more tears, eating or sleep issues, and more oppositional behavior, (all signs of stress).
And just as you need to remind yourself that this is hard and you aren’t going to always get it right, you need to remind your child of those same sentiments. Being compassionate toward yourself and your family members is all-important right now. It doesn’t mean that you are lowering your standards; it means that you need new standards for these new times.
Here is the conversation you need to have with yourself, your partner, and your children: “I know that this is hard, that we will all make mistakes sometimes, but we will get through it… together.”
It is also important to remind family members that you love and appreciate them…now more than ever.
I am a parent and grandparent with over four decades of experience in early childhood education. I share my passion, wisdom and experience, with parents and the people who care for and about children at Little Folks Big Questions, where we're out to answer the questions parents face in today's world.
Have you ever solved a Rubix Cube or did you cheat by moving the stickers around? This iconic toy celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. This year, Spin Master Games released a new twist on your favorite classic, a 2-in-1 challenging puzzle that combines the Rubik’s Cube with the challenging Perplexus puzzle.
To play, roll the steel ball to the “Start” space on the Rubik’s Perplexus Hybrid 2×2 and twist it to align the tracks and maneuver the ball through the inner maze.
Put your skills to the test by rolling past increasing numbers along the track on your way to the finish line, making sure not to fall off. Once you finish one of the squares, twist and turn the cube to align with the next cube like in the original. Rubik’s Perplexus Hybrid 2×2 helps build problem-solving skills through challenging and engaging gameplay and is the perfect size for on-the-go fun. If you complete the maze, you complete the cube.
Rubik’s Perplexus Hybrid 2×2 is available for $14.99 at Target and Amazon.
Working parents are feeling the pressure and strain of the new school year which has been impacted by the pandemic. FlexJobs surveyed more than 2,5000 parents with children ages 18 and younger living at home. Almost half have needed to change their employment situation by either voluntarily reducing their hours or quitting entirely.
Many schools around the country have decided to open only remotely or use a hybrid approach. After a stressful spring, working parents found themselves trying to balance their career and childcare responsibilities in unprecedented ways.
Working parents said having a flexible schedule (58%) would have the greatest impact on their ability to juggle career, distance learning, and childcare responsibilities. The survey also found that working mothers and working fathers report different experiences around changes to their employment, childcare, and distance learning responsibilities as a result of the pandemic.
“For moms, dads, employers, and the workforce at large, these findings offer insights into what it’s really like to juggle parenting and a career, and how flexible work options (or the lack thereof) can impact decision-making,” said Sara Sutton, founder and CEO of FlexJobs. “In order to help working parents not only stay in the workforce, but also be productive employees during this challenging time, employers should absolutely consider offering flexible schedules. When executed thoughtfully, giving employees more control over when they’re able to work during the day can help create the critical space they need to meet all their competing demands. The pandemic has really forced companies to see the struggles that working parents and other caregivers routinely face and hopefully has shed light on just how impactful granting remote and flexible work accommodations can be,” Sutton concluded.
Regardless of the challenges, about half of working mothers (49%) and half of working fathers (50%) still say they have been more productive working from home during the pandemic than when they were in the traditional office.
To help parents manage working from home and their children’s virtual learning responsibilities, FlexJobs offers the following tips:
Communicate expectations with your team and let them know about your reality. Some flexible work conversation starters:
To talk with your boss or coworkers: I want to share my current reality to give everyone a solid understanding and try to stay ahead of any potential problems.
To ask for more flexibility: I’d like to get a good sense of what my flexible work options are right now. The more I’m able to shift my schedule, the better I’ll be able to meet work priorities and stay productive during this time.
For the beginning of meetings: As is the case with a lot of you, I’m working from home and caring for my ____ and ___ year old kids. I wanted to give you a heads up that I may get interrupted during our call but I’ll let you know, mute myself, deal with the situation, and jump back in.
Let your boss know your new responsibilities with remote learning and ask for flexibility in your schedule. Prioritize the “live” classroom sessions as must-attend, and try to be close by when your kids are on them.
Split-shift the workday. If you have a partner who can work at home, split childcare and work shifts with each other. That way, each day you each will have a designated time for work and a designated time for being with your kids.
Develop a focused learning space for your kid(s). For example, use a tri-fold display board to section off their workspace.
Secure the fastest internet speed. This is important when there are multiple users at home simultaneously online. Use a plugin connection to the internet when possible.
Recreate what your child’s classroom would have had with schedules, visual cues, binders, bins, etc.
Consider printing worksheets when possible. Most kids like the physical action of doing the work.
Give yourself a break. This situation is extremely difficult and stressful, and no one will do it perfectly. Working from home with kids is not what remote work is normally like. Outside of this unusual situation, most remote workers have regular childcare.
And just like that, our summer comes to a close. The change of season brings a shift to our approach and pace of life against the backdrop of a continuing pandemic. The onset of fall means it’s time for your kids to return to school whether that means in-person, hybrid, or remote. Thus, for us parents, the unabating worry and juggle of life continues on. So, to my fellow moms out there, how are you holding up? How are you making sure to care for yourself? If you need some self-care suggestions, here are some tips to help you manage the parental back-to-school burnout.
1. PERMISSION. During times of stress, it is paramount that we prioritize our wellbeing so we can survive the endless challenges coming our way. It can feel selfish and hard to hit the pause button on our mom lives, but the simple act of giving yourself permission to stop and reset will make all the difference in how you feel, which will translate into how you interact with your family. The best part about self-care is that it can be anything that feels good for you. It doesn’t have to be a fancy spa trip or an at-home bubble bath. Your daily self-care moment can be as simple as five minutes of alone time to read or do nothing so long as you come out of it feeling nourished.
2. PAIR IT. To ensure you get a few minutes a day of mama love, make a habit of giving yourself a moment of self-care whenever you treat your kids to media time or cookies. Pairing the care of your kids with your own self-care means you’re guaranteed to have nourishing moments at least once daily.
3. FLEXIBILITY. We’ve all had to practice the art of letting go over the last few months, but every day we still need to remind ourselves to release the unimportant things and prioritize the essentials. Making peace with the mess of life and being flexible with what comes your way will help you maintain your sanity. So, if you have a child yanking on your shirt during a Zoom conference call or blocking your floor space mid-burpee during your streaming workout, just take a deep breath and remind yourself that you are flexible, capable and everything will eventually get done…one day.
4. TAG OUT. Moms, while we’re fabulous at being low-key superheroes, conquering every task and problem that comes our way can be so draining. Your mental state is way more important than your ability to just suck it up and push through. Furthermore, you don’t need to be the only person handling and managing everything. So, I encourage you to tag out with your partner or babysitter when you feel yourself dwindling. If you don’t have someone to physically replace you to manage a situation, you can simply take a moment to duck out of the room with the help of media or toys to occupy your kids. Do whatever works for you and your family to take just a few minutes to clear your head and hit your refresh button.
5. BREATHE. As a meditation teacher, I would be remiss not to mention meditation as an excellent strategy for managing back-to-school burnout.
Meditation is a great tool because it helps:
Increase positivity
Enhance focus and productivity
Reduce stress and anxiety
Sleep better
Connect to the present moment
The best part is that you can reap the benefits of meditation from the moment you start trying even if that means you begin with only a few minutes a day.
Try out this breathing technique during a quick meditation:
Start by taking a long, slow deep breath in through your nose and without any pause, flow into a long, slow exhale out of your mouth.
Then flow your exhale back into your inhale without any pause. This is what I like to call the “Ocean Breath” because it flows back and forth continuously like the waves going in and out of the shore. By witnessing your breath and making sure you are flowing your breaths continuously, you are focusing your mind on this single task making it difficult to think about anything that was stressing you out previously.
As we progress into these next few months and return back to school and the looming holiday crunch time, it is essential, now more than ever, to establish healthy strategies to manage our daily mama stressors. It’s okay to give yourself permission to fall back and relax every now and then in order to preserve your wellbeing. By incorporating a daily self-care routine, even for just for a few minutes each day, you will feel nourished, more relaxed, and better equipped to handle other people’s needs. If falling back is okay for our clocks, it certainly can be okay in our lives, too.
My passion is helping others overcome adversity to find joy via meditation training and my podcast “Responding to Life.” I draw upon my unique fertility journey of pregnancy loss, IVF, international adoption and surrogacy, ultimately becoming a mother of five, to show others the power of perseverance, calm and courage.
We asked our #OutdoorsAll4 Facebook Group of over 12,000 parents to share how their kids will be learning this fall. No surprise, the breakdown looks pretty different from school years past: 49% of kids will be learning at home, 28% will participate in “hybrid” or online schooling and 19% are attending a school or center, in person, either full or part time, while the remaining families are either undecided or simply have kids too young for “schooling.”
One thing all of these families agree on, and we know to be true, is that kids need play. If kids are learning at home, they’ll need the opportunity to learn on their own—and how better to do that than through purposeful play? If they’re online for all or part of their schooling, they’ll need breaks to play and go outdoors in order to balance the impact of screen time on their bodies and minds. And, if they are heading into a school environment, they’ll likely benefit from the joy and wellness benefits that outdoor play provides once they’re home for the day. And, grown-ups, don’t forget that play is good for us, too!
How do you build in play? Add in play breaks!
No matter what your family’s schedule, here are some simple tips to build play breaks into the part of the day your kids are home.
If kids are learning at home: Build blocks of time for play into your schedule. Research tells us that kids need a minimum of 30 minutes for self-led play to start, take hold, and realize its magic. Yet we’ve seen play last far longer, kids benefitting from plenty of time to explore and develop their ideas. We recommend 1-hour chunks of time with flexibility to go even longer in your schedule.
If kids are following an online program: Make sure kids use some of the time they’re not required to be on screen to get up, move their bodies, and get outdoors. If you can, schedule at least 30 minutes or more once or twice a day for designated playtime. And, use transition times between tasks to build in small chances to move and be playful.
If kids are going to a school or center: As much as possible, try to refrain from scheduling too many structured activities after school in order to leave more open-ended time for play. Though teachers and schools are doing heroic work to make schools feel like schools, kids’ freedom may often be limited in exchange for their safety—not to mention the extra level of stress on everyone involved. So, all the more reason for free, kid-led play when the school day is done!
If kids need a break: No matter how learning is structured in your house, we all know those moments when kids just need a break—and when we might need one too. A play break can work wonders!
How do you inspire kids to play?
To help all families inspire kids to take a break for play, we have developed our new series—quick, easy ideas that inspire hours of purposeful (and fun!) outdoor play. Starting September 6th, each Sunday, we’ll release a new set of five play break ideas to help inspire play throughout the week.
The ideas surround a new theme every week and are available for three age groups: babies and toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged kids. All of our Play Breaks are derived from our Tinkergarten learning method and are engineered to inspire joy and help balance children’s bodies and minds. For a sneak peek, check out a sample of a week’s worth of Play Breaks designed for preschoolers here.
Step 1: Set up a “Play Break” Jar.
We recommend that you designate a large jar, basket or box as your Play Break grab bag. Each week, print out or write down the Play Break ideas you like best, and put them in your jar. You can always invent and add your own ideas, too! Like one idea in particular? Keep putting it back in the jar—repetition is a wonderful way for kids to deepen the quality of their play!
Step 2: Pick Out an Idea.
Whenever it’s time for a break, let kids pull out one of the ideas at random—the element of surprise adds even more joy to the mix. Read the idea, and off kids go! If you need a break, yourself, join in, and benefit from the chance to play and connect with kids.
Step 3: Talk about the Play
Later, when you have a moment to talk with kids, ask some questions to get kids reflecting on their play Questions like the following can help kids develop their communication skills and give you a window into the kinds of play breaks they’d love more of:
Can you tell me about what you played today?
What did you use to make nature pie?
How did you build a home for your stuffies?
Want even more ways to thrive this fall? Click here to access our Fall Family Playbook.
After 18 years as an educator, curriculum developer and school leader, Meghan has her dream gig—an entrepreneur/educator/mom who helps families everywhere, including hers, learn outside. Today, Meghan serves as co-founder and Chief Learning Officer of Tinkergarten, the national leader in outdoor play-based learning.
If your kids are heading back to school, chances are you are looking for ways to keep them happy and engaged after a day of online or hybrid learning. Little Passports is now offering After School Activities & Adventures. These new subscription boxes are made especially for families looking to enrich their children beyond their traditional curriculum.
After-School Adventure Packs, which include After School in a Box: World Edition (ages 6+) and After School in a Box: Science Junior (ages 5+), are one-of-a-kind kits that draw kids into enriching activities and fun stories related to natural science, STEM, and the world. Each bundle is jam packed with hours of activities that are designed with offline after-school engagement in mind.
Little Passports is now partnering with Homeroom.com, a trusted family resource for student enrichment and online education, to offer teacher-led classes. Children have the opportunity to explore, build, and discover Little Passports’ world and science kits, with the guidance of an instructor and alongside other kids! Homeroom.com is offering 4 different Little Passports classes for children between the ages of 5-10, and each class offers a series of 60-min lessons.
You won’t even need Floo powder to get to Diagon Alley. Harry Potter fans will be transported to the most magical shopping street in the world. Now you can build and create the iconic street in your own home.
Diagon Alley is where Harry Potter gets his first glimpse of the wizarding world as Hagrid guides him through the shops. This new LEGO set brings the two worlds together in a magical hybrid, a rich and versatile display model, with a modularity aspect that allows fans to choose how to display the shops. You can choose to set them up all in a row, swap them around, or even place individual shops on different shelves.
Measuring more than a meter wide and made up of 5,544 pieces, LEGO Diagon Alley features the famed wizarding world shops packed with authentic details from the movies to truly capture the ambience of the street.
Behind magnificent and detailed storefronts lie intriguing interiors, fascinating features and familiar characters. Fans can recreate some of their favourite moments from the Harry Potter film series including; discovering the wands at Ollivanders from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone dropping in on Gilderoy Lockhart’s book-signing event at Flourish & Blotts bookstore from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets; or obtaining a love potion from Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
Marcos Bessa, LEGO Harry Potter Design Lead, commented: “I love how faithful the final design is to the architectural details in the film. You can barely see some of these buildings zooming past your screen, but we tracked down different photographs from the sets – some of them from nearly 20 years ago – to make sure everything is spot on. Diagon Alley is the biggest set I’ve designed to-date and I am really proud of how it has come together.”
The set also includes 14 minifigures, including new versions of lead characters Harry, Ron, Hermione and of course George and Fred Weasley who have their own joke shop in Diagon Alley. There are also minifigures of Florean Fortescue and the Daily Prophet photographer, who have never been seen in LEGO form before.
The LEGO Harry Potter Diagon Alley set is available directly from LEGO Stores and www.LEGO.com/EnterTheMagic from Sept. 1, 2020. It retails for $399.99.
Distance learning brings with it many challenges, but now Adobe is looking to make the transition a little easier. Adobe is offering Creative Cloud application access at no additional charge to all students and teachers from Aug. 24, 2020 through Jan. 31, 2021 for current U.S. K-12 volume license customers. New U.S. K-12 Creative Cloud customers can also take advantage of these cost-savings by purchasing a volume license for their school or district, giving access (including at-home) to all students and teachers at no additional charge.
We are accustomed to a classroom model for education. Our new reality of distance and hybrid learning is changing the way institutions operate, how educators teach and how student success is measured and achieved.
For decades, Adobe has partnered with educators and education leaders and they remain committed to helping foster positive student outcomes amidst this changing landscape. This latest offer builds on a series of education initiatives put in place throughout this year.
For higher education and 2020 college graduates, Adobe is granting free access to Adobe Portfolio for one year to help them demonstrate their creative skills, which are essential differentiators in today’s fast evolving job landscape.
For parents and educators (K-12 and higher education), Adobe’s Distance Learning Hub provides practical teaching and learning resources. This includes unique curricula such as Khan + Create, a creative lesson plan on the Adobe Education Exchange developed in partnership with the Khan Academy.
The newly launched Adobe Creative Educator program also connects educators around the world and helps them learn how to foster critical skills like creativity in remote learning environments.
Additional resources for educators and parents can be found on AdobeForEducation.com, including industry-leading research on creative problem solving and the creative skills gap in today’s workforce.
Even though the beginning of this school year looks different than years past, kids are still looking forward to meeting new teachers and classmates. Even if this year consists of remote or hybrid learning there is the excitement that comes with buying new clothes, shoes and supplies. Nordstrom is proud to continue its partnership with customers and the nonprofit Shoes That Fit for the tenth year in a row to provide brand-new and well-fitting sneakers to kids in need in local communities.
Starting today and through Oct. 4, customers can purchase $10 giving cards in all Nordstrom stores or donate online. One hundred percent of proceeds from every giving card purchased goes toward the gift of one pair of new sneakers for a child in need. Individuals can also make an online, tax-deductible donation at www.shoesthatfit.org/Nordstrom.
“At Nordstrom, we are committed to making a difference in our communities,” said Scott Meden, chief marketing officer at Nordstrom. “Each pair of shoes donated represents a child with more confidence, hope, self-esteem and joy. We are thankful to our customers and employees who have helped us give more than 200,000 pairs of shoes to kids in need over the last 10 years.”
Since 2010, together with its customers, Nordstrom has raised nearly $4 million to give 200,000 kids in need a brand-new pair of shoes. These shoes have been delivered at schools across the United States, all of which have a high percentage of students on free or reduced lunch programs. When children receive their new shoes through the Shoes That Fit program, schools shared that 40% of those students increased attendance and 87% reported increased self-esteem.
“For children to reach their full potential, they need to feel good about themselves. Creating this confidence in children at a young age is empowering and critical to their future success,” said Amy Fass, CEO of Shoes That Fit. “We are proud to partner with Nordstrom to give back to these children and invest in their future.”
This year, Nordstrom has also enlisted the help of Olympic gold-medalist Gabby Douglas to encourage people to help the retailer donate over 35,000 shoes to kids in need.
Beyond the partnership with Shoes That Fit, Nordstrom supports the local communities where it does business. In 2019, the company donated nearly $11 million to 392 organizations in every community where Nordstrom does business. Many of these organizations provide basic necessities to kids and families so they can thrive and reach their full potential.
This back-to-school season is unlike any other. Children and parents are continuing to navigate this new normal of distance and hybrid learning. A national survey by Rice Krispies Treats with real parents and kids uncovered the key moments when our kids might crave a little extra love this school year, and parents might not realize it.
When kids seek reassurance, many parents don’t really know how important their tender words are. For example:
More than 75% of kids say meeting a new teacher, starting a new school and trying out for a new sports team as times when they need extra love from their parents. However, less than 50% of parents think their kids need more support during these moments.
As kids get older, they need as much support, or even more, than they did when they were younger. Yet parents admit they show less support to children ages 9 to 12 than those ages 7 to 8.1
The top moment kids crave more support is when they leave for school each morning.
One way to help kids feel more supported: nearly 80% of kids said they crave a handwritten note. Rice Krispies Treats used the survey findings to create limited-edition “Love in Case of” kits, giving parents a new way to connect and show support.
The kits draw on the experience provided by real families, along with the expertise of actress, TV host and mom of three, Vanessa Lachey, and Lori Gottlieb, author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed. Inside the kits, parents will find 12 moments when a handwritten note on a Rice Krispies Treats writable wrapper provides more love, when it’s needed. And when do kids crave a note most? The survey says it’s that nerve-wracking morning moment when they leave home, which makes it the prime time to give kids love that will stick.
“Preparing for a new school year is always filled with new challenges, and this year I know my kids will be adapting to new routines,” Lachey said. “The Rice Krispies Treats writable wrapper gives me an easy, delicious way to reassure them that they are ‘New Routine Rockstars’ as they re-adjust to school day mornings, and the confidence to get their day started right.”
Inspiring parents to find moments when they might express a little extra love is part of the Rice Krispies Treats identity. From the creating the first writable wrapper to making a stand for inclusivity by creating Braille love notes and sensory stickers for children with autism, Rice Krispies Treats are a simple way for parents to share their support.
“While most parents know the importance of showing love and support to nurture their children, there are certain moments when kids need extra love to flourish,” said Gottlieb, a licensed marriage and family therapist and bestselling author who helped curate the “Love in Case of” moments.
The survey reinforces that it’s important to give support and more love even as kids grow older.
“Whether it’s a hug or a personal message on a Rice Krispies Treats writable wrapper, a little love shines brightest when delivered at the right moment,” Gottlieb said.
The “Love in Case of” kits are available exclusively at KelloggStore.com for $10 each. For each kit sold between Aug. 20 and Sept. 30, 2020, Kellogg will donate $20 to No Kid Hungry, which can provide up to 200 meals ($1 can provide up to 10 meals) to kids in need. The kits include 12 unique moments curated from the national survey, as well as 12 Rice Krispies Treats featuring writable wrappers. For parents looking for additional inspiration, the kits include sample messages created in partnership with Gottlieb.
“Rice Krispies Treats first featured writable wrappers because they allowed parents to show love and support even when they can’t be there,” said Sarah Reinecke, Director of Brand Marketing for Kellogg’s Portable Wholesome Snacks. “While we’ve expanded the types of messages over the years — from Braille to sensory stickers — our mission continues to be inspiring parents with ways to bring a smile to their kid’s face. The “Love in Case of” kits help identify moments when children will appreciate a little extra love the most.”
Kellogg’s donation to No Kid Hungry contributes to Kellogg’s Better Days goal to help end hunger and create better days for 3 billion people by the end of 2030. For more information on Rice Krispies Treats or for additional tips from Lori Gottlieb on how to communicate with kids at certain ages, visit RiceKrispies.com. Parents also can also watch videos and see influencers’ photos that show when their own children needed a little extra love and just how Rice Krispies Treats writable wrappers helped them.
