Just like on a school day it helps to keep a variety of activities. So learning moments, but also rest periods and fixed exercise moments. Make appointments, but do not expect your child to understand everything immediately and try not to get annoyed if, for example, your child wants your attention during an important work phone call.

• Use a family calendar - it can help to make a weekly calendar with your children, to keep a feel for the time. It is also important to continue to distinguish between weekdays and weekend days.
• Go outside - for the time being, we can still go outside (provided no one is ill), so as a parent you can play a game or cycle around with your own children in the parking lot. Build in regular exercise moments in a day where you do ten minutes of exercises or games. If necessary in the garden.
• Expect boredom! - children will probably get bored, whine or make noise. Every parent knows the difficulties, in which you hear yourself say a hundred times: take it easy, be quiet, it usually makes little sense. What we recommend to parents in such situations: create one place in the house, it can be a mat or on the mat in the hallway, where your child can breathe when it goes completely crazy. Often that anger just has to get out, then you can continue again. Agree with older children where they can relax for a while when irritation and anger bubble up, so that they can talk again after they have cooled off.
• Adjust your expectations - you can explain to older children that they have to do something for themselves. However, you cannot expect a toddler to not cry or need you when you are in consultation with colleagues. For example, set the kitchen timer when they have to do something for themselves for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Create a schedule - tailor your routine to your family needs and make it visible to everyone. Talk regularly about how the schedule is going and what might need to be adapted. 

Related resources:

• Forest - stay focused - helps manage screen time and task management. Grow a virtual forest with friends.
• Goodtime  - helps manage time. Can be used with the pomodoro technique.
• Study Bunny  - study with a friend and earn rewards. 

The current situation is very novel for everybody involved. The school is also trying to work out the appropriate level of work to allocate to the students. If you feel the workload is too heavy please feed this back to the school so we can make appropriate adjustments. The issue of screen time is a hotly debated topic in society today and there are mixed opinions on the potential impact (either negative or positive) on teens. Finding a balance needs to be in line with your own beliefs on the topic. Two very important factors in remaining healthy are sleep and exercise. If the amount of screen time is affecting your child’s sleep or exercise it can potentially have harmful effects, as such encouraging some exercise away from the screen and having no screen time just before bed can be helpful in staying healthy.

Related resources:

• Screen time study

Anxiety is a normal and natural response to a challenging situation infused with danger and uncertainty.  The danger is that we can get lost in worrying and ruminating about the problems we face, and this can be very unhelpful.  It is important that we encourage young people to focus on what is in their control and let go of unhelpful ruminating.  For example, we can encourage young people to follow the social distancing recommendations by the government (within our control) and not ruminate on what may happen in the future (out of our control).

Related resources:

• F.A.C.E Covid 19
• Supporting children in disasters
• CoronaVirus Anxiety: 4 Ways to cope with Fear
• https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/02/parenting/virus-children-depression-signs.html

We've been trying out a few different apps that you might find helpful at the moment.  Here's a list of our top recommendations:

General wellbeing and managing your mood:

• https://woebot.io/
• https://www.superbetter.com/

Creating routine and establishing new habits:

• https://habitchallenge.co/

Meditation/mindfulness

• Headspace
• Breathr App
• Smiling mind app

Dealing with self harm:

• https://calmharm.co.uk/

Bereavement/grief:

• https://apartofme.app/

Losing someone hurts and it's hard to see your child affected by losing someone they care about.  Everyone experiences loss in their own way and there's no right or wrong way for a child/teenager to process their grief.  However they are reacting to it, you can make a real difference by being there for them and supporting them through it.

It sounds obvious, but the most important thing is not to let them go through it alone.  Be there, listen, give them space to talk and ask questions, answer their questions as honestly as you can and give them time and space to chose how they want to grieve.

Make time for yourself too and grieve together.  You will also be affected by the loss if you knew the person who has died or if they were a member of your family, and you need time to grieve too.  If you don't know the person who died, for example if they were one of your child's classmates, then supporting your grieving child can still be emotional and difficult for you.

Here are some links to some more information about losing someone;

Understanding grief and loss:

• https://grief.com/
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/funerals-coronavirus-grieving/2020/03/20/bc07aafc-69f3-11ea-abef-020f086a3fab_story.html
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsYL4PC0hyk

Practical tips for supporting your child:

• https://www.dougy.org/grief-resources/how-to-help-a-grieving-teen/
• https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/for-parents/parents-guide-to-support-a-z/parents-guide-to-support-grief-and-loss/
• https://whatsyourgrief.com/helping-a-teenager-deal-with-grief-2/

Links to some sources for online counselling:

• https://truman-group.com/
• https://www.betterhelp.com/

Finding hope again after grief:

• https://www.theguardian.com/profile/lea-waters
• https://youtu.be/LIWQ0mPAc6E

It's very natural to be worried about your children going back to school.  There is a lot of uncertainty and questions around how it will be, and it’s natural to feel anxious, nervous or scared about it.

Below you will find some resources about how to support your children and how to help them prepare for returning to school.

Also, be aware of your own worries about the situation and how this can have an impact on your children (even if you don’t talk about your worries explicitly).  Talk to someone about your feelings, especially if you’re struggling or finding it difficult.  Take time to look after yourself as well as being there for your child(ren).

Related resources:

• https://www.changingfaces.org.uk/adviceandsupport/self-help/parents/after-lockdown-worries-about-returning-to-school
• https://kidshelpline.com.au/parents/issues/returning-normal-after-covid-19
• https://theconversation.com/7-tips-to-help-kids-feeling-anxious-about-going-back-to-school-139207
• https://www.abc.net.au/life/helping-kids-with-the-transition-back-to-school/12247052

One of the great attributes we see in students is the ability to adapt to new situations. This is especially true of international students, and families like you! You and your child(ren) are more skilled than most at adapting to new situations. Perhaps you moved countries before? Or schools? What skills did you use to help you in those times? Remember…..if you and your family have done this before, you can do it again!

Here's an interesting article about how international (or 'third culture') kids might be coping with the current situation better than others;

• https://cristalindberg.com/2020/03/30/the-kids-are-just-fine-why-third-culture-kids-will-manage-the-covid-19-crisis-better/