Setting up the environment to increase independence
Pandemic or not, being a parent is challenging. Supporting your kids on their virtual school while working from home or completing your daily responsibility as a grownup, that’s even more challenging.
When you are working from home whilst carrying out a parental duty, your schedule may look something like this:
7:08-7:10: Make coffee
7:10 – 7:25: Check your work email
7:35- 7:50: Get yourself ready (waist-up version)
8:05 – 8:07: Heat up coffee in the microwave
8:15 – 8:20: Check your schedule
8:25 – 8:26: Reheat your coffee again
8:40 - 8:45: Set up for your zoom meeting
and so on..
The day is chopped up into so many segments with countless interruptions.
Why do you have to get interrupted so much? Your kids need help in picking their clothes for the day. They don’t know how to log onto their Chromebook. They can’t find the notebook they need for zoom. Oh, and they also need to be fed several times a day.
They constantly need you to make it all happen for them.
Is there a solution to this? Can my day somehow be operated more smoothly with less frustrating moments?
Yes there is, and Yes it can!
You can make your day less busy and frustrating by getting your kids to be more independent.
What is more, you can increase their independence simply by tweaking your living space.
Environment has a tremendous influence on one’s behavior. You can engage in certain behaviors easier by having certain people, places, or items easily accessible to you.
Here are some examples of how you can arrange your environment to increase your kids’ independence, which result in a smoother, more relaxing day
Set up coat and mask hangers near the front door and adjusted to their height.
With the hangers within their reach, kids can get ready for a walk and out the door on their own. They can also put away those items on their own upon return.
Put your kid’s zoom materials in one location.
where they can access, so they can take responsibility of their supplies.
Post login and passwords at their designated work station.
Post it on their device, pin it on a wall, write it on a card, put it on a frame and put it on the desk, anything works!
Set a study carrel.
Kids can easily get distracted during their zoom sessions or while working on their homework. A helpful remedy for this is to set a study carrel. You can post their schedule, materials (e.g., pencil, scissors, etc.) to make it convenient. You can also decorate the carrel to make it more fun for them.
Arrange your kid’s room so that every toy, book and article of clothing have place to be stored away.
If they are anything like my kids, they like to hold onto candy wrappings, bottle caps, pieces of cloth, bubble wrap, and a bunch of random things that are hardly called toys. Have one box for those miscellaneous items to be stored (temporarily) as well.
Put snacks for the day aside.
Pack a container with the amount of snack each child can get for the day. If you’d like, you can even separate the container into two, one section for morning snacks and the other for afternoon. When it’s snack time, they can access the ‘snack box’ themselves.
If you decide not to separate morning and afternoon, your kids may decide to finish it all up in the first break. Once they learn that they don’t get any more snacks, you can conveniently teach them to plan ahead!
They may still ask you to drop what you are doing and demand your attention.
Combining the tricks above with tips on waiting, you are teaching your kids patience and independence, resulting in help make your day cruise smoother.
I hope you found these tips helpful in increasing your kids’ independence and making your day run smoother.
If you’re interested in learning more or want to schedule a time to talk about your specific concerns, feel free to contact me for a free phone consultation.
Register Here for the upcoming Free Webinar: How to Stop Your Child from Tantruming and You from Yelling and Feeling Defeated on Thursday, February 18th at 11am & 7pm PST or Saturday, February 20th at 11am!
Chisato Komatsu, PhD, BCBA-D, is a licensed psychologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst at the doctoral level with over 18 years of experience studying and working in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). I utilize evidence-based interventions, which help individuals and parents learn how to take action in their lives to achieve ideal outcomes in a safe, confidential and empathic environment. I work in Culver City and greater Los Angeles area. I am available for telehealth sessions for families throughout CA. Contact me at chisato@littlepineconsult.com or (323) 285-2221 to schedule a free consultation.
