Teaching School-Life Balance to Children

A healthy work-family life balance is something every parent and caregiver strives for. It’s also something we stress over because achieving and maintaining that balance is difficult. Parents often experience problems juggling work and family responsibilities because both are important. The stress of being pulled in different directions can also affect our children.

Teaching balance to children from an early age provides them with a skill they will use their entire life, to make a better, happier life for themselves. Not only does this prepare them for adulthood, but it also teaches them skills they can apply right now.

Here are some ways to help teach a work-life balance to children:

1. Make School Your Priority While You’re at School
   It’s inevitable to think of other things such as family and fun while at school. However, we must try to avoid letting our concentration be disrupted. Focusing on our school tasks helps us to take care of our responsibilities more quickly and efficiently, increasing our appreciation of home life when we get there each day.
2. Make Family Your Priority When You Are with Them
   Our family needs and deserves our attention. Living in the moment increases happiness and can enhance the potential for memory-making. Make sure family members are spending more time with each other than with screens. Recharging by enjoying each other helps to make us more productive and successful at work and school.
3. Be Organized – Create a Routine
   Being organized can prevent major stressors and life is easier to manage if we follow a basic routine every day. Routine also creates safety, builds healthy habits, and calms chaos.
4. Have Realistic Expectations
   Every task cannot be accomplished in a day and every task will not be fun. Break tasks down into reasonable sections and incorporate something you love to do.
5. Ensure You Have Alternating Periods of Work and Play
   Build in time to rest. All work and no play/rest can discourage anyone and create overwhelm or disdain for school. Teach your children not to overwhelm themselves or take on more than they are able to handle by encouraging and modeling play, fun and rest.
6. Work Together – Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
   By dividing tasks at home, the household will run smoother, leaving more time to enjoy one another.

By dividing tasks at home, the household will run smoother, leaving more time to enjoy one another.

If you are looking for more tips around positive parenting, Nationwide Children’s Hospital offers free Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) support on a wide variety of topics for parents of young children. For more information, click here, email TripleP@NationwideChildrens.org or call (614) 355-8099.