Health and Balance
Let's maintain balance.
We're washing our hands and keeping our distance. We're catching our coughs and sneezes. We're focused on staying physically healthy.
But wait!
ESPECIALLY IN THIS TIME OF UNCERTAINTY AND CHANGED ROUTINES, WE NEED TO ATTEND TO OUR EMOTIONAL, RELATIONAL, MENTAL, AND SPIRITUAL HEALTH, AS WELL.
Below are some suggestions for keeping everyone in the family healthy in each of those areas.
What's important is that you establish a system that is manageable in your home:
Adapt ideas to what works for your crew and context.
Combine activities for maximum benefit: read outside, ride bikes with a neighbor.
See below for how to schedule activities while maintaining flexibility.
Keep the focus on health and balance.
Let's use this opportunity to refocus and rebalance our lives together!
Schedule with Flexibility.
Routine and consistency are important for all of us, especially kids. During this time when our normal routine is interrupted, we can create a temporary new one.
Numerous printables are available online.
Print a premade schedule or create your own.
Incorporate flexibility into whatever you choose.
Try not to schedule every minute of the day.
Rather than being tied to a repetitive daily schedule, you may opt for one with moveable pieces.
My kids created an empty one-day template and tacked it onto an old corkboard. This works great using magnets on the fridge, as well.
Cut out activity labels that fit into the 30-minute time slots on the template.
The activities include a variety of options that fall within the categories of health listed above: physical, emotional, mental, relational, and spiritual.
Every morning, each person chooses activities representative of all categories and fits them into his/her daily schedule however desired...leaving plenty of white space in between.
Some overlap with other family members', so they can engage in certain activities together.
They often have their "outside play" or "exercise" together.
Others, like "personal time" they do separately.
Since the activities are push-pinned into place, they can be moved as needed throughout the day.