My supply teaching tips #2

Preparation – take 15 minutes each evening to prepare for the next day. Check your timetable, make any packed lunches, put a load in the washer, stack the dishwasher, lay out clothes and pack bags for the next day.

Allocate a day to each household task – Monday, focus on your online shopping order for the next week; Tuesday, deal with any letters to and from your children’s school / nursery; Wednesday, love your kitchen; Thursday, love yourself, etc. Do make sure one of these days is about you, it will give you strength to manage the rest of the week!

Cherish the weekend – don’t let it become your housework time, let it be your family’s time. Even if you have to work every night after the children have gone to bed (leaving one night a week free for spending time with your partner), weekends are precious.

Communicate with your children’s carers – while you are at work, your children may be at school, or with a child minder, at nursery, with their other parent or grandparents. Whomever they are with, you need to be able to communicate effectively with them. You need to trust that you can get hold of them whenever you need to, and that your child will be safe with them. You also need to have plans in place for if you are detained at work. Make sure you have all contact details not only stored on your mobile device, but also on paper.

Rope them in – from as young as 18 months my son was helping with the laundry! As long as its fun, it can be done. Don’t start off with extrinsic rewards such as sticker charts, the rewards may end up getting larger as your child grows. Make it a game, a competition, a race, and let the children know that you really appreciate them helping you with a big kiss, a high five, and a cuddle at the end.

Raising a young family? Had a flurry of last minute calls recently? Share your top tips on how to manage the household and the job!

Where next? There’s a great quick read here on taking turns. Check out our resources area here too.