​Children do best when they know what to expect throughout the day. At the same time, families are juggling many demands—both familiar ones and new ones. School closures due to COVID-19 have given families added responsibilities for managing children’s academic schedules along with adult work schedules and the normal family activities. It can be overwhelming. Here are some suggestions to help with scheduling.

Sketch it out. To help you plan each day and week, we’ve provided a blank schedule template that you can print out and put on your refrigerator or bulletin board for everyone to review. In BellXcel Remote, your scholar’s daily activities will consist of online or phone time with teachers, independent work time, and activities that can be done with family members. The program will also provide daily wellness activities. 

As you put together your family schedule, it’s helpful to identify the tasks your child does every day—including getting dressed, eating snacks and meals, household chores, physical activity, and rest breaks. Also consider beginning each day with some kind of physical movement, to wake up brains and bodies.

Plan reasonable blocks of time. For younger children, we recommend breaking up the day into 20-minute blocks of work time, followed by 10 minutes of physical activity. Older children may be able to focus longer, but they still need encouragement to take frequent breaks. 

Be flexible. It’s important to balance consistency with flexibility, allowing variation from day to day as needed. We encourage you to create routines that work for both you and your scholar, without adding extra stress. Remember that if something is not working, you can always change it.