In short, the C.O.B. plan is an activity: Communication, Organization and Benevolence are the ingredients needed to get through this situation, which when you think about it, brings us closer to what's most important: our family.

As I'm telecommuting with my husband and our 3 boys (the eldest in CE1 and 2-year-old twins in crèche), I've drawn up a schedule for the next few days so that we don't have to think all day long about what to do with our children in addition to our work. So I'm sharing with you what we plan to do with our children.

This schedule may seem overwhelming or even frightening! It's an example, and you need to be flexible. I'm a fan of planning and organization, but not everyone is, so take what you can use and throw away the rest if you're someone who works by intention and doesn't like to plan. We're all different.

You'll see that the days are very short. The fact is that it's very difficult for children of these ages to stay in one activity for long, so there are a lot of 30-minute slots.

Here are the schedules you'll find every Monday:

• It's a framework for the day, but it doesn't have to be followed to the letter (we're flexible and adaptable). Discuss it with your child to get his or her opinion.
• Internet links take you directly to the activities.
• We're printing it for the primaries, which will make them more responsible.
• We do what we can for the under-6s, who can quickly drop out of activities (which is normal).
• You'll need to take 5 minutes each time to explain to the child what he's going to do, and it's ideal to keep an eye on him, except of course when he's out playing in his room.
• On the 1st days, your children will need you to start the activities, and then they will become increasingly independent.

Of course, for the older kids, there's the homework given by the teachers, but there are also activities that will help them develop their soft skills (21st century skills), which are very important at Soft Kids.

With Colori, your children will develop their logic, with Meditation and Petit Bambou, they'll learn to manage their emotions, and finally they'll develop their creativity with Plume. It's time to discover new things and do new activities!

A very important rule: if your child comes to you and says he's bored, it's because he needs attention. If you're not in a telephone meeting, stop and spend 5 minutes with your child (reading a story, talking, having a fight). Often, 5 minutes of parental attention is enough to satisfy the child and get him back to his activities. It's much more effective than saying "yes, I'll be with you in 5 minutes".

 Finally, if the situation is desperate, get out the "I'm bored" box.

We wish you all the best for the days ahead and don't forget how lucky we are to be at home with our children, with food and an internet connection to keep us connected to the rest of the world!

Solenne

Founder of Soft Kids.