Family

Advice, tips and lifetsyle features aimed at parents, children and families.

Seven reasons why rainy days in lockdown can be a good thing

The weather has the power to change our mood – from joy-inducing sunshine, to the thrill of opening the curtains to snow on a winter’s day.

That is not so much the case with rain, which can turn our plans upside down, and leave us housebound when we wanted to be outdoors. This is especially true during lockdown, when time outside is so very precious.

Suddenly garden time,...

Portrait of worried young woman feeling stressed and desperate asking for help in paying debt

Six financial fears affecting us all right now and how to deal with them

With many of us experiencing income shocks right now, our money worries have, understandably, escalated.

Nearly a third of people in the UK have already seen their household incomes hit by the coronavirus pandemic, consulting company Kantar recently found, while a separate survey from Hargreaves Lansdown revealed a quarter (26%) of people in full-time work are worried about losing...

As Prince Louis turns two, some top tips for celebrating a birthday in lockdown

Telling a child they won’t be able to see their friends and family on their birthday can feel like one of the more devastating parts of being a parent in lockdown.

Despite knowing you’re doing the right thing by staying home, it’s hard not to feel like you’ve let them down, especially if you’ve had to cancel elaborate birthday plans that have been months in the making.

It’s...

Parent and child spending family time home schooling.

Home learning best practice advice for parents

Under normal circumstances, today would be the beginning of the Summer Term. Now, however, thousands of children across the UK will return to home-schooling instead, since schools have been shut officially since the 20th March. Many parents elected to take a break from lessons and observe the Easter Holiday; however, now parents and their kids must pick up their pencils again to carry on with...

How to make family video conferencing during lockdown more fun. Getty Images/iStockphoto

Ten ways to make family video calls more fun

Video calls are helping millions of families stay connected right now – but with daily life deep in Groundhog Day mode for many of us, it’s easy to run out of things to talk about.

Switching it up with some good, old-fashioned organised challenges can boost the amusement factor – and give you all something to talk about that isn’t just what you had for lunch.

Want some new...

Coleen Nolan, Loose Women presenter on family.

Coleen Nolan on how to make blended families work

Parenting is tough at the best of times, but it can be even harder when you’re trying to blend two families, as Loose Women’s Coleen Nolan found out during her second marriage.

Nolan shares her 19-year-old daughter Ciara with ex-husband Ray Fensome, who she was divorced from in 2018, and sons Shane, 31, and Jake, 27, from her marriage to Shane Richie, which came to an end in 1997....

Young girl preparing to cook for her family with eggs.

How to cook with your kids during the lockdown

Getting children involved in cooking from an early age can help them to develop the skills they need to plan and cook healthy meals throughout their lives as well as overcoming picky-eating.

With most children being schooled at home during the Coronavirus pandemic, now could be a good opportunity to teach them some healthy cooking skills.

With fast food outlet closures, it...

Woman working at home on her Apple Mac computer. Family.

More than a third of people finding it more difficult to work from home during the C-19 lockdown

With news of the three-week lockdown extension, a new national survey of 2,000 people into the experience of home working shows that 37% are finding it more and more difficult to work from home, but are prepared to carry on.

The survey commissioned by www.moneypenny.com , the leading outsourced communications company, showed that a further 6% said they don’t feel they can work from...

Happy funny child draws laughing shows hands dirty with paint. Family.

How to get kids off their screens during lockdown

Dawn Isaac, author of 101 Things for Kids to Do Screen-Free, suggests kids should have designated daily screen-free time, and shares activity ideas.

Confined within four walls for the forseeable future, countless children are becoming even more dependent on screens to stave off the boredom of lockdown.

And while many parents will welcome the social interaction and...

Covid-19: How it affects child contact if you are a separated parent

Specialist family lawyer Hannah Porter from The Family Law Company explains what government recommendations about social distancing mean for separated parents deciding whether contact between children and the non-resident parent should go ahead.

Associate Solicitor Hannah says, “We are all now aware of advice regarding staying at home, social distancing. and avoiding any gatherings...