Family

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

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...

Couple in bed. Working from home. Lifestyle.

Two in three Brits say working from home has already put a strain on their relationship

At first, the prospect of working at home with your partner can seem exciting as you can spend more time together and sleep in for a few more minutes each morning.

However, after a few days of being in one another’s space all the time, your relationship dynamic may start getting a little tense.

CherryDigital.co , a London-based public relations agency, conducted a survey of...

Family. A girl draws a planet of the world with colored chalk on the asphalt. Children’s drawings, paintings and concepts. Education and art, be creative when you return to school. earth, Peace day. jpg PICTURE: Getty Images/iStockphoto

How can I stop my child feeling so scared about the future of our planet?

My seven-year-old child is really scared about climate change and what’s going to happen to our planet. What’s the best way to talk to her about it, and help her feel less anxious?

Scientist and environmentalist Matthew Shribman says: “It’s understandable that your daughter is worried, but she’s not alone. A recent report by McCain entitled Nation’s Conversations found children were...

Will supermarket workers be able to keep two metres away from customers? Family (Danny Lawson/PA)

What it feels like to send your son back to work on the front line at a supermarket

Hannah Stephenson shares her fears as her son returns to work in a supermarket after a period of self-isolation.

“Stay two metres apart, don’t forget your hand sanitiser. Do you have your gloves?”

These were my parting words to my 21-year-old son this morning, who left the self-isolation of home to resume his place on the front line – not of the NHS, but of the supermarket...

Home education and school equipment. Getty Images/iStockphoto

Ten top home schooling tips

Are you one of the many parents homeschooling since schools closed? Do you have a sharpened sense of respect for the teaching profession? Are those long summer holidays teachers enjoy looking less of a perk and more of a necessity?

Well, fear not, here are some home schooling tips for stressed out parents.

1. Get into a routine

By now, as you’ve probably established...

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