How to entertain, and teach kids during the Coronavirus quarantine
This might actually be worse than summer break. During quarantine due to the Coronavirus, kids have nowhere to go, can't spend time outside or play with friends, and worse, we don't know when it will all end. With so many parents making the shift to work/teach from home, it can be overwhelming to say the least. Many of us aren’t professional teachers, and since we never saw this coming, we find ourselves trying to adjust to a new normal on the fly.
That said, there are plenty of lessons our kids actually don’t get in school. This time in quarantine is an opportunity to explore and teach valuable life skills and lessons like self-defense, first-aid, the importance of being healthy, and even time management.
A few teaching lessons for this time in quarantine:
Cooking and cleaning. Teaching children how to cook and clean are essential life skills that are rarely taught in school these days. schools really don’t no longer teach students and are left up to the kids to eventually learn on their own. This time in isolation is the perfect opportunity to spend valuable time with your children, allowing them to participate in hands-on experiences that spark an interest in the food they eat.
When kids have a chance to be active in the kitchen, they do not get to see how food is made, but they gain a better appreciation moving forward when it comes to meal time. As a parent this is the perfect time to help your family make healthy decisions for life. I’ve found that by having my little guys “help” me in the kitchen, they’re more open to trying new foods because they’ve seen them before. When they get to be a part of the process, they are less likely to turn their nose up at different foods because now they’re more familiar.
Chores and life skills. Oftentimes, kids think cleaning and doing laundry is a chore when in reality it is a life skill that can prevent outbreaks, such as COVID-19, from happening again. It is inevitable that kids are going to find out about the outbreak so it is up to us as parents to teach them the proper way to clean the surfaces around them and even the proper way to wash their hands.
By allowing them to be hands-on, we’re really teaching them a certain level of responsibility, but we’re also instilling in them a sense of being self-sufficient. In the future, should they face something like this again, they will have a better understanding of how to react and what steps to take to protect themselves.
Bonus activities:
(Depending on the age of your child)
Treasure hunt on walks
Plant a seedling
Music lessons
Make Play Dough
Make a time capsule and burry it in the yard
Build a fort or pitch a tent in the living room
Let your child develop a lesson plan
Painting/puzzles/board games
Write a grocery list
Sensory boxes with rice, beans or pasta that they can use while playing with toy trucks/cars
Bubble machine or bubble guns
Feed lunch outside picnic style
There are always lots of fun ideas on Pinterest as well!
Fun activity alert: A fun way to show kids the importance of washing their hands is by putting pepper in a bowl of water, this represents the “germs”. Then, dip your finger in soap and lower it into the bowl - you’ll see the “germs” run away from the finger. Kids find this fascinating! A fun, yet simple little experiment to teach kids the importance of washing their hands and staying clean.
Coping with kids in quarantine
Practicing patience
As difficult as it might be at times, punishing your children for not understanding what is going on or seemingly “acting out” is simply an added stressor that no one needs right now. Their whole life has been put on hold as well, we have to practice patience as much as possible. Their world is so much smaller than ours, so losing the little bit of structure that they had is going to be difficult. The best thing we can do right now is support them, offer them guidance, and provide as much structure as possible.
What to keep in mind?
Keeping yourself and your family on a schedule will ensure a productive day ahead. This is the perfect time to practice time management, and teach the importance of finishing tasks on time. Giving kids some sort of structure sets them up for success by providing them with the tools needed to get through any tough times in the future.
Here is an example of what a daily schedule looks like in our home:
Breakfast
Walk
Free play: play in playhouse/ trampoline/ lots of reading/painting
Elio, Nap and Enzo, IPad time or farm time
Lunch
Enzo, Nap and Elio, play and watching me cook/clean
Everyone awake for backyard play/soccer/bubbles
Dinner
Bed
How are you tackling quarantine with kids? Consistency is key when it comes to keeping the whole family in a routine. Waking up around the same time every day, assessing the plan for that day, and executing is a great way to not only teach life skills, but it also sets little ones up for success during uncertain times.
Try and think about how you want your children to remember this time. Make it as fun as you can. I know many of you are working full time from home and having to take care of kids and trying to keep a clean house. I see you, and you are doing a great job! <3
If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, or in need of guidance and support during this time, I’d love to connect - feel free to reach out to me directly right here!
xoxo,
Lindsay