In what feels like a strange horror movie, most of the world is placed under a quarantine to avoid the further spread of Covid-19. Some older children may begin to understand what’s happening, a toddler most likely won’t. Try explaining to a 3 year old why school is closed for a month, why mom and dad aren’t allowed to go to work and why we can’t leave the house. It’s a lot for a toddler. And it’s a lot for parents. Home-schooling children isn’t easy, so here are a few helpful tips we wanted to share with all you parents out there. We’re all in this together, let’s get through it together.
Arts & Crafts:
This is the first thing that comes to mind when entertaining a toddler, but again, it’s not easy. Arts & Crafts stimulate creativity (which is helpful when you’re stuck indoors), it helps toddler focus and helps with their fine motor skills. If you need some arts & crafts ideas, we’ll be doing daily projects on our sister siteModamob’s instagram you can do with us.
Go for a walk around the neighborhood:
Get some fresh air by taking quick, but frequent walks around your street. It’s important to get some fresh air. If you have a backyard, you can even do this in the comfort of your home. Bonus: you get to stay in your pajamas.
Build a Fort/Castle:
Let’s get creative! You know those flat sheets that come with bed sheet sets that you never use? Use them now to build a fort or a castle. It’s a fun way to act like a kid yourself. Bonus: maybe your dog can play the role of a small dragon circling the fort or castle? It’s all about imagination!
Have them help you with food prep:
We’re all going to become master chefs by the time this quarantine is over, so why not have your kids help too? A few fun things they can help with is measuring, meal planning (teaches them healthy eating habits), sorting, setting up the table, etc. It makes them feel like they’re part of the household and decision making, so why not encourage that?
Play Music/Dance:
You’re now the music and dance instructor. It doesn’t matter if you’re a master pianist, guitar player or drummer, or if you don’t have a single musical talent in your body, let’s make music happen.The easiest way to do it to have daily dance parties. Put on a fun song, and dance around the kitchen or living room. Your kids will remember this fun memory.
Books:
What better time than now to really establish healthy reading habits? If you have older kids, now is a good time to start a book series (think Harry Potter) or Dr. Seuss with the young ones. I bet there’s a stack of books collecting dust on your nightstand you’ve been meaning to start, so start now.
Take a virtual tour:
Traveling is off limits now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t explore the world. There’s a lot of really amazing virtual tours online you can do, including touring thesurface of Mars, hiking throughYellowstone National Park, and touring theBritish Museum, among others.
Let’s stay safe and flatten the line, and when this is all over, we’ll be happy we got to spend some extra time with our kids. Stay safe everyone!
