Across the country there are many child care centers that are closed and families are sheltering in place due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The first thing for parents to do during this time is to stay calm. Reduce the amount of news that you have on during the day. I know you want to hear the updates, but your children should not be subjected to daily updates about the virus.
During this time parents are looking for ways to keep their children entertained and occupied during the day. Just because classrooms are empty does not mean that the children cannot have fun learning with their parents at home. When the children return to school, they can share the things that they did with their families during the shelter in place.
I have provided fun activities to do with your children while at home.
Take Your Child to Work at Home
Create a “take your child to work day” at home. There is no time like the present to show your child about your profession. The night before, take a few minutes to explain what they will be doing with you and have them explain what you do at the end of the day. You just might be surprised by what your profession looks like through the eyes of your children.
Creating Memories
Make family time fun by creating new memories. Take a walk after dinner, play a video, card, or board game. For older children you can create a workout routine that the whole family can complete together. Encourage the children to take pictures and make collages or books with the pictures. They can share the pictures when they return to school.
Mealtime
Plan and make dinner together. Have a night or two where the children plan and make the meal. Creating meals can also be a good time to introduce new foods that the children may try if they are making the meal.
Story time
Have story time where you take turns reading your favorite books out loud. After each chapter or section take the time to discuss the chapters or sections of the book. Like you would in a book club. Then you can allow the children to discuss different scenarios or endings for the characters in the story. They can also pick a character that they like and express why. The children can also pick a character in the book and recreate a scene showing the characters actions either from the book or from the new scene that they created.
Indoor Campout
Plan an indoor campout where the children can make a tent by placing sheets and blankets over chairs and use flashlights to tell stories. The children can make shadow puppets on the walls and sleep in the tent.
Conclusion
During this time of shelter in place, you want to focus on the positive things that are going on in your everyday lives. Spend extra time focusing on the positive things that your children are accomplishing during the day. It is important to keep the children active during this time because they are missing their normal activities.