Simple Ideas to keep kids busy while stuck at home. What we are doing.

We all need to stay safe, and busy so I don't go crazy, during the quarantine.  When I look online (and indeed speak to some family members), I have been pretty grossed out about the lack of social distance.  We are taking this seriously, and so should you.  That means no play dates, no cleaning service, avoiding public places/parks if at all possible.   I am using this opportunity to get some things done around the house that I never do, and teaching the kids some at home skills I have been neglecting.  This post has commission based links, and by reading beyond this point you are agreeing to my updated privacy policy.

I want to remember this moment forever-lol!

Cleaning the house/Home Chores are a priority.

Without my cleaners, the kids will be learning how to clean the bathrooms.  Yup.  By this age, I was already tasked with bathroom cleaning from time to time.  It is a life skill that they need.

Kids cleaning the bathroom!

It has been going fairly well.  With them in the house all the time, the house is getting dirtier.  They are in charge of their chores, plus little thing that they can help me do.  They still have to make their beds/clean their rooms every day.  It helps to keep the routine going to a small degree.  They also need boredom busters, and small chores keep their bodies and minds busy!

Check out this list of age appropriate chores from toddler to elementary age.

The laundry is another one. 

I have actually been really good about this, but my son needs to work on it a bit more than Clara.  Right now he is learning how to start the machine (depending on what is in it), and transfer to the dryer.  C is 10, so she is able to do it all by herself.

At six, my youngest is only tasked with pulling the dry clothes out of the dryer, folding and putting away her things.  All of the kids fold and put away my kitchen towels, etc.  That is something that they have been doing since toddler-hood.  I had to let go of the drawer being pretty, but it is one less task I have to do.

Schoolwork

We don't have any specific work from our superintendent, but we need ways to fill the day.  Even during spring break and vacations we limit screen time, and my son (who is on the autism spectrum) really needs a schedule.  I also have a kindergartner, who is missing school.  She really loves to learn, and so I have found an online school program that is free for 30 days, and my kids are enjoying it.  I am building time in every day for them to work on academic things, but it is pretty self directed.  They can choose to work on the laptop (and do) at any time during the day.  If they don't want to do that, I have age appropriate workbooks, we have plenty of books (and an amazon kindle unlimited membership).  

I also bought some fun workbooks like this:

It may become more structured as we get a longer plan to be home (I'm sure its coming), but for now its meant to keep brains working, and hands busy.

Activity

This has been hard for us.  We live in a very densely populated area, and there are tons of people around.  It's nearly impossible to tell small children that their BFF in the alley is off limits, but its necessary.  That means play in our courtyard, and inside exercise.  At this very moment, my two youngest are doing Just Dance, while my oldest is running with the dog around the block (her choice).  With Just Dance, if you have a game system, you can download it immediately.  No waiting.  They love it!

I also purchased some things from Amazon to help with small space play.  I updated my Amazon Favorites list to include the things we are loving. 

Mental Health

You guys this is scary.  Even before the schools closed, I got a message from my kindergartners teacher saying that a lot of the kids were watching the news (with the parents) and were very scared.  We don't watch the news around the kids.  Ever.  Even before this, we learned that so much of it isn't informative, but sensational.  That's a personal choice, but the kids absorb everything.  There are lots of resources online if you aren't in a safe space, and therapists are doing online/video sessions.  If you need it-just do it. 

Other Resources

People are doing a lot of amazing things.  Mo Willems is teaching doodling, Jamie Grayson is having sessions with Broadway stars, stars are reading books, and so much more.  Just google it.  If you need academic help, I highly recommend reaching out to your teacher, or reading Lipgloss and Crayons.  She's a blogger, like me, but is a classroom teacher.  She is full of great resources!

If I can do anything to support you, please let me know!



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