How to Be Awesome at Quarantine with Kids Part 2

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You just found out your children's school is closing for three to four weeks.  You can't take them anywhere.  You can't travel.  You just see days and days full of hours and hours yawning ahead of you.

Picture credits to Douglas Adams and this site.

Remember from my last post, if reading ideas about activities and plans stresses you out, walk away now.  Everyone copes differently.  Some people need this info, and some need to hear me say it's ok to do nothing.  Do what you need to do to get through.  And not all of these ideas will work for all age groups and all family situations.  You are welcome to message me with specific questions, and I will do my best.  I'm just trying to help in the very small ways I can, so if this helps, great.  If it doesn't help, no worries.

But let's say you need some suggestions.  I have some areas that I consider basic ingredients for my day.

Let's go through each area and talk about some basics.

• Academics

Many schools are transitioning to e-learning or online class components.  If that is the case for your school, make this a priority.  That means it gets done early, and intentionally.  If you like a schedule, set a time to all sit down and make it happen.  If you like it looser, set boundaries around what has to be completed each day before screen time or free play.  

If your school is not giving your children academic work to do from home, like most of the schools in my state are not, you can still devote some time each day to working on academics that will help them retain what they are learning.  You might use math flashcards, spelling games, books from the library about what they are studying in history or science, or whatever else you think would help engage their minds.  We are going to talk in a later post about theme days, and it is easy to find some quick activities for math, science, etc, that go along with pretty much any theme you can imagine.

• Reading

Setting aside reading time each day might be the very best thing you could do over the next few weeks.  You can order books from most local libraries online, and pick them up quickly without having to stay long in a public place.  If your library is closed, you could also order them new or used on Amazon if that isn't an option.  Chances are, you probably have a ton of books at your house already that you can pull out.  For little ones, read to them or with them every day. For older kids, set aside DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) time each day.  Model it yourself!  Let them see you sitting on the couch reading during DEAR time.  

This is a great time to pick a chapter book to read aloud to your family.  The Read Aloud Revival has great suggestions for family read aloud books.  And if you don't like to read out loud, you can find audio books at your library or on YouTube, Spotify, Podcast Apps, Libby, Hoopla, Audible, etc.  Not all of those will be available to everyone, and some of them are free while others have a cost, but there are plenty of resources available.  Audiobooks have a magical way of entrancing kids from 4 to 14 (and adults too) and they will give you topics of conversation, inside jokes, and ideas for academic enrichment.  If you need some quick recommendations, I am reading Anne of Green Gables right now to my kids, ages 4 and 7.

And my husband is reading them The Green Ember.

We also recently finished Thorton Burgess' Big Book of Animal Stories and loved it!

• Gross Motor

Think big movements and big muscles.  Running, jumping, tumbling, jumping jacks, etc., are all gross motor activities.  There are lots of great exercise and activity videos on YouTube for kids.  Two of my favorites are Jack Hartman and Cosmic Kids Yoga.  You can also print out activity cards like these and set up an exercise circuit or an obstacle course for them to do.  If they can do gross motor activities outside, even better!  Jump rope, cartwheels, freeze tag, etc. Kids crave the deep muscle input they receive from gross motor activities, and they need to stretch and get out that energy, for everyone's sanity!  

• Fine Motor

Fine motor activities are the ones that require precision and detail, such as lacing, tying, sewing, pinching, etc.  For younger children, this can look like sorting pom poms into ice cube trays, or making a Froot Loops necklace.  For older children, it can be cross stitch or macrame or making paracord bracelets.  Stacking and balancing blocks, playing Jenga, coloring, and playing with Legos can also be fine motor activities.  I try to incorporate at least one fine motor activity into each day.

• Art

Creative expression is important, especially in times of stress!  Pull out some old magazines to make a collage.  Let everyone paint abstracts.  Make a nature mandala in the backyard.  There are tons of easy art projects that don't require special supplies and don't create too much of a mess.  You can search Pinterest for easy art ideas, or do something that goes with your daily theme.  One art project a day can give kids an outlet for expression and encourage them get lost in an idea.  While they're at it, why not pick up a paintbrush yourself?  You might be surprised how good it feels!

• Music

Music is soothing and has been shown to lower stress hormones and unify groups of people.  Whether it's a living room dance party or practicing an instrument, try to bring some music into your day!  YouTube, Spotify, Pandora, or even just the radio can provide some background while they paint or some rhythm while they perfect their dance moves. 

• Free Time

Remember when we were kids and we were allowed to get bored?  It's still an ok thing.  Boredom is actually important to kids because it encourages innovation and creativity.  If they aren't used to unstructured free time, or if they haven't had any since last summer, it might take a while to get used to, but that's ok too.  Start with a set time, and tell them it is their time to free play.  No tech or screens, and no structured activities.  There might be wailing and gnashing of teeth in the beginning, but eventually they will wander off and find something.  (Offering extra chores or tasks as an alternative always worked for my mom. Just saying.)

• Housework

We already talked about how things are going to get messier than normal.  Incorporate your kids into helping keep the house clean.  If they are little, it might be as simple as "helping" you sweep with a small broom or wiping doorknobs and baseboards with a wet wipe.  (Mine started doing that at 3 years old.)  If they are older, they can help fold clothes and towels, clean their rooms, set the table, etc.  It contributes to the sense of adventure and the attitude of "we are in this together" if they are included in the daily tasks more.  Again, there might definitely will be complaining, but it is worth it to use this time to teach about serving our family and taking care of our things.

Housework can also include cooking!  Get them involved in making snack bags, lunches, bread, dinner, desserts, etc.  It might make a bit more mess, but hey, you've got extra time now!

Of course there are plenty of other things you could add in, and we will talk about some of those next time, but if you hit all eight of those every day, plus meals, you are well on your way to filling the hours.

Next, I will give you some easy, no-prep activities in each of these categories that you can pull out on the fly.  Then I will talk about some theme day ideas if you want more detailed plans.  As always, comment or message me if you have questions.  I'm happy to help!

Here's a black and white version of the graphic so you can print it out and check it off if you want.  Both graphics were made for me by Megan Floyd at meganfloyd.com .  She is amazing.