The enhanced community quarantine has affected everyone, adults and kids alike. While we all do our part in flattening the curve, we must also try to keep as much normalcy in our lives as possible. For kids, this means creating structure in their days and filling those days with activities so they don’t get bored and frustrated. Here are 6 things you can do with your kids during quarantine:
1. Talk to them about what quarantine is about
Start off with being calm. Kids can pick up on your emotions and being calm communicates to them that there’s no need to be anxious. Assess what they know about the situation, and give them an age-appropriate explanation as to what the virus is, what it does, and why staying home helps them and everyone else. If you’re unsure on how to do this, look around YôùTùbé and Facebook for parents who’ve documented how they told their kids. You might just find the right inspiration.
2. Teach hygiene in a fun way
If you’ve ever seen this video of a teacher showing her students how handwashing keeps the virus away, even you would “ooohh” and “aaahh” along as the pepper moves away from that soapy finger. Children, especially young children, don’t always like to be clean. But having a fun little song, a dance, or experiment will go a long way in encouraging them to keep clean and keep the icky germs and virus away.
3. Homeschooling
To give them some sense of normalcy, prepare a few lessons and educational activities. You can refer to your child’s course syllabus and try to go from where they left off in school. Their school books should be a good resource to see where they are in their lessons. You can also check online for other resources appropriate for your child’s learning level. It’s going to be tricky at first, but just do the best you can and soon you and your child will find the right flow.
4. Household Chores
Apart from their education, now is also a good time to give your kids a little bit more responsibility with household chores. Giving them age-appropriate chores to accomplish each day teaches them skills that they will need once they start living on their own. It also frees up your time from extra housework and gives you an hour or so of peace for work-from-home tasks as they do their chores.
5. MAPEH
If you remember Music, Arts, P.E., and Home Economics from school, you probably have fond memories of letting your creativity out and having mini-breaks from all the heavy subjects. Set aside time in the week where they can let their creativity shine. Here are a few ideas:
Physical activity (try Popsugar’s family cardio or MoveTubeNetwork’s kids choreo)
Teach them how to sew, knit, or cross stitch
Let them try baking or preparing their own snacks
Teach them to play an instrument you already have at home
Introduce them to different genres of music
6. TV time
Of course, you all need downtime too so allot some time during the day for screen and TV time for your kids. If you want to ensure that they’re watching age-appropriate shows. Line up a few cartoons and kid-friendly shows on HOOQ and iFlix to watch as a family. This way, you get to spend a relaxed hour or two while bonding with your kids.
So, that's it guys! Thanks for reading. For more informative articles please..
~Virgo