With coronavirus planting itself firmly in California last month, all of the schools in the state closing, and most of us diving deep into social distancing to flatten the curve of the spread, I know many of us are concerned about living under stay-at-home orders with our kids and how to thrive as a family during this time.
As someone who has been working from home since 2016, with a toddler in tow, not much of the “work day” will change for me, but the dynamics will and I’m praying for mighty strength in this season ahead. And just like you, I’m trying my best and looking everywhere for resources and support. My daughter will be home from school and my husband will continue to go to work, since he is an essential employee at various local hospital settings, and all will be well in the end, this I know.
I’m writing this because I want to share insight I’ve found through living slowly with my children; I’m also going to share about what kinds of things we do to keep busy at home, what kind of routine and rhythm guides our days, and what we do for remote learning. Hint: It’s all about simplifying. Here are my 5 top tips to thrive under quarantine with your kids.
Like many parents, I’ve spent a lot of time reading about what kids need most in their lives. But if I’m going to be completely honest, much of my learning about my own child and about relating with them and knowing how to pour into them comes moment-by-moment. In other words, be present. Believe it or not, it all comes down to slowing down, in my humble opinion, and I think there’s never been a better time to make this a part of your life than right now while we are socially distancing.
1. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO ENTERTAIN MY KIDS ALL DAY IN A SMALL HOME?
Here’s the thing about living more slowly and simply, the more simplified their surroundings, the more children will play and entertain themselves. I try to keep our toys generally organized (more on this later) into baskets and containers, and not have them all out at once. This makes it so easier for the kids to see their toys, find something to play with, and spark creative ideas.
Encouraging independent play, from a very early age, and giving your kids the space and time to get bored is key to children learning how to entertain themselves and develop their imaginations. Try not to worry about the kids getting bored or whining, and do your best to ignore any inconsequential or irritating behavior, they will eventually come up with some great ideas and something else to do.
We also keep a craft corner fully stocked near our dining table. I keep only items that are safe for the kids to pull themselves- that way I don’t have to monitor the art situation every time they like creating. I love that they can just grab what they’d like and get to freely creating whenever the urge hits them. I try to purchase only completely washable art supplies so I don’t have to worry about them staining things. They both really enjoy the freedom and could spend hours a day coloring, writing, and painting.
2. HOW DO I KEEP THEM ENTERTAINED?
Now, let me start by saying this friends, I realize every home is different and we all are going to have our own parenting styles, rightfully so. Of course I’m simply sharing what works for us and am happy to share in hopes that I might lend a helpful tip to a fellow mama out there. That said, keeping electronics to a minimum might seem like a losing battle, but it can be done. I’ll give you the strategies that we use and that have worked really well for us.
- Take control of the electronics in the house. The kids don’t get to decide when and where they use them, you do! If your children have had a ton of screen time lately but you’re choosing to cut back, there is definitely a “detox period,” as screens are highly addictive, so give yourself all some extra grace as you pass through this time. As with anything, set the example by limiting your own time on your phone or device.
- Set up a time they can count on. Instead of being an expectation and something they lose time thinking about and begging for, it’s a special treat. Their mind is freed up to learn and play. When they know when they can expect it, they don’t panic or nag because they feel some semblance of control and independence over the situation.
3. HOW DO I REMAIN SANE AND FIND TIME FOR MYSELF WITH MY CHILDREN HOME ALL DAY?
Once our daughter started transitioning out of afternoon naps and my son was the only one napping consistently, my girl and I would end up stressed and exhausted by early afternoon and it didn’t feel healthy for anyone. I read something once about “quiet time” in place of nap time and it was the biggest light-bulb moment.
We started doing quiet time in the afternoons after lunch for an hour to an hour and a half. The expectation is that no questions are asked during quiet time; in other words, mom and dad get their quiet time, too. It took us a while and a lot of determination and repetition to get the hang of it, but we made sure to adhere to our routine and not give in, and per usual, the children adjusted. We just want to make sure we do our part, as parents, to reinforce the positives of quiet time and how energized we are for more play after resting. We never want to make our children feel as thought independent play or quiet time is punishment. Instead, remind them of their power in rest, the positive of focusing on recharging, the hours of play that awaits after a good time away, and the rest is history—pun intended, I couldn’t help myself.
4. WHAT IS THE BEST DAILY SCHEDULE FOR REMOTE LEARNING MY KIDS?
The best schedule is the one that works for you and your family, it needs to be built upon what you value most and what you need to get done in a day. We don’t go by a schedule with as much as we go by a daily rhythm, which gives us more freedom and flexibility within a routine the kids can rely on to make them feel safe, stable and in control, but also with enough give that it’s fun and stress free. Here is what our days typically look like, but as I said it changes day to day as we need it and allow it to, depending on how we all wake up in the morning and how the flow of the day is going:
Morning:
I WAKE UP AT LEAST AN HOUR BEFORE MY KIDS so that I can care for my mind, body and spirit before the day begins. It sets the tone for my day and directly affects how good of a mother I am that day. I do things like study scriptures, meditate on my daily devotional, drink my water and fill up on coffee of course, and journal.
MORNING SNUGGLE TIME ON THE COUCH is one of our favorite parts of the entire day. The kids wake up and cozy up right on the couch for our family snuggle session-meeting. One of the best parts (hands down) of stay-at-home orders is getting to have slow mornings with my babies, so that’s what we do. We snuggle, chat about our dreams, we “plan” for our day. We take our time.
NEXT UP IS BREAKFAST, THEN WE START SCHOOL WORK. We always begin in the morning, right after breakfast, when the kids have the best focus and they haven’t gotten into deep play yet. My oldest is only in Kindergarten and my little guy just turned three, so we are talkin’ mega energy packs!
Afternoon:
BEFORE LUNCH WE HAVE A TIDY UP so all of the spaces in our home are ready for quiet time. The rest of the afternoon is spent with a good mix of outdoor time, reading together, having a snack, or pulling out some art materials for them to create with.
Evening:
BEFORE DINNER WE DO ANOTHER QUICK TIDY, mostly encouraging the kids to help me with prepping for dinner. My hope is that this will build good habits as they grow, teaching them we all need to help one another out in all areas, very little jobs at home are designated to just one person. It’s usually a family effort. And, after dinner is typically bed time. If we have a few extra minutes we like to pull out a card or board game, a puzzle, or read a story to spend some extra time together as a family.
5. EXTRA IDEAS TO HELP KEEP KIDS BUSY AND HAPPY WHILE YOU’RE INSIDE
I always like to have one fun thing for the kids to look forward to in a day, that we can do anytime within our daily rhythm that it fits best. It should be fun for everyone! Here are some simple things we do (or have done while staying at home) that make for some great memories:
Make cookies, banana bread, tortillas, and popsicles
Crafting and coloring
Write letters to grandma and grandpa, friends, teachers
Drive-by visits to friends
Build simple machines
Build forts
Zoom cookie decorating
Play with our instruments: harmonicas, keyboard, drums
Create silly obstacle course while
Have dance parties & karaoke nights
Play board games & puzzles together
Act out our favorites books
Look at old family photos together – surprisingly, the kids love doing this
Scavenger hunt and document finds with cameras
Make play-dough and slime
Let them play in the bath and make splashes of their dreams
Chalk art, write positive messages and pictures for our neighbors
If you found any ideas or words of comfort in this post to help you through this season, please feel free to share this post with friends & family. We are all in this together!
ALMA REYNA BLOG 