Indoor Resources & Activities for Parents During the COVID-19 Quarantine
Home Quarantine Activities during the COVID-19 outbreak. Left: Playing with kinetic sand. Right: Playing inside a fort.
Hi everyone,
Wow, we are in such a strange time. By this point, I have lost count of the days we have been home. I have gone out three times, once for grocery shopping and twice for care package deliveries. That being said, I am so grateful for the brave, hardworking people who are keeping the world safe, clean, and operating: doctors, other medical providers, first responders, firefighters, grocery store employees, city employees caring for our roads and major systems, and the list goes on. Thank you all.
For those of us who are parents of young children, as well as the pregnant mamas, the is a list of indoor ideas and resources. There have been so many amazing ideas posted on instagram and other social media accounts, and I definitely do not take credit for coming up with all of these! Here are a few to get you started.
Left: Cooking together. Right: Getting out the coloring book.
ACTIVITY IDEAS
Family Yoga - Kelli Mae, one of the great yoga teachers from True Self Yoga in West Olympia, has been offering two family yoga classes each week. She is amazing with kids even through zoom and we have really been enjoying these classes.
Fort building - a great way to build (pun intended) your child’s imagination and to get them moving as they crawl through the doorways and special entrances and spaces within your magnificent fort variations.
Read books - this is obvious, but now is a great time to read even more together!
Act out scenes from your books - choose something fun that your child hasn’t experienced or something easily reenacted (see photos below).
Cooking and Baking - even though flour and eggs have disappeared from the grocery stores, there are a thousand gluten-free and vegan recipes that have substitutes for many of the items that are nowhere to be found.
Drawing and Painting - washable paint and marker, watercolors, and crayons are great for keeping the mess relatively small.
Shape Sorting - cut out one large square, rectangle, star, heart, circle, diamond, and so on, from felt or cardboard, then cut out several small versions of each shape. Have your kiddo match the small pieces to the corresponding large shape.
Water Beads, Kinetic Sand, Playdough - ahhhh, all three of these are so relaxing even for adults. We make our own play dough and I add essential oils to it to make it smell good.
Life-size body drawings - trace your child’s body on a large piece of paper or cardboard and have them fill it in with colors, bones, fabric, etc.
TV - let’s face it, there are times when watching TV is a major lifesaver. It doesn’t make you a bad parent, and there are some great shows that help kids learn and think about important topics (or at the very least, there are shows that aren’t super obnoxious to listen to as a parent). If you are trying to work full time and home school during the COVID-19 quarantine, or you just need a break, here are a few of our family’s favorites shows:
Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood - it’s a classic for a reason! (Amazon)
Puffin Rock - this Irish cartoon about puffin siblings and their friends is delightful, and my four year old has learned a lot about land and sea creatures by watching it. (Netflix)
Splash and Bubbles - filled with songs, this PBS Kids cartoon follows the adventures of fish living in a tropical reef. (Netflix or PBS Kids).
Curious George - I’ve heard mixed opinions about Curious George, but personally, I find the music in the cartoon series to be calming. As a working parent I also appreciate the lack of annoying voices and sounds (#realtalk - insert crying laughing emoji here).
One of our favorite books brings up waffles several times, so we read and talked about book with breakfast and acted out a few of the scenes.
RESOURCES
Free Parenting Support - Emily McMason of Evolving Parents has been sending out emails in her online group Our Social Spring. Emily always has invaluable words of wisdom and suggestions that make me say “oh yeah, I should do that!” as well as emotional support that makes me feel better when things start getting stressful.
Postpartum Preparation Mini Workshops - Christine Romero of Family Thrive, just completed this mini workshop. If you are currently pregnant and need some planning support, Christine is a wonderful postpartum doula in Olympia and I definitely recommend contacting her.
Breastfeeding and Lactation Support - Carrie DiStefano of Olympia Lactation is offering both telehealth visits, which include local drop offs of an infant scale, and in-person visits on a case-by-case basis with extra precautions and screenings. She also has a weekly support group as well as virtual breastfeeding classes.
How to talk to your kids about COVID-19: I’m sure you’ve already had important conversations with your kids about what’s going on, but incase you need some extra suggestions, here are three helpful articles that our preschool shared with us. ChildMind, PBSkids, Susan Stiffelman.
SELF-CARE
Before I go, I just want to add one thought about self-care for parents. I have been really busy balancing work and keeping the kids occupied and mentally engaged, and it’s easy to roll my eyes at some of the posts I’ve seen on social media, obviously written by people who don’t have kids (you know which ones I’m talking about). These are just a few things I’ve been using to keep myself sane.
Zoom meetings with friends - This has been a saving grace for my sanity. If nothing else, it’s just adding some greatly appreciated humor to my week by “getting together” with a group of friends who make me laugh.
Diffusing Essential Oil - With my house going back and forth between super clean to completely up-ended and crazy, I've been diffusing my favorite essential oils for just a hint of calmness. Hey, whatever works, right?
Moments of Yoga or Meditation - I have been struggling to do more than 5 or 10 minutes of yoga just for myself (anything non-family yoga). This free resource a friend shared with me has been helping me to find moments for taking a breath (and my 4-year old is really into the three minute kids meditation too).
Do you have ideas to share?
For those of you working and parenting at home, or those who are still going in to hospitals and offices, feel free to leave a comment about what you’re doing to stay positive and make it through this time in one piece.
