Are you homebound with the kids and need to keep them entertained? Have no fear–we can get through COVID-19, as well as maintaining our sanity with the following suggestions.
Make sure to schedule outdoor time
Use the backyard or the front of your house to get fresh air. Take the dog for a walk, take a walk around the neighborhood, play soccer, whiffle ball or play hide-and-seek with the kids to burn off their energy. Purchase kid water-based paints and paint outdoors on canvas, paper or whatever you can find. Plus, it’s better than getting paint on the carpet!
We decided that since our vacation was canceled that we would do an outdoor party! It’s just us, but we are barbecuing, putting music on and decorating the yard, and will have lots of bubbles. If you don’t have a yard, find a local neighborhood to explore to get out of the house.
Read more
While it’s easy to turn on Netflix and leave the kids to their own devices, download resources and books from the library. Read silently or take turns reading to each other. Set aside time each day to engage children without technology. Don’t have a card? You can request and receive a temporary digital one by going to the local library online. Libraries in the United States list public libraries across the nation.
Cook or bake
Try a new recipe or make dinner as a family. Go to Kid-Friendly Recipes – Allrecipes.com and choose what recipes to do. Kids love it, and they can get creative. Try a taco night; make your own pizza or make bread! Turn up the volume and have a family dance party while cooking, hey, why not! Moreover, cooking is a necessary life skill that teaches math and how to follow directions.
Write a letter or note of encouragement to someone
Write a letter to family, friends or neighbors with words of encouragement during these fearful times. There is nothing like a hand-written note to lift someone’s spirits, especially when the message comes from a child. Read Scriptures and choose which ones to add to the messages for all members of the family.
Play board games
Board games are making a comeback with the help of COVID-19. They are great to do as a family unless one of the adults is a sore-loser (just kidding). It provides hours of fun and teaches kids how to work as a team. Try Connect 4 Game, Hasbro Operation. The Game of Life and Uno!
Rearrange the house
Enlist kids to rearrange the house as a symbol of a new beginning. Assign tasks and clean together. Make a refueling station of juice, soda, popcorn and chips after finishing.
Spa day
Have a DIY spa day by doing each other’s nails, hair and pedicures. Add ambiance with flowers and praise music. Don’t forget the facials! Make a homemade avocado face mask for you and the kids:
- Ingredients needed: ½ ripe avocado. 1 tbsp of honey, olive oil.
- Scrape out the flesh of the avocado into a bowl.
- By using a fork, mash the avocado until you obtain a creamy and smooth paste, free from lumps.
- Add one tablespoon of honey in the mashed avocado paste, as the natural ingredient promotes your kid’s skin health.
- Apply the avocado pack on your kid’s clean skin and leave it for the next 10-15 minutes. Wash off your kid’s face with plain water. For more homemade facials, go to Mom Junction. The boys can get facials as well.
Donate toys as a family
The vision of children in a homeless shelter is disturbing. Unfortunately, it’s a reality. Gather toys together and donate them as a family. Donating teaches service, sacrifice and sharing hope with the others. Many centers disinfect all toys before distributing them, but make sure to clean items as well.
Final thoughts
The final tip is for you to be a kid and to have fun with your family. Get muddy, get paint on you, allow the flour to spill on the floor and don’t make a fuss. Enjoy a moment of carefreeness. It is hard, but force yourself to relax!
Today, we need to get creative and prioritize what is important to us. We can engage our kids and have fun ourselves. This doesn’t mean that isolation won’t be stressful for all of us. Just know, you’re not alone and talk with someone if you need to vent. Because after all, we are all human with weaknesses, and God recognizes this. In the middle of all, make the best of things during isolation. We can push through to the other side during this upheaval and other difficulties that may come in the future– because God is still in control.
“But thanks [be] to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:57).”
-Corine Gatti-Santillo