5 Indoor Activities to Keep Your Child Busy During the Pandemic

Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels

Since the schools shut down, are you finding it hard to find different activities to do with your child? Nowadays, kids act like they bored easier than when we were younger. Thanks to technology being so fast-paced, it keeps us looking for more engagement all day with it. Either it's going on Social Media, gaming, texting, and watching movies or news. So I have been trying to limit their time during the day by doing other activities with them, even if it's only an hour. Here are some activities to try out with your family and enjoy some family time. 


Scavenger Hunt 


There are so many ways you can play this game with your kids. All you need is a sheet of paper and write either colors or items in it, that you must find in the home. It can be about ten to twenty items, depending on their attention span. Think of some rules like no running, cheating, and work as a team or have a competition to see who finds it all. Also, include a reward once the last item found. It can be anything you want it to be.


Have a Dance Party 


Create a playlist of all you and your family's favorite music. Put some snacks and drinks out and start having a party with them. You can also take pictures to have it as memories.

Make an Indoor Camp

Set up a tent in the living room using sheets or blankets and use chairs to hold it up. Involve your child in creating it. You can all take turns and tell each other stories.

Game of Charades

You don't need any items. No talking allowed. One person acts the thing or things out, and the other person guesses it. Set up teams if there is more than one kid.

Board Games

If you have any games, bring them out or play a different one each night with your child.

   

If you have any tips to share, please comment down below 😊

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

How to Help Your Kids Cope During the Pandemic?

Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

During this pandemic, we all had to change our lifestyles, including our children. How are your kids coping? It's understandable if your child is having a rough time. So many changes occurred so fast if you think about it. I was talking with my oldest yesterday, to see how he was feeling, and he asked how long will this last. Unfortunately, I don't have an answer to that question; I told him. It bothered me to see how all this has affected him and having to do his classes online, not being able to see his friends. I had to relearn new skills for dealing with my children during this time. Here are some tips I have found to be helpful and want to share with others.

Talk with your child

Set some time aside to talk with your child daily. It can be at any time during the day. Listen to him or her express any feelings that may bother them. Offer any advice if needed or be sympathetic to their needs.


Practice Social Distancing

Your child may want to see their friends or have their friends come to the house. Explain to him or her, that for now, we have to practice social distance. Offer him or her other alternatives to seeing their friends. If your child is old enough to use social media and has been using it already, then encourage its use. If they aren't, then there are other ways, either phone calls or install an app called Messenger Kids. It's through Facebook, and it gives you complete parental controls. Don't worry, your child will not have a profile on Facebook.

Encourage the use of a Journal

Offer your child a notebook to write their daily thoughts and feelings. It's a great way to help him or her express themselves when they aren't able to.

Please share any tips you may have in the comments 😊

Virtual Field Trip Ideas During Self Isolation With Your Family

Alexander Dummer on Unsplash

The pandemic has hit many parts of the world and has caused people to change their lives around. It has been difficult for us all, especially having to stay home and only go out when it's necessary. Have you been looking for different things to do with your family? Some Museums, National Parks, Zoos, Aquariums to watch from home. You can watch any of these on desktop or mobile devices. I found these to be helpful for my family and hope the same for you and your family. There are many options to choose from, so grab some snacks and have fun.


Museums



-The Louvre

It is a museum in Paris, France. They are offering free online tours to view four of their popular exhibits. One named the Egyptian Antiquities.


-Smithsonian National Museum of National History

You can take a tour online of their few selected exhibits from the past, present, and future. It's in Washington, D.C.


-NASA


They are showing several choices of tours that you can take either on desktop, mobile, and tablets. You can even download their apps on almost any device.


-Google Arts and Culture 

It is a website that offers a listing of over 2000 museums and galleries from all over the world. They also offer a downloadable app.



Zoos



-Atlanta Zoo

A zoo in Atlanta, Georgia, shows a live panda cam. It also has a free app called Wildverse which is a virtual reality zoo that comes to you.


-San Diego Zoo

It's in San Diego, California, and has live cams, videos, games, and activities for kids.



Aquariums



-National Aquarium

In Baltimore, Maryland is offering several types of tours you can see and activities.



-Monterey Bay Aquarium

Monterey, California, is showing their animals on live cam.





Please share any tips you may have down in the comments 😊

Reading Resources for Your Child During the Coronavirus School Closures

Harrison Haines from Pexels

Children should still get exposed to reading, even though their schools closed. It helps develop their brains, social skills, imagination, and communication skills. All these are important to your child's development and success in life. Everything in life requires reading. There is no getting around it. Times have changed, and technology has advanced. Reading has become more accessible because of audibles, kindle, resources online, and YouTube. When my kids were younger, it was easier to read to them, but I regret not encouraging it more, but I have been able to get my younger one to enjoy reading by using these tips I'm about to share with you.


Amazon Audible

The company is giving all kids free access to their library of audibles while schools closed.


Vooks


There is an extensive amount of digital animated books. The stories are being read aloud and watched at the same time. They are offering a 30- day free trial period, and afterward, it's $4.99 a month.


Epic


It's an online digital library that has over 35,000 different genres of books for kids up to the age of twelve. They also have 30-day free access to all their books and pay $7.99 a month. You can use it either on a mobile device or on a desktop. The books read either in ebook, read to me, or audible. 


StoryNory


It offers a wide variety of free Audiobooks, either as podcasts or on the website for kids of all ages. They also have download features for later use.


Barnes and Noble

Are doing their Storytimes virtually  YouTube.com/BARNESANDNOBLE.




Do you have any other tips? Please share down in the comments😊

The Juggling Act of Parenting During the Pandemic



Anthony Tran on Unsplash

Are you struggling with parenting, teaching and doing therapeutic services for your special needs child since their schools have a shutdown? Trust me, you aren’t alone in this, there are others like you. It’s a difficult time for us all. None of us expected this to happen. I can recall looking at this with mixed emotions like how to manage it all and the fear of failing myself or my kids. During difficult times, we have to make things work, regardless. Here are some tips to help you.



Change your Mindset


Try to take some time to adjust to the sudden change that has occurred in a positive light and not doom. Yeah, things will be difficult for a bit, but not for long. Enjoy this time that you have with your family.



Establish a Routine


Create a schedule that you can continue to work, teach, and do therapy for your child. Keep in mind that you might have to make adjustments. For example, work before your child wakes up or after helping your child do their work. Use this teaching time as bonding with your child and also see how well he or she is performing. Keep your regular wake up, bedtime, and dinner schedule. You could also try doing schoolwork with your child at the same time as if he or she was in school. If you're doing therapy with your child, review the IEP to see what techniques you can do from home. Also, don't forget to give breaks, depending on your child.



Make time for Yourself


Be sure to take some time for yourself to prevent burnout. Whatever you enjoy doing, try to do it.




Do you have any other tips you would like to share? Please comment below :)

Learning Resources for Your Child During School Closures



Annie Spratt on Unsplash

                    


Are you trying to figure out how to help your child keep learning during school closings? Some schools have provided materials to work with your child at home. My children's schools have provided that to me. Unfortunately, few families can take advantage of that opportunity, because they have no access to electronic devices and no study materials from their schools. Here are some tips I have found to be helpful, and hopefully, it helps you all.





Electronic Devices
If you don't have access to a laptop, tablet, or IPad for your child to do their schoolwork, you can let your child's school know or even the district.



Starfall

It's geared more toward Pre-K to third graders. Covers a wide range of topics, like mathematics, and language arts, some of it is free, but if you want more, then you would have to pay a low monthly fee.

PBS Kids
They have a PBS kids video app that's accessible from a tablet, cell phone, or any device that allows you to stream on-demand learning videos and can watch it live-streamed any time of the day.



Mystery Science
For now, during school closings, it is offering free Science lessons. It's well known for Kindergarteners to fifth graders.



ScratchJr
It is a free app that teaches younger kids from the ages of 5 to 7 how to code and make their interactive games and stories, and once they complete, they can move on to the regular Scratch.



ABCYA
This is a free learning program for kids in the Pre-K till 6 grade. It has a wide variety of games teaching different subjects, such as numbers and letters, just for example.



BrainPOP
It offers free access to kids from Kindergarteners through the Twelfth grade. It covers all subject areas like Math, Reading, Writing, Science, History, Arts, Music, Health, and Technology.



If you have any other tips, please share down below in the comments 😊