I’ve had a few friends message me (since I am a stay at home mom) asking for activities to do with little kids while we are all stuck in the house due to Coronavirus quarantine orders. Since I am a little behind on craft projects I had planned to share with you, I figured I can round up a few of my older parenting posts together with easy activities that you can do. Not everyone is going to be doing five hundred crafts a day or going off to the nearest mountain for a hike right now. Most of us just need a few extra things that are easy to set up and give you a nice feeling of togetherness and maybe even a little learning.
Sidewalk Chalk Activities
I love the versatility of sidewalk chalk! Last week, I used it to practice counting and number writing with my four year old. I drew four apples, then a box. He counted the apples, then I had him write the number in the box. Easy and fun practice. We did shapes and other nature pictures like flowers, leaves, basically whatever is quick to draw. Here is the link to my other sidewalk chalk activities!
Inside Physical Movement Activities
Parents of the world who are living in metro areas without easy access to the outdoors right now: my heart goes out to you! It is so hard to keep it together with little ones cooped up inside, particularly this time of year when we are coming into the Spring and ready more than ever to play outside. These activities are great for indoors with toddlers and little kids. Check out the yoga, I annoyingly tell everyone about it. It’s so fun and relaxing for mommy and daddy to do, too! We’ve done so many, that now I know enough poses to make up a story myself and lead them.
NATURE
I can’t keep out of my garden right now. Spending time pulling at the weeds, basking in the relative quiet as the kids play in the backyard is truly helping me stay relatively calm during this uncertain time. (Seriously, we were out for an hour earlier and we’ll probably do another hour soon!) This list has simple nature activities for your little ones that take very little to set up and can spark rich conversations.
Toy Clean-up Tricks
I don’t know about you, but having the kids at home ALL THE TIME right now is causing an explosion of toys. With my oldest in Kindergarten this year and preschool for my 4 yr old, I had gotten used to it being less of a mess! I set up part of the playroom to be our schoolwork space and put a few extra toys in the basement to help with that. This post has several tricks to getting little ones to help put away toys. (Sidenote: why can’t they just listen the first time? Heck, I will gladly take the second time!)
Okay, parents of the world. I like to be honest, you know. This SUCKS. I know there are plenty of worse things people have gone through in their lives. This, though, is so wrought with the unknown that it’s scary and weird, and are we doing the right thing? Are we just throwing the economy in the toilet? Is any of this going to be worth it? I DON’T KNOW. I’m going to remain hopeful and take my advice from Frozen II and “do the next right thing” for my family and loved ones and anyone that I can. Right now that looks like staying at home with three little boys and doing my best to love and educate them. Give yourself the space to be upset about this. Then, move forward, do your best, and we can get through it!
Hugs to you all during this crazy time and shout-outs to the doctors, nurses, food service workers, police and first-responders, janitorial/housekeeping staff, social workers, scientists, factory workers, government employees, news media employees, and countless others whose jobs provide necessary services to our communities that we can’t function without. Prayers of health, safety, and peace during this (let’s face it) VERY HARD time.
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