Things To Do With Your Kids While In Quarantine

A lot of people have their kids home full-time right now and that's not normal. Kids and parents are struggling to adjust to a new schedule. Struggling with the transition does NOT make you a bad parent or mean you don't like your kids. It takes time to figure out how to work well together. And you may find that there are a lot more disagreements and tension because that's what happens when people spend all day, every day together. On top of that, this is not a situation we chose, so our attitudes can be a little out of whack (or is that just me?).

I want to offer some ideas of things to do while we are forced to have limited interaction with people. I have gathered these from different places; I didn't come up with them all on my own. But first, one of the funniest memes I've seen lately:

This had me laughing so hard when I first saw it!!!

Okay, jokes aside, please understand that you, their mama, were your kids first teacher and you still teach them. Kids are always learning from the example of people older than them. You have unique things to teach them. Maybe it's not science or algebra, but you have the ability to teach. It doesn't have to be perfect. My mom has been amazed over the years at the things we know that she never taught us. Your kids are smart and will naturally learn things. It's okay. You'll do great! Pep talk over.

I'm going to make lists for younger kids, older kids, and everyone. You can obviously decide what things your kids are up for. Some young kids are really advanced. At the end, please leave a comment with what kinds of things you are doing during quarantine time and bless others with more ideas!!!

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Young Kids

• Crafts
• Coloring
• Scavenger hunts
• Forts
• Sidewalk chalk
• Puppet shows with sock puppets
• Blocks
• LEGOS
• Read books together
• Play "I Spy" with colors to help little kids learn colors
• Make up games to help with number and letter recognition

Older Kids

• Play games (if you're like our family, you have tons of games but hardly have time to play them)
• Read a book that they pick and then discuss it
• Give them exercise challenges (especially the boys)
• Bake
• Build or make something
  
• Do a house project
• Let them pick things to do!!!!
  
• Watch PragerU videos (for those who like to think about all sides of an issue)
  

Everyone

• Take walks
• Go on bike rides
• Geochacing
• Scavenger hunts
• Watch movies
• Play charades
• Make dinner together
• Go through old photo albums and tell stories

These are just a handful of ideas and I'm sure you all can come up with many, many more!!! A fellow photographer put together some cool scavenger hunt ideas (A.P. Photography) that I'm posting below.

Scavenger Hunt Location: Greenmead Historical Park, Livonia Where At The Park: Along the Virginia B Matley Nature Trail What To Look For: 5 Crazy Bugs • 1 pink bug • 1 red bug • 1 yellow bug • 1 blue bug • 1 green bug

Also, many neighborhoods have been doing chalk drawings on their sidewalks or putting things in their windows for kids to find like a scavenger hunt as they walk or drive around. If you are on Nextdoor, that's a great way to join or start something like that.

Hope this helps you not get bored or go crazy at home all the time for the next little while! Please comment with your suggestions and activities ideas for the rest of us to try!