First and foremost, as general advice: put the list low. Dear parents – Now it’s about surviving – not performing. Hang in there!
If you get up early, children’s TV is great entertainment in the morning. Take the opportunity to work efficiently for an hour or two while having coffee and breakfast. We feed the wolves in front of the TV these days, so we can sit alone at the breakfast table and work as long as we can.
If you have school children, homeschooling starts at 9 am. Get them started with today’s schedule and take the time to assist as the step in teacher you are. It only builds a terrible frustration if you try to work when they need help with school.
If you have kindergarten children, it’s all about thinking creatively: Feel free to get them starte with their own “school work”, which many kdis think is great: give them the task of painting, drawing or craft specific things.
A good lunch break with accompanying free time is a must. Let the kids cook and give them days where they actually decide what to eat. Make quarantine life fun! We were served green porridge one day. Interesting! Very entertaining for both you and the kids.
The rest of the day it is important to mix and vary activities. Be inside, be out. Look at the screen, do something physical. We divide the day into digital and physical activities.
There’s a lot of Netflix and Youtube Kids being done, obviously. You should also find some local, online communities where kids can both learn and be entertained at the same time in a safe environment. Salaby is a great example from Norway, where Salaby actually opened up their community for every kid in Norway, free of charge, while this crisis is ongoing.
There are two types of physical activities: activities that require you to be involved in them, and activities that allow you to work while the children entertain themselves.
Children have a LOT of energy. Burning energy is important, but not always easy when you are inside. With a wall bar you get the opportunity to create an awesome playroom with many opportunities for physical activity. Climb, jump (remember mattress!), Build a cabin and so on. A wall bar never fails, and with KAOS Endeløs you get a wall bar that is also designed to accommodate as storage or a desktop.
Lego is a super “solo activity”, so Lego (or Duplo) is in use every day. If you hate stepping on Lego and Duplo parts, you’re not alone. We were so annoyed that we made KAOS Samlesak. With KAOS Samlesak, the kids can mess around with Lego and Duplo while on the mat. We can’t promise that Lego wont fly in-between walls, but we promise that it will be easier to clean up and it will be easier to carry the Lego around.
God knows we are building cabins these days! Under the stairs, over chairs, we have divided the module-sofa to build cabins between the modules. There are cabins in every room! But the kids keep the game going and think it is really cool with cabins. It’s a mess – but it’s a stayer.
All crafts are good; DYI, draw, pearl. With Easter coming up, what about an Easter workshop? Egg cartons, cardboard boxes – anything can be used for anything. Be creative. Get some really good ideas here:
This is where your time begins to become extremely necessary, but a fun activity is to make a volcano in the kitchen. You need:
1 empty soft drink bottle without cork 1 cup Vinegar 2 teaspoon of Zalo Pastry color as desired 2-3 tablespoons baking soda
Pour vinegar into the bottle. Add Zalo. Add pastry color. Use a funnel to add baking soda! Remember to leave the soda bottle on a long pan or a serving plate with edge before you begin, the volcano will flow down the bottle and it will be a bit messy. But very fun for the kids!
Inside or outside! This means a lot of clutter, but it is a great activity to employ the children and burn some energy. Use what you have to create a path: Shoes, sticks, cuddly teddy bears. Pieces of wood. Chairs, benches. Take what you have! The kids love it.