Some Ideas to Keep Things Fun If You Need to be Home with Young Kids for COVID-19 Containment

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Trinity County mom, Alana Assam, shares her ideas for keeping kids busy if you find yourself at home for an extended time with school closures or other consequences of COVID-19 containment strategies. As Alana Assam explains, she stays home all winter with two young boys.  She has had to develop strategies and is sharing those with us who may not have had such preparation opportunity.

Stay Cool Like Fonzie

By Alana Assam

What could be even scarier than the coronavirus, the stock market plunge and a zombie apocalypse combined? Finding yourself stuck at home with your oh-so-energetic young children.

Yes, for a lot of parents of young children, the idea of being home with them for long durations of time is at the top of the list when it comes to terrifying scenarios. We love our kids. We’d give the world for them. But let’s be honest, the walls can start closing in FAST. How can housebound parents with young children go from just surviving to thriving?

I’m here to help.

I’m a mom of two boys (ages 2 and 6). Together, along with my husband, the four of us live remotely in the beautiful mountains of Trinity County. The only drivable road from our property gets snowed in anywhere between 4-6 months out of the year. That means that once winter brings snow to our road, we bid farewell to society and remain at home until spring melts it off.

During our time together at home, it’s important that our sons get to do fun projects. So before that first snowflake falls, I get my basic project supplies (see list below). These items allow me to make an unlimited amount of kid projects that help keep my boys occupied and mentally stimulated.

How do I decide what we’ll be doing for the day? I use one of two methods:

Method 1: I’ll pick a theme. I do that by either looking at what holidays are coming up, focusing on my sons’ general interest or choosing a book or movie they’re currently obsessed with. Websites such as Nationaltoday.com allow you to see what is being celebrated that particular day. For example, earlier this month I learned that it was national Doctor Suess’s Day so I chose to celebrate that.

Method 2: I’ll pick an item I have in my project supply stash and go from there. Yesterday I noticed I had pipe cleaners so I typed in “St. Patrick’s Day pipe cleaners for kids” and got plenty of ideas on what to do with them. Borax crystal shamrocks anyone?

Once I figure out what theme we’re going to be focusing on, I go to my assistants (aka Pinterest or YouTube) to get help with ideas.

A huge sanity saver is planning what we’ll be doing ahead of time. That is, making sure I have all the materials ready to go BEFORE my kids get wind of it. Otherwise, I get bombarded with questions, comments and random burst of craziness all while frantically trying to get things in order (ha!). Trust me, take the time to figure out what you’ll need and how you’ll be doing it without your kids having privy to it. You’re welcome.

Another big sanity saver for me is explaining to my boys what we’ll be doing throughout the day in 2-3 hour increments. Here’s something you might hear me say while eating lunch: “Okay kiddos, after we eat lunch I’m going to need to clean up. Then once I’m done we’re going to read a Doctor Seuss book in honor of his day. I need you to pick one or two that you want me to read to you please. After we read the books, we’re making our own paper Cat in the Hat hats.” The key is to give them some sense of structure. This also helps prevent being asked a million times over: “What are we doing today?!” or “Is there anything to DO?!” or the famous “I’m bored!!” line.

Which brings up another point: don’t feel defeated if your kids say they’re bored. They’re kids. Their imagination is limitless. It may take a while for them to get it into gear, but once it is, it’ll run full speed. Give them a chance to use it by allowing downtime (and hey, use that time to take a break…even if it’s just a little one). If your kids need some suggestions on what they can do, make a simple Bored Jar (you’ll find tons of examples online).

Make sure you try to incorporate some kind of physical movement throughout the day as well. Get some fresh air by having them do a scavenger hunt in the back yard. Something as simple as blowing up a balloon and shouting “Don’t let the balloon touch the floor!” can get kids up and moving around. Download some songs they like and have them dance to them. My sons like to show off their ninja skills while rocking out to the Batman Lego Movie songs. Good times.

Last but not least, the most important thing you can do while at home with your kids is to have a strong mindset. Being at home because something has going array from your normal routine can be very stressful for everyone. Your children will look to you while determining what to make of it. If you are agitated, stressed, fearful, etc, then you’re children will feed off of that. The same goes if you choose to be calm, collected and cool. Not always easy, I know. You may need to adopt a mantra for the time being: This too shall pass. Or maybe just remind yourself to be like Fonzie. (That’s right. Cool.)

Talk to your kids about what’s going on in an age-appropriate context. Show them what it means to be resilient by your family’s terms. Let them learn how their family stays brave. Don’t just survive. Thrive.

And remember, be like Fonzie.

Here is my list of basic supplies in no particular order. Make sure you pick up several of each if you’re going to be home for a long time and/or you have several kids

glue: I make sure I have both glue sticks, Elmer’s basic white glue and a strong glue (think glue gun or super glue) that I just use myself when I need to reinforce something we’re working on.

tape: I get both colored duck tape and then simple clear masking tape.

washable tempera paint in various colors.

paint brushes (both the bristles and sponge kind)

colored paper

felt: I get various colors because I don’t know what it will be used for at the moment of purchase.

glitter-just because I have boys doesn’t mean that they don’t appreciate a little glitz. Yes, it gets everywhere, but I figure it’s cleaner than dirt. It’s up to your level of sparkle tolerance.

colored markers

crayons and/or colored pencils

coffee filters

pipe cleaners

popsicle sticks (both large and small)

vinegar

borax

flour

baking soda

salt

cream of tartar

food coloring

paper plates (different colors, sizes)

balloons

little prizes for them (toys, coloring books, etc)

little prizes for you for keeping sane

Here’s what to save:

cereal/cracker boxes (oftentimes you’ll need something sturdier than paper so I simply recycle our boxes this way)

paper towel/toilet paper rolls