It's clear that 2020 and 2021 are bringing about a real revolution. Apart from the direct consequences that COVID is having on health, the economy, and hospital organization, the word "lockdown" has fully entered our lives. And for those of us with children, lockdown can mean an extra layer of complication, as it's not easy to combine all their needs and energy with adult life tasks for days on end.
Experts identify that the key to coping better with lockdown comes from continuing with pre-established routines (meal times, sleep, bathing...) and creating new ones that make daily life as pleasant as possible. Children relax when they have a plan and know what will happen in the near future. Therefore, we propose a routine plan to guide you on how you can organize your daily life at home if you are in lockdown with children. The ideal would be to integrate actions that help them gain autonomy and establish routines. It is also important to dedicate time in the morning and afternoon to perform activities aimed at improving mobility, concentration, and skills for each age group. We provide some ideas:
ROUTINES, CHORES AND AUTONOMY
As far as possible, we should maintain the usual time for children to wake up. This will be positive because it will not alter their sleep hours and, when they have to return to their usual life, it will not involve an extra effort.
Once they're up... give them some work! Children will have their time occupied and gain autonomy. It's a good time to practice some tasks without so much rush, such as washing up, brushing their teeth, getting dressed, setting the table, preparing a simple breakfast... Adapt the activities according to your child's age and incorporate actions and complexity as the days go by. It's important to keep in mind that you'll have to give them access to the items they'll use; for example, you can reserve a low kitchen drawer for their special plates, glasses, and cutlery, so they can access their things without your intervention. Once they are up, washed, dressed, and have had breakfast, it's time to review all the day's activities with the child. If you prepare a calendar with drawings, the child can see the day's activities at a glance, which will give them security and they will eagerly await their favorite task.
HOW THE DAY UNFOLDS
We know that most of you are teleworking, so we are going to give you some ideas for keeping children entertained at home. With younger children, it is really complicated, but we hope these ideas offer you some moments of peace. The ideal would be to do two tasks in the morning (one dedicated to mobility and another to skill acquisition) and two more tasks in the afternoon. Here are some activities to do at home:
MOBILITY ACTIVITIES: ride-ons, tricycles, slides... it is very important to activate movement to release energy and enhance motor activities. With Injusa motorbikes, quads or tricycles, they will enhance their gross motor skills and gain coordination, strength, and abilities. Here you can find a wide variety of models to choose the one that best suits your needs. We assure you it will become their favorite toy. In addition, you can complement the mobility provided by the ride-on or tricycle with other activities that help you move and have a good time. Some examples? Family sports activities, dancing, skill festivals via video conference for grandparents, sack races in the hallways, or scavenger hunts.
SKILL ACQUISITION ACTIVITIES: we will promote psychomotor skills, memory, imagination, and learning. For this, it is ideal to use interlocking games, blocks, simple puzzles, storybooks... Let's not forget artistic activities like painting in all its forms (crayons, finger paints, watercolors and brushes...) or cooking, the most delicious game. And, of course, read: this activity will help them improve attention and concentration and will contribute to expanding their vocabulary by introducing them to thousands of magical and creative worlds.
We hope all these ideas help you get through lockdown as easily as possible. Did you like them?
