As much as this could be a tough time for grown ups, staying put at home is also a difficult concept for children to grasp. With the extension of the lockdown that was announced by our president last night. As a mother, I thought I could share 5 tips with parents living with toddlers/young children. Luckily my little ones are siblings, so there's a friend to play with at home.
Talk to them Every morning my 4 year old asks me, "mama, isakhona iCorona?" (Is corona still around?), and I reply yes. Our children are aware of what is going on and do understand. It's our duty as parents to give them knowledge about the virus, trust me they will understand. Simplify the difficult terms for them and address the issue in a way that raises awareness and doesn't instill fear. Make adhering to health regulations fun and creative. With my boys I made sure washing hands is a fun activity. We have a little chant we sing, ensuring we spend 20-30 seconds washing our hands.
Play time The hardest part is letting them now they can't play with their friends during this time. This is the part where we as parents have to be active. Join in the fun and play together as a family. Whether it's running around the yard or hide and seek. Fill in the gap of having friends around by being their friend. Host talent shows, have them prepare a song, a play or performance during the day to perform at night, dress up and turn the TV off and anticipate their show.
Keep them learning! Having a school break can affect their learning. Toddlers need repetitive learning, meaning they need to recite their alphabets and do their number counting on a daily basis so they don't forget. To help with colours, when it's bath time, dressing time, lunch time or anything in between, ask them the colour of the objects. This becomes alot of fun when they dress up after bath time. You can also incorporate counting when they are washing their hands. If you forget because we parents do tend to forget, there are programs that are very educational. I let them watch Akili and me, it consists of alphabets, a story and counting! The great part about Akili and me is that she is a young black girl who uses her imagination to learn new things, it's also only a 30 minute program.
Keep screen time limited! It's easier to have them occupied with tablets, phones, computers or TV. However this is not a good habit to adopt. Not only does it take them out of their regular learning routine/ability, but it can cause laziness and being on screen for long hours can damage their eye sight in the long run. Keep screen time limited to 2-4 hours daily, with intervals.
Arts and crafts. Keep their creative juices flowing! You can use materials around the house or outside the garden to make fun crafts. Google ideas on how to use recyclable material to create animal craft and more.
Food Get them involved in preparing food for the family. Whether it's baking or a lunch sandwich, have them part of the whole preparation. Incorporate healthy meals, get them into the habit of knowing healthy foods and why they need to live a lifestyle that is healthy.
I hope these tips will help parents during this difficult time. If you have a child that is autistic, please follow Thembi's blog called Autistic Mommy, that covers all aspects around Autism. See her link below
Stay home and Stay safe
With love and guidance, Ndo
Comments