A new family reality – Ways to survive lockdown with kids

So here we are, smack bang in the middle of a pandemic and many of us on lockdown. There’s fear and panic in the air and uncertainty that has us all freaked out. Schools have closed as I’m sure everything else will too at some point in the very near future.  And so, many of us have found ourselves at home with the kids more than we’re used to, some of us are homeschooling, others are trying to work from home and all of us just want to make it until bedtime. With the help of my readers and social media I’ve put together a quick post on how to keep the kids busy so you can get some shit done, reminders to take care of ourselves and things to do as a family.

 

Keep kids busy

This will definitely depend on the age of your kids. If, like me, you have small kids, you’re basically fucked. Ha! Sorry but anyone who has ever been in a confined area with young children for a long period of time – hello stay at home mums aka warriors- will understand this. This list includes activities and tips for those moments when you want them to play independently while you get cracking on disinfecting the door handles and toilet seats. Just wanted to say in advance: if you have Pinterest, use it! If you don’t, get the app!

1. Forts. Almost everyone I asked said forts are a fail-safe way to ensure you will get at least an hour and a half of quiet time. Pop on a video or movie, hand them some popcorn, DO NOT stress about the mess and let them be. This one worked for my 2, 4 and 9 year old.
2. Yoga. There is an amazing YouTube channel called Cosmic Kids Yoga where you can find quite a few videos that the little ones can follow. Georgie and I used to love doing them together when he was younger. You can find the post I wrote a few years back here on yoga videos for kids.
3. Dance. I love this one and before the world came to an end I started doing regular little dance sessions with the kids before dinnertime and bedtime. Excellent cardio seeing as I hate the gym. One reader said you can hold dancing competitions, which is an amazing idea. Maybe you could even make one of those scorecards too to make it more official. Otherwise, just dance!
4. Facetime. This one is for older kids and a much-needed one if you ask me. Technology is our friend during this time so it should also be for the older kids too who are without a doubt missing their mates.
5. Hide and seek. No explanation needed.
6. House or garden survivor. I was never a fan of the TV show but I get the fascination for young ones. A great idea is to set up an obstacle court, use chairs, tables, stools, boxes, cushions and then change them around. Just now I saw a video of an obstacle course with Coca Cola cans, which is an awesome idea too.
7. Let them wrap each other in toilet paper. If you have any that is. And with the leftover tubes again you can create something. So happy I have a stash of those in a box, I have been saving for a rainy day. Ha!
8. Cardboard box drawing and painting. My kids have always loved this one. Remember, the bigger the better.
9. Pasta creations. Paint it, string it together or use beads to thread on spaghetti and stick it in a pot to decorate your windowsill.
10. Playdough duh! There are a few ways you can make it at home with flour and water and food colouring – Pinterest is a great place to find DIY play dough- but we especially love Wonderdough, all natural and it comes in play sets that include cutters, rolling pins, etc.
11. YouTube for drawing and other arts and crafts. We love ArtHub but I’m sure there are tons of other videos that demonstrate how to draw and colour favourite characters, animals, etc.
12. Colouring posters. I know a few shops that stock colouring posters and those big rolls of doodles that kids can colour in. Tape it to the floor and they’re good to go.
13. Vegetable and fruit stamps. Cut any vegetable like celery, lemons, mushrooms, courgettes, apples, lettuce, corn and potatoes, let them dip them in and stamp away.
14. Twig and string art. You can create truly gorgeous art with just some sticks and colourful threads. Make little stick people or hanging ornaments.
15. Leaf mobiles. Again, nature comes to the rescue with tons of ideas like creating a painted leaf mobile.
16. Edible necklaces. You know about bead necklaces but how about threading some mini biscuits, cheese, cheerios, dried fruit, pretzels.
17. Stickers and balloons. Stock up and if you have young kids like me, make sure you get the fat sticker kind that you can easily peel off.
18. Charades. Love it!
19. Audio books and podcasts are great too. We like the What If World podcast and Circle Round podcast. There are tons to chose from.
20. Try some mindful activities such as taste tests, pressing flowers, going on an adventure in nature or even journaling.

Take care of yourself, mama.

I keep repeating this to myself nowadays. You know how big I am on self-care, if you’ve listened to my podcast. I know for a fact that self-care will now come to the frontline and will make all the difference to our lives in this new reality. Being a stay-at-home mum I have learnt how to take care of myself from home, doing whatever I can to calm the mental chatter and boost my mood. Now is the time to do all the things you once thought were guilty pleasures. Which by the way they’re not. In fact they should be an integral part of your life whether there is a pandemic or not.

1. Yoga! If you’ve been reading my blog for a while now then you know about my love affair with yoga from home. After the first day of lockdown and after the little kids went to bed, I announced to my man and eldest son that I would now be locking myself away from everyone and heading to my bedroom for some yoga. I was tired, frustrated and scared but I knew this would be the only way to combat all of that. Yoga with Adriene is my go to but there are literally thousands of yoga videos for beginners and non.
2. Read. You can now take a few minutes to read a couple of pages while the kids play outside or are caught up in one of the aforementioned activities. Instead of changing the bedsheets and doing more laundry, chill with a book. It will do you the world of good. Right now I am reading The Untethered Soul. 
3. Dance. Just let it all out and go wild. Put on your headphones or turn the stereo up and got for it. Truly cathartic.
4. Paint. When was the last time you grabbed a paintbrush to paint without having to referee between kids? I am genuinely looking forward to this one.
5. Watch your favourite movie or TV show. Friends have been on repeat in the background a lot lately because I find it comforting but also snuggling up with my man to watch a good old classic is top on my list of things that make me feel good.
6. Massage your feet. Don’t wait for someone to do it for you. Breathe and focus on rubbing those poor tired soles, showing them some much-needs love.
7. Go for a walk, a run, a jog, a skip. Just get outside and out of your head.
8. Meditate. No need to sit up in an uncomfortable position or force yourself to do anything. Just lie down, listen to the talk that is taking place in your mind and let it float away, Guided meditations are fabulous and you can also read my recent post on how I conquered meditation.
9. Have a long hot shower or chill in a bath with Epsom salts. Do not underestimate the power of this simple activity. Add some essential oils too like lavender and eucalyptus and let the water wash all your worries away.
10. Write. Write about your feelings, your anxiety, your fears. Get it out on paper. You can always burn it later but either way, writing is releasing.

Family time

Everything I mentioned above regarding self-care and kids activities are things we can all do as a family too. But the main points we need to focus on right now are:

1. Talk about it. Talk, talk, talk. It’s important kids understand the situation and how things will dramatically change from now on. There is absolutely no point in disguising the truth or protecting them from it. In fact I reckon that could do more harm than good. So sit down and talk to your kids and help them understand what’s going on as best you can.
2. Bake, cook, barbecue. Kids love being in the kitchen, they love feeling as though you absolutely need their assistance to mix and weigh. And don’t worry about the mess, it’s not like you have anywhere else to be.
3. Housework. My 9 and 4 year old absolutely astounded me today when they helped empty the house bins, fold the clothes, pair their socks and load the dishwasher. These are house chores they do from time to time not including tidying up their bedrooms which they have to do anyway but today I really needed their help and they stepped up, making me so proud. So try and see if you could tempt them to help clean the mess in the kitchen too.
4. Game night. Board games, card games, Jenga, bingo, Uno, ‘would you rather’ games and again charades.
5. Prepare a lovely extravagant dinner or let each person make something -dessert, salad, side dish- and throw your own little party. Remember to dress up too.

There are literally millions of things we can do with the time we have been given, if we chose to see it that way. One thing I know that will definitely help me adapt, and is on my to-do list tonight, is to figure out a new routine. Kids -and adults!- thrive with routine and this whole situation is going to take longer than we think getting resolved so we need to keep sane. My way of keeping sane is to create a schedule the kids can all stick to. Nothing complicated, we’ll keep our existing evening routine but during the day, changes need to be made. Hopefully with this compilation of things to do while you’re on lockdown, we can all make this new reality work in our favour.

 

If you have anything to add, please do so in the comment section.