At a time like this, it’s all in the planning. Or so I thought.
Never did we know something like this would happen in our lifetime. If you really think about it, it really is like a movie: the entire world in the same boat, people getting sick, some dying, some getting better, heroes everywhere. A pandemic. Never would have thought I would use that word so…openly and in line with our reality.
I’m a freelancer, which means most of the work I do is at home (although being a travel writer is not much of a help at a time like this) and also means I can afford to stay at home to look after the little one. I really do feel lucky, as I know so many who are not. Many daycares like ours are offering parents who both must work to apply for spaces, we didn’t for obvious reasons, but things are changing slowly for the better I think.
I wanted to share some activities that my almost four year old enjoys to do for a longer period of time and mostly, alone. Because let’s face it, moms need some time on their own too (and being pregnant, I’m desperate), even if it means thirty minutes. Some obvious, some new ones, but hope it helps anyone. (I didn’t include screen time because that’s just too easy but if you have any apps or programs you like, let me know. We are currently really into Storybots on Netflix.)
Water play
A classic. Just get two or even one big basket or play tray (we have a table from IKEA that you can put in play trays ), fill it up with water and add toys. We sometimes like to mix it up with some food coloring, bubbles, and soap and A loves to “clean” her toys or give her dolls a “bath.” Adding plastic cups, spoons, droppers, legos, water beads and small containers help too! She’s done it outside on the balcony when it was warm, but when it’s a bit chillier, just a beach towel inside will do.
Clay, sand or kinetic sand
I am not the biggest fan of playdoh, sand or even kinetic sand because they can be such a pain to clean up. But at a time like this, you pick your fights. She didn’t really get playdoh, she just mixed all the colors up and made a mess, but I think she’s learned to mix and match now. With playdoh, her favorite is making cakes and food, with kinetic sand, she likes to add in little toy animals and make a desert, jungle, or under the sea situation. Stamps and cookie cutters work wonders here for us too.
Baking /Cooking
Not really a solo activity, but still a great way to entertain the kids. And you get to eat the final product! Cupcakes and muffins are the basics, we tried cinnamon rolls, pound cakes, pizza and more. A naturally likes to cook and help us out, so she’s actually always next to us whenever we’re cooking a meal. She’s always stirring something, washing fruits or vegetables or adding ingredients. We try not to fret too much with the dangers of the kitchen, which helps. My favorite go-to is Dessert for Two because her recipes are fit for two adults, so it doesn’t really overwhelm you or your stomach. I’m also a fan of A Cozy Kitchen for both sweet and salty recipes. We’ve also made these pancakes a million times, sometimes full recipe and others halved, so easy and yummy.
Worksheets
So many online and free worksheets you can download or print. We’ve started ABCs and numbers, so we tend to go for those, but there are so many to choose from; coloring sheets, puzzles, counting and more. I usually google “free online worksheets for toddlers” and choose whatever looks right for her.
Growing plants
We don’t have a yard or a garden, but we do have a balcony. Growing plants was always on my list, but it never happened, until now. We bought some cherry tomato plants, eggplants, paprika and I also had some lettuce and pak choi seeds. The tomatoes are doing really well, and A is in charge of watering them every day. A small, short thing, but something that gets her super excited every morning.
Making cards/painting
She calls them invitations, but basically making cards. I bought a set of blank cards and envelopes on Amazon, and we already have loads of stickers, colored pencils, crayons and more, so a quick and easy activity to set up. She likes to cut up origami paper and glue them on, but this is when you’re sure your child can use scissors properly. We’ve made so many cards but haven’t had the chance to go to the post office, but will surely happen soon, I hope.
And painting. She isn’t really into painting anything just yet, but she’s getting there. We like to draw rainbows, faces, fishes in the water although this activity doesn’t go too long for us. She also makes me paint, so it sometimes loses its purpose.
Cosmic Kids Yoga
We were introduced to Cosmic Kids Yoga by my friend L and her little boy S, and A loves it. It’s basically a yoga program for kids, around 30-40 minutes long and they have themes which makes it easier for kids to enjoy. A likes the Trolls, Frozen and Moana one, and she’ll follow the moves from start to finish. A solid win.
Bathtime
If all fails, bath time. With toys, sometimes a bubble bath, sometimes with food coloring, sometimes with toys trapped in ice (just put small toys in an ice tray, fill it up with water and freeze), dolls, legos and more. Sometimes she’ll stay a solid hour, hour and a half, other times just thirty minutes, but either way, an easy activity at any time of the day.
Resources
I tend to get a lot of ideas on instagram, and my favorites are @almostmakesperfect, @lauraiz, @littlelifelonglearners, @wherelearningmeetsplay, @mamapapabubba and @busytoddler. For the basic concept of having a child at home and “surviving” together the entire day, I also got a lot of ideas from the book “The Montessori Toddler.” For some reason, I don’t tend to use Pinterest, but maybe when I get desperate, I’ll try that too. If you have any favorites, please share!
All photos by rachelsanghee. May, 2020.