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As we enter the second week of mandatory social distancing due to the COVID-19 outbreak, everyone is probably getting little bored of being inside all day. This goes double for kids, as they’re out of school early and spending all day, every day, in the house.
If you’ve got kids at the house, bored out of their minds and looking for something to do, don’t throw your hands up in frustration. There are resources you can tap for help. Case in point? The National Weather Service is offering up free lessons to keep the kids entertained.
These lessons are available for free online from the National Weather Service. Their site has resources like lessons, quizzes, videos and games all aimed at helping children learn about the weather. This is a great time to help the kids focus on such topics, as they’re otherwise out of school and waiting for further news on social distancing guidelines.
These lessons could make great introductory lessons for kids who aren’t in school yet, or even for kids who are engaged in e-learning for the remainder of the semester. Making these lessons part of your social distancing daily routine can help give some structure and fun to your kids’ days as they’re stuck at home.
Structure is very important for mental health and for staying engaged and happy throughout this pandemic. It’s easy to let your days devolve into unstructured, endless “weekend”-like days, just without anywhere to go. As such, you need to give yourself structure as much as your kids need structure.
Normally, your day job gives you structure, and your kids’ school schedule gives them structure. With these both being suddenly taken away, it’s important you find some activities to make up the difference. The National Weather Service lessons and games are one such way to do this, but it’s not the only way!
If your kids have e-learning, have them treat it as school. Give them set times they need to “attend,” and then a break for lunch, and then a time that “school” gets out. You could consider having daily board game time, or movie time, or similar fun activities set aside for the evenings.
Maintaining structure through online lessons and learning is the best way to keep your kids’ minds engaged and active even during this unusual time.
