Working from home while looking after your child/children is definitely a challenge, but it is also a great opportunity to spend more time with them, time you would otherwise not have had if not for our lockdown restrictions.
Of course, you can’t give all your attention to them when you have to be on the phone or have urgent work to do. Here are some ideas of how you can keep them occupied while you try to get some work done, especially during the school holidays.
Lego or other building blocks
The younger they are, the bigger the blocks. The idea is to find something they can play with that they will return to. Gimmicky toys will only last a day or a few days at most. Lego and building blocks have endless possibilities. So as long as they have some inspiration, they can spend hours building! As a child, I remember even using some of the blocks as people and turned it into a role playing game. Endless, I tell you!
Sandpit
If you have the money ($100 - $400) and a backyard, building a small sandpit is very handy for young children. Children in kindergarten have a massive sandpit and they spend the majority of the outside time playing in it. I have even seen some kids become territorial over the sandpit. I don’t know what it is, but there’s something magical about the sandpit. I was very lucky to have my own sandpit as a child.
Chalk
Give the children jumbo chalk so they can draw on concrete! They can create their own game of hopscotch and other playground games, or create a new game of their own. Their creation is only a chalk drawing away! They don’t necessarily have to compete to have fun, but if they don’t have anyone to compete with and would rather do that, they can draw a road map on concrete to create a city!
Learn-to-Read Books
Leapfrog books allow your young children to read on their own because the books have inbuilt audio. When they tap on a word, the book will tell them how to read it. These Leapfrog books are not cheap, so if they are out of your budget, you can find plenty of free alternative learn-to-read book apps on the App and Google Play store.
Ballgames
Physical education should not be neglected, even during lockdown. Children can still practice their coordination skills with ball games such as four square (down ball) and table tennis for example.
Arts n Craft
Your house is probably already filled with basics such as coloured pencils, crayons, and markers. You can also save cardboard boxes and turn it into an art project. Many children love the idea of building their own fort.
Homework or Tutoring
I was never really given homework from school until grade 3, but that didn’t stop my mother from creating some of her own. I was given a booklet of math questions and was forced to memorise my times tables. I didn’t understand it at the time, but it proved so useful because I was so much more ahead of my peers at school. It was easier for me to pick up on more advanced problems because I already knew the basics. My mother stopped being my tutor once she enrolled me into a tuition centre. If you rather not create a workbook on your own, enroll them in tutoring at Lore Tuition. Their tutor will handle it from there.
