Are you struggling to deal with all of the changes we’re facing in our daily lives amidst the COVID-19 crisis? It’s pretty bizarre how fast everything has changed, right? Not very much about our daily lives will be the same for awhile as the pandemic spreads and public gathering is discouraged or even prohibited in some cases. Schools, church services and sporting events are cancelled in many areas. This can be unsettling and worrisome for adults and even more so for children if there is lack of information or misinformation about the virus and the chaos it is causing.
I feel it is extremely important to communicate honestly with our kids about what we do know in the most positive way possible. We do know that God is in control and He cares for us more than we can imagine. He will be with us through our trials and bring us peace and comfort.
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
The most important thing we can do for peace of mind is to pray, praise and worship. Spend time in prayer for those affected by the virus, those at risk and our country. Spend some of your time at home listening to your favorite praise and worship music. You can receive my list of favorite worship songs by signing up for my email list!
https://cdn.convertkit.com/assets/CKJS4.js?v=21Free Worship Playlist!
Worship over worry in trying times!
I feel it is also important to explain to kids known facts about how the virus is spread and the number of cases compared to population in the area that you live in. It’s also needed to go over hygiene procedures in depth as far as proper hand washing procedures, not touching your face or picking your nose (we are talking about kids after all). It seems like you can never cover this information enough! You can obtain current facts at www.CDC.gov.
So, if you never intended to homeschool, and are now faced with having your kids at home full time for the foreseeable future, what are your plans?Or you had time to think about that yet? Since I have been homeschooling my own kids for over 20 years, I have a few suggestions that I hope will be helpful to you.
Don’t stress out about your kids education being compromised by missing public school. Remember you were the one who taught your child how to walk, talk,taught them their shapes and colors and alphabet. You taught them to use the toilet, take out the trash and you’re constantly teaching them various other life skills on a daily basis. You know your child best and can be one of the best teachers for them.
Also know that you don’t have to create a public school environment in your home. Education can take place in such a large variety of ways that can make learning fun, easy and take place on your couch. Here are a few ideas of fun activities to engage in with your kids to supplement their learning during their time at home:
-Read to your kids. Reading aloud to your kids is a great family activity. If you’re like me and start yawning endlessly while reading aloud, you can let Audible or your local library audiobook app read to your kids. We love to finish up with a movie night of the latest book we’ve read. We just finished up Alice and Wonderland and now we’re working on Anne of Green Gables.
-Go outside. Fresh air and sunshine are great germ killers and good for your health. Play in your yard, jump on your trampoline, kick a soccer ball around or go out for a walk around the block or on a hike in a local area. It’s also a great time to get some yard work, gardening and spring planting done. There is so much to be learned and enjoyed in the outdoors and it can keep kids busy for hours!
-Play board games. Games can teach so many skills such as counting, math, spelling, strategy, etc. Plus there are so many that are just plain fun! You want this time that you spend together with your family to be filled with good memories of fun and laughter and a competitive game of Settlers of Catan can be a great way to do that! Here is a link to that one and a few other of our favorite games.
-Have them practice writing in a fun way. Have kids start a journal. How fun will it be for them to look back on their writings of their perspective of these strange times years from now! Kind of like when we laugh about Y2K now. They can also write letters or cards to far away friends and relatives. Reaching out to elderly friends and family through cards and letters is especially important especially if they live alone and social distancing and self quarantining can cause loneliness from isolation. These journaling supplies are 50% off right now!
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Do art projects. Practice drawing, painting, paper mosaics, chalk pastels, the list is nearly endless. Depending on your child’s interests, you can look up drawing tutorials and painting inspiration on YouTube or craft project ideas on Pinterest. You can even surprise the kids with a few new art supplies delivered to your door!
-Teach them to cook. Cooking can be such a fun way to learn concepts such as measurements and chemistry. Teaching kids basic life skills such as cooking is so important but often overlooked in today’s busy times. Basics like scrambled eggs, pancakes and simple pasta dishes can be a great place to start. For more experienced kid chefs, more advanced recipes found on Pinterest or the Food Network. Old family recipes are also wonderful to focus on as you can share stories while you cook.
-Home cleaning & organizations skills. The kids won’t necessarily love these lessons, but they’re valuable just the same! It’s so important to send our kids into the world being able to care for themselves and cooking and cleaning are important for everyone to know. Teach them how to clean a bathroom properly, do the laundry, or organize a closet. You can make spring cleaning a family affair and possibly prepare for a future garage sale where the kids can work on their math and money counting skills. Or you can donate some unneeded things to a local charity.
If you see this experience as a gift and blessing of precious time with our loved ones, instead of an inconvenience, we can focus on building relationships with those closest to you. I would encourage you to be intentional with how you spend this time with your family. Be joyful, laugh a lot and make the best of the situation you’ve been given.
Do you have any questions about homeschooling? I would love to help you in any way I can.
Need prayer? I would be honored to pray for you for any of your needs.
I would love to hear from you with your best ideas for keeping kids busy with extended time at home!
Blessings & Peace,
Jennifer Edwards
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