Lockdown With A Toddler…
Four words that can strike fear into any parent (however imaginative they might be!).
So we’ve come up with a few ideas to help you through!
1. Firstly, use the 2 hours exercise outside wisely.
Yes – lately it has been raining heavily or the wind blowing, but even if you get yourself and your child out of the house for half that time, it will make home feel less like a pressure cooker when you go back inside. If the weather is ok, get to the park and take them hunting for dragons or bears or on their bikes. If you can go to the beach – search for crabs or collect stones and shells to use at home for an activity.
2. Arts & Crafts
Use your two hours outside to collect different exciting materials. Sticks, stones, shells, sand, leaves, acorns… then get creative and make some art about your adventures that day.
A painting of a tree perhaps, with the use of some leaves from outside. Maybe a picture of you all on the beach that day, then stick those shells onto the picture.
3. Music
Dancing is good for everyone’s soul, even if you aren’t any good. And anyway, your child thinks you’re the very best, so they will be impressed with whatever moves you might pull out.
Maybe you could teach them musical statues or get them singing and expressing themselves – put on a show for the other members of your family.
4. Lockdown Hunt
Why not use a bag of treats (could be chocolate or something healthier like fruity bites), ask your child to close their eyes or leave the room (which already creates excitement), then hide them around the room, give the child a bag / basket and tell them how many they need to find.
This is great fun for them as they’re not only learning about numbers but also being rewarded with exciting finds around the house!
5. Hide & Seek
A simple classic but if you play it right you might even get two minutes to yourself while you ‘search’ – genius right?? In all seriousness though, this one’s great fun for everyone!
6. Bake a themed cake or cupcakes
Let them get involved in the whole process. It’s truly wonderful to watch them engrossed in a task, learning and having fun. When the baking is done, get cosy and pop on a favourite show of the same theme – example; eat your Peppa Pig cupcakes and watch an episode or 2 of the piggy family.
We are going to be doing as many fun and interactive blogs as we can think of during lockdown to help you all smile and keep the spirit of #GuernseyTogether going.
If you don’t get any of these toddler ideas done in a day and you just about manage to get them fed, bathed and sat in front of a movie – that’s okay too.
We’re all doing our best in a very strange time.
We’re all in this together. We’ve got this.
Keep your chin up!