Remember when weekdays were easier to manage?
I definitely do. Breakfast in the morning, school drop offs and its back to my laptop till 3pm when its time for pick up! Then the kids come home and its, homework, dinner, bath time, bedtime stories and then lights out. Pretty predictable right? Well, it's not been like that in the last four weeks. School has been closed because of COVID-19.
I'm curious, how are you managing screen time during quarantine with your kids?
After one week of Netflix and video games, I realised I was in the danger of turning my kids into technology zombies and came up with a plan. I am sure most mothers can relate, when kids are busy, mothers can relax and rest! So it was time to come up with a plan that involved, less screen time and more exercises and family time! Back to the drawing board Mothers! Did I also mention that zoom calls have become a part of our life?
Time to take a Walk!
Every morning after breakfast we take a walk round the block, round the garden, leaving the windows and doors open, letting in fresh air. The kids love it, I mean they haven't been out in ages so the time spent out in the morning is an activity they always look forward to and hey, it gets me ready for the next couple of hours, homeschooling and participating in lessons via zoom calls.
Screen time is earned!
Considering the fact that I have always had a rule "no TV during the week", I'm surprised my kids expect the TV to be on 24 hours, hey its quarantine, no school, that means we are on holidays Mum, right? Watching movies is still treat though and screen time is earned. I allow 2 hours screen time everyday and they have to watch an episode of Disney Nature (thanks to the new Disney app! It came at the right time!). Allowing them to have access to video games and TV for more than 2 hours a day during this period is a no no for me because when this is over, its going to be difficult to go back to their routine of no TV during the week and video games during the weekend!
Shake it off!
But it's important to watch out for signs showing fatigue setting in. I have there kids, 9, 6 and 5 and so I watch out for signs when they are doing their schoolwork, once they start showing signs of restlessness or losing interest; then its time to shake our feet! The other day I found myself dance to Khalid's hit song "Talk" on just dance and even though I came last, of course my kids beat me, it was fun just dancing and laughing! 30 minutes of dancing and they were up and about again! Glad I got the Nintendo switch, lots of dance activities!
Pre Covid-19, dinner was always rushed and we were always everywhere but this period, wow, dinner has become an activity to look forward to! My 6 year old loves setting the table for dinner and she's constantly in the kitchen looking for what to do and pointing out different recipes from the cookery book she would want us to try out. Dinnertime is family time, no phones, no tv, no video games, just us sitting down to dinner, which is pretty good, right?
Board games, like Monopoly, Ludo and Game of Life are also ways to relax and have fun! My kids love playing Game of Life! Truth is there can be no wrong or right way to deal with children, you just have to do what works for you and your kids! I am a stickler for setting rules and following then but hey, nothing wrong with doing something out of the ordinary, something to make your kids smile.
Photography by: Monkey Business Images|
However you are getting through it, just know that you are doing a great job. I spend a lot of time with my kids, playing games, reading, playing just doing things we love doing. I must have read over 20 books since this began but that's just my own way of getting through this period!
Photography by: mimagephotography|
And remember to take care of yourself, stay home, stay safe and stay positive.
Photography by: LenaBelkin|
Any ideas on how to keep kids occupied? Please leave your comments and thoughts below, would love to hear from you on how you are getting through this period :)
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