Description
Ten things to do with kids at home all day
Here are some ideas for parents with children at home, including some from parents in Italy and
Iran who have had children at home for a few weeks now. This can be an opportunity for fun
and building good relationships.
1) Keep routines at home. Children need to get up and dressed and have a program of
activities for the day. This will help them keep calm and make it easier for children to go
back to school when schools open again. Attached to this email is a sample schedule
which you can change and put on your fridge, to remind them of the routine.
2) Talk with children about the COVID 19 situation and listen to their worries. The
websites below have good ideas about what to say:
a. https://childmind.org/article/talking-to-kids-about-the-coronavirus/
b. https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/hand-washing.html
c. A podcast which kids can listen to:
https://www.brainson.org/shows/2020/03/10/understanding-coronavirus-and-
how-germs-spread-for-kids
3) Children continue school work and other educational activities*. The government has
asked teachers to prepare activities for children to do at home. Instructions will come
from the school soon, probably through email, D2L and school websites about
homework for children. However, children cannot do homework all day! Make sure they
take breaks!
4) Build your relationship with children through talking, doing things together,
supporting each other, having fun together and showing them lots of love
5) Encourage good behavior
a. Have rules for behavior, screen time etc. Keep reminding children if they forget.
b. Ask children to be helpers. They can help you at home with cooking, cleaning,
shoveling outside, delivering things to neighbours’ doors (if old enough, and not
likely to go inside or stand too close). Show them what to do and work together.
c. Notice and praise the good things they do, for example saying “I notice you
cleared the dishes before I asked you”
d. Plan fun activities and good things they can do (more below)
6) Be active with them, for example, run around outside, build snowmen, do children’s
yoga or fitness together (there are lots of yoga and fitness sessions on Youtube), have a
dance party at home, or see attached Indoor Winter Fun idea list.
7) Plan creative activities such as crafts, songs, telling stories, building or making things,
putting on a show for you. Get them to use things you already have at home. Look
online or to friends for ideas.
8) Play games together, for example hide and seek, guessing games, board games. Limit
time on computer games and apps.
9) *Watch educational programs together or access other educational
resources—but not too much screen time! The Calgary Public Library has a great free
electronic library online using your library card and password, to access e-books and
talking books, also Rosetta Stone language-learning, for example. There are good
educational websites online, eg Scholastic. Others are US based, and may ask you to
join and give personal information. Some parents are not comfortable with signing up to
US sites.
Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association: Cross Cultural Parenting Program
10) Keep up social activities, using phone, Skype, What’s App, Facetime and other tools,
not face to face
From the program Cooperation Organziation-Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association: Cross Cultural Parenting Program
