Preparing for parenthood is one thing.
Preparing for parenthood during a global pandemic is another thing all together.
And while everyone in the world is experiencing different challenges throughout this pretty crazy experience; one experience all parents with young kids are facing is the challenge of keeping your toddler or toddlers for some of us entertained at home since for the majority of us, we aren’t meant to be leaving the house for our favourite past times like the zoo, the museum and even local playgrounds have all been temporarily closed.
So where does this leave us?
This means that all facets of entertainment & education for your child need to come from the activities you have planned for them (a challenging task at the best of times) and without some well thought out plans to add some variety into their day, this is a real quick way to have a house being screamed down on the daily.
Not a fun time for anyone.
So here’s some great ways you can look to entertain your toddler at home during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Cooking with Toddlers
If your toddler is anything like my daughter, then they are probably a little obsessed with watching Mum and Dad in the kitchen and are often asking to help in any way shape or form possible which honestly, is just not always doable or efficient if the day demands it.
But hey, since we’re all stuck at home anyway…we may as well take a breath, open up the cookbook (probably Google) and see what toddler friendly recipes we can find.
If you’re looking for something savory these 3 options will help you get started:
But if you’re looking for something on the sweet side, I’m sure one of these will satisfy nicely:
Make your own toys i.e Slime or Playdough
Now it’s time to make your own fun, literally!
This is a 2 birds with 1 stone approach where making the toy itself keeps your toddler entertained but then once the toy is complete, the entertainment will continue as they play with their newly created toy. Pure genius.
You could look to make two all time favourites such as slime or playdough.
We’ve got two simple recipes for you here to follow.
If you want something a bit more tangible and a little less squishy, you could also consider something like a Pom Pom Shoot toy or any of these other great ideas.
Hide & Seek
This is a definite favourite in our house. A good old game of hide and seek.
My experience playing this one is my daughter is that my daughter likes to run and look for her next hiding spot and as long as I have started my countdown from 10, I can continue on with my current task a little longer before needing to begin the hunt. It’s a great time to wash those couple extra dishes or finish chopping that carrot as you prepare dinner!
So definitely add this into your mix, just don’t expect this one to cover hours of play.
Reading Books to Educate Toddlers
A personal favourite for us here at Screenless Kids and it’s probably something you’re already doing but reading with your toddler to educate them on something specifically they’re interested in.
This might take a special order off Amazon to get some fresh books through the door but for example, my daughter is obsessed with Dinosaurs and scarily enough, pronounces the names of them far better than I ever have in my 30 years earthside so with every additional book we read on the topic of Dinosaurs, her engagement level is just continuing to grow as she devours the chance to learn and become a Paleontologist; just one of her many life goals.
Puzzles for Toddlers
An oldie but a good one, doing Puzzles.
Nothing to really over complicate here, puzzles are great for your little toddler’s brain as they start to figure them out.
And obviously you want to be using a toddler friendly puzzle set, not that 5000 piece puzzle that Grandma sent you 5 years ago.
Write Letters to your Family or Friends
Spending time with your friends and family right now is not quite like it used to be and if I’m honest, our little ones are definitely aware of it.
And the biggest thing I’m seeing with our little ones is that they’re missing their grandparents.
So besides for the occasional Facetime calls to stay connected, a way you can actually entertain your toddlers while connecting with your family and friends is writing a good old handwritten letter!
This has been a real favourite for my daughter and the best part is when the grandparents actually send one back. It’ll really make their day.
But Remember, We’ll Get Through This
It’s not going to be like this forever…we will get through this! Whether that’s 2020 or 2021, it’s yet to be seen but it will come to an end.
So stay positive and remember our kids are going to look to us for positivity and guidance while their routines are just as affected as ours and while you’re doing it, some of the activities listed above should help make it all a bit easier day by day.
Do you have any suggestions? Leave them in the comments below!
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