The Ultimate Guide To Entertaining Your Kids At Home (Without Weeping) During The Quarantine
by Jenny Jiles
I can’t breathe. Is it corona or my endless, throbbing anxiety? I don’t know. Does anybody know? But here I am, home in pajamas. Showered, but in pajama pants and an oversized t-shirt because duh. Ok fine, I’M NOT SHOWERED. Everything is cancelled. There’s nowhere to go. No playdates. No friends. No babysitters.
No school.
So…
What. Do. We. Do. With. Our. Kids?
By now everyone has seen 4 thousand versions of “easy” schedules of how to break up the day with kids, though this one feels the most realistic:
No one breaks out their days perfectly. No one has a timer to move on to the next activity. Sticking to a military-grade schedule while wondering if the world is going to explode isn’t realistic. But I also find myself desperate for new ideas, new resources, anything that might help break up the endless abyss that we’re all looking into.
So take what you can from this list. And leave what you think is bonkers and impossible. We’re all just doing our damndest to stay above water here.
Wake Up: Morning Writing
Kids are experiencing a lot of emotions and need all the help they can get with processing everything. Give them an outlet to write their feelings down. Giving them this space to write down their fears and their worries will feel comforting as an outlet — especially since they’re not seeing their teachers, friends, other family members.
8:00am: Breakfast & Games
Get your kids to set up a board game - this helps occupy them while you make your much-needed morning elixir and breakfast. Then you can all sit down for a round of Clue while you sip and munch on frozen waffles and bananas, egg-in-a-hole, oatmeal with apples and cinnamon, huevos rancheros, cereal, whatever it is. I’m sneakily trying to give you pantry-friendly ideas here, too.
Here are a few links to affordable games on Amazon:
Farkle (the single greatest game of all time to play with kids They will beat you fair and square, and they will love nothing more.)
9:00am: Homework (while you work)
We do homework in the morning because this seems to be the most productive for us. They’ve eaten, they’ve beaten your ass at Farkle, they’re ready to tackle some learning. This also gives you time to get some of your work done, respond to your emails, set up your plan for the day - assuming you don’t have to stop every 3 minutes to relearn and teach fucking fractions.
After your kids have done all of the required assignments from school, check out some of these free online activities, all of which my kids love:
10:00am: Put Em To Work
Chores are a grown up’s nightmare, but kids actually get into it, especially if there is a time challenge or a small reward. Folding laundry, putting away toys, vacuuming, watering plants, setting the table, feeding/walking pets, loading up a giveaway bag for people in need, anything you can think of. Put your kids to work. They will also feel a sense of responsibility and accomplishment that helps to keep their confidence high during a time where they’re not getting their typical accolades at school.
11:00am: Scavenger Hunt
Kids love a good scav. They can spend a solid hour looking for things inside and outside the house, taking iPhone photos of everything they find. Whoever has the most items photographed wins! Their “prize” can be winning the “master of ceremonies” title for the day - choosing a 30 min show they want to watch, getting to choose their chores, winning trinkets from a “prize box” where they also dole out prizes to their siblings.
Here are a few scavenger hunt ideas:
Or, just hide a few old toys around the house for them to find. Sounds dumb. They love it.
12:00pm: Picnic Party Board Lunch
Party board lunches are the key to your survival these next few weeks aka months aka I can’t even think about it. A board is so easy to throw together quickly without having to short order in the middle of the goddamn day. Load a wooden board up with a variety of what you have available in your “store.” Ideally a combo of fruits, vegetables, (depending on what’s available right now) cheeses, nuts/seeds, dips, deli meats, simple sandwich halves or quesadilla triangles, tuna salad as a “dip” for their veggies. Kids tend to be more willing to try new things during lunch, so try things out. They might be into those roasted red peppers! Set the board out for them on your kitchen counter, and offer for them to take it outside while they play and graze. And go with them— you probably need some Vitamin D.
1:00pm: Phone A Friend
After lunch is a good time to Face-time a friend at home or a grandparent (or aunt, uncle, cousins) for a chat. My 7-year-old daughter just spent an hour on a 3-way Face-time with her friends, chatting, playing with slime and painting her nails. If they’re awkward on the phone like most kids, have them play 20 Questions, Would You Rather, try these conversation starter cards, or play What’s Your Favorite or Build a Story - each person adds a line to a made-up story, and it goes on and on until it’s truly psychotic and each kid is dissolving into a puddle of cry-laughter.
2:00pm: Blessed Quiet Time
This is required for all of us. They might have more homework, or want to draw or build or write, or just play alone. If they know this is a set time (that doesn’t go on indefinitely), they’ll do it. They might be even excited about it. And if they need some specific ideas, they can try Drawing Prompts or Writing Prompts, Eco Non Toxic Clay. And give them all the Amazon boxes you’ve accumulated so they can build cars and spaceships. Once you’ve wiped them down with Clorox wipes of course. This blessed quietness is also the ideal time to bang out a big chunk of your own work.
4:00pm: Dishes and Dance Party
Move the couch, turn on your Spotify and SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE. DANCE DANCE DANCE DANCE. That’s a good song to start with. This helps with the anxiety for all of us and helps them get their ya yas out. I love Go Noodle for this. Or I like to make this a combo-task where we’re cleaning and/or putting away the dishes from the dishwasher. Or, alternatively, just force them to empty the dishwasher themselves while you sit in a chair with a blank look on your face. Your choice!
5:00pm: TV Time (Without Guilt)
If you thought this list wouldn’t include screen time you must have me mistaken with a good mother. If you think you’re going to get through 2 weeks ( or you know, for some of us, the rest of the school year) without TV then you should be writing this article. And please DM me your secrets immediately if not sooner. Screens are a luxury we all need right now. Zero guilt. You could consider giving the kids a big list of interesting movies that you feel great about them watching, and each day they get to pick their fave. Kids will get into all the old movies we all love. It doesn’t always have to be some horrifying animated pile of garbage. Beetlejuice, Back To The Future, Roger Rabbit, Indiana Jones, try it.
6:00pm: Cook Together!
You know I had to go there because it’s what I do for a living. I encourage more of us to get in the kitchen and now is the time to get in the kitchen and cook with your kids. Have them read recipes and chop (this knife is key) and sauté, with you nearby and nowhere else to be. I have some simple recipes in my ebook I’m giving away for free right now.
7:00pm: Book, Then Movie
This one takes a lot of time and one I got from a homeschooling friend of mine. Spend a few days, reading out loud to your kids and once you’re finished the book, watch the coordinating movie. You can discuss the similarities, differences and how it was in your head vs. in the movie.
Here are a few for different ages:
Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland, Where the Wild Things Are. Fantastic Mr. Fox, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Horton Hears a Who, The Cat in the Hat, The Never Ending Story, Narnia, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Mary Poppins, Charlottes Web, Stewart Little, The Night at the Museum, The Jungle Book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Little Women. Older kids might like The Hunger Games or The Hobbit.
After all this, it goes without saying that some (most?) days are going to be Netflixing trash and eating off-brand tortilla chips for dinner on the couch.
We’re all in this together, doing the best we can right now. Sending lots of love to all of you.
Jenny is a writer, cooking coach, and host of Cliffs Notes Kitchen, where she shows how simple, bite-sized shifts with minimal effort, can create lasting changes in your health. You can find more of her articles here.
