Things to do during lockdown with kids

Neyite · 05-01-2021 3:16pm #1

It's looking very possible that the powers that be will keep the schools shut for longer, so a thread of ideas might be useful for us all.

I've an 8yo so while there will be school work, there will be chunks of the day that he'll need to occupy himself (that isn't screens) as his dad and I will be working from home.

So far I've ordered a bit of arts and crafts things - model building clay and matchstick kits, as well as sketching materials as he loves art.

I'm also going to look into getting some audio books and print off colouring pages. And I'm going to see if I can find music lessons online for him to try.

mitresize5 · 05-01-2021 5:01pm

that sounds like an awful lot of pressure to be putting on the child and both of you.

I'm taking a different approach this time, I've told work I will be doing the best I can.

We have an 8 year old and a 3 year old, if the 3 year old wants to sit on my lap during a call then so be it this time.

No way we are putting ourselves under the same amount of pressure we did in lock down one. Its just not worth it

We'll do as much as possible school work with the 8 year old and bring both of the for a walk in the evening.

Our success criteria is we are not divorced and both kids are still alive by the time the lockdown finishes!!

Neyite · 05-01-2021 5:15pm

I won't be putting either of us under pressure. It was really about pre-empting the boredom that happened during the last lockdown. Things like baking didn't work for us, as I needed to work and he got bored after a few minutes anyway.

School work will only take up some of the day and after that he will need something to occupy his time that isn't watching crap on YouTube. It's more about offering him options that aren't screens. Work have been brilliant regarding flexibility since the beginning so I've no worries there.

He's been dying to get music lessons which obviously had to be put off for Covid but I might have someone to give him a lesson for an hour once or twice a week to teach him the basics. And he loves art so will dive right into the stuff Ive ordered, and I'll enjoy helping him create stuff too.

mud · 05-01-2021 6:37pm

My nephew loves his online music lessons. He takes drums and piano lessons and his brother does guitar and piano. What instrument are you thinking? There's lots of beginners materials online and books and so on.

Neyite · 05-01-2021 7:05pm

It's guitar for an utter beginner 8 yo if you've any links you could recommend?
He's done tin whistle in school for a year but I'd barely even count that tbh.

catrionanic · 05-01-2021 9:45pm

I'll be stuck at home with a 2yo and a 3yo while in the throes of first trimester sickness.... this is going to be all about survival

Lashes28 · 05-01-2021 9:53pm

I ordered a bird feeder and I'm gonna print out sheets for them to tick off birds they can spot throughout the day.
Get out at least once a day for a walk.
We have so much Lego from Xmas and so many games we could play Peppa monopoly for hours ðŸ˜…
My two youngest are 4 and 5.
I was living with my parents during last lockdown. So I will see how my sanity survives this one. I'm lucky in a way I don't have to worry about work and entertaining them.

shesty · 05-01-2021 10:05pm

Neyite, my 6 year old has been doing violin classes since September in person, right through November's lockdown too. I suspect they might continue in person, she is due to go back next week....I am awaiting word on what they intend to do. I would go for it if he is interested and someone is available to do it.

Revisit some of the Joe Wick's school PE workouts maybe? Are they still available? Is he into books at all? Lego?

Don't have a notion what we will do. We have a minder, the kids will continue to go there Monday - Thursday. I will have to attempt to educate the eldest so I might keep her at home an hour or so each morning and send her over later. At Fridays & weekends, we go out every morning, fairly early when places are quiet. Luckily blessed with a selection of wide open spaces around us. Outside of that, I will mostly leave them to their own devices for amusement/murdering each other, screens stay off during the day, until about 5pm. Zoom ballet is on Saturdays, and the instrument will have to be practiced, whatever way the classes work out.

Just hoping it all doesn't go on for too long, it isn't fair on the kids.

Edited to say, I am not sure how that smiley face appeared on top of my post, it wasn't intended to!

ZX7R · 05-01-2021 10:10pm

I rooted out old bord games from the attic some were nearly 30 years old great way to entertain both old and young and it helps bridge the generation gaps.
Arts and crafts a definite
Maybe try knitting or crochet even sowing buttons materials
Cooking and baking is a good pastime also and Lego and macano might interest your son also.

shesty · 06-01-2021 8:58am

This came my way yesterday.Maybe more useful for younger kids.6 of the resource packs to go with the Julia Donaldson stories available for free, useful for younger primary kids.

https://resource-bank.scholastic.co.uk/content/40114

mirrorwall14 · 06-01-2021 9:08am

Lego and knex are my almost six year olds addiction. I’d suggest knex for a change of stuff if he’s into Lego. We got a box on freecycle and it turned out to be an enormous hit. iPad he’ll play alphabet games etc beside me. Tv as a last resort.

Also different locations which sounds silly but him moving rooms seems to keep his attention . All his Lego and knex is up in his room. All the art stuff in the kitchen. Toys in the sitting room. Different set of toys and art in the attic at my work desk. Garden toys. I move him and myself around or suggest he goes up to do some Lego.

The two year old is stuck to me but our childminder is taking them this time around. It is going to be amazing by comparison tbh

melmoth77 · 06-01-2021 9:11am

Just available for this week, but starcamp have made an online camp available free: https://starcamp.ie/virtual-camp-christmas-2020/

My 7 year old and 3 year old have been enjoying, a bit of everything in it!

shesty · 06-01-2021 9:38am

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

Also different locations which sounds silly but him moving rooms seems to keep his attention . All his Lego and knex is up in his room. All the art stuff in the kitchen. Toys in the sitting room. Different set of toys and art in the attic at my work desk. Garden toys. I move him and myself around or suggest he goes up to do some Lego.

This is so true.Our attic was converted a couple of years ago, and I noticed last lockdown, they would be going crazy around thenliving room and garden, and then decide to go to the attic, and would play for a good hour or so up there.Or the older pair have toys in their rooms, so will play there too.Change of scenery makes all the difference, noticing it myself since wfh.I know my minder says on wet days if ut is all getting too much, she sends them upstairs to watch TV in a different room, or bounce on beds, for a change of scenery!!!!

Hannibal_Smith · 06-01-2021 10:00am

We came up with this game during the last lockdown. It was a bit of craic and something different when the weather was bad. It's hard to describe it, but I'll give it a go. My kids were 10 and 8 (now 11 and 9) and it ideally works if you have 3 or more players.

You all take a pencil and 4 strips of paper. Number each strip of paper on the back 1 - 4.

On the front of strip no 1 write the opening line to a story - 1 one line as long or short as you like.

On the front of strips 2 and 3 write middle lines to your story.

On the front of strip 4 write the end line.

Ideally everyone's 4 strips when read in sequence, tell a little story. Fold all strips of paper up and put them in a bowl. Each player selects 4 strips (ideally not from the same set) and then takes turns reading out the four strips they've ended up with. You should end up with some really obscure, but funny tales.

Either we were delirious from lock down, or it genuinely worked, either way we had so much fun playing it. Real belly laughing where my son fell off his chair :pac: :pac:

I know it's not so much to occupy them and more family time, but threw it in anyway

Neyite · 06-01-2021 10:09am

The past two days he's been occasionally playing but mostly watching his tablet or on his nintendo. That's my fault for not being organised.

His dad's role was flexible last time but it's changed now and he literally is working all hours without a minute to spare to even get a cuppa or eat meals at the moment due to a project launch. It might ease off towards the end of the month but I'm going to work off the assumption it's just my son and me.

Today the plan is a small amount of chores - 30 mins or so, plonk him in the bath and a bit of school work that he didn't do before Christmas - about another 30 mins or so. I'll also take him out doors for an hour at lunch to walk the dog and get some fresh air.

shesty · 06-01-2021 10:33am

I am reading Barack Obama's latest book at the moment, and his mother had a great line which I feel may be used on occasion with my oldest child in the coming weeks......when he said he was bored, she told him to go and read a book, then come back and tell her something he learned.
There is something in that....,:-)

Neyite · 06-01-2021 11:05am

I take it Barack didn't eye-roll his mother and declare the exercise booooring.:D

shesty · 07-01-2021 2:29pm

He omitted to specify what his response was

:D

shesty · 09-01-2021 10:29am

Neyite, you said your guy likes drawing....i don't know, would this be any good, but if you go to the Disney online store, there is a section with free printables for colouring, but also a section for animation.I haven't looked too deeply in at it but I think the idea is they walk through the process of drawing and animation.You would probably need a printer, but it might be worth having a look at, just something else to add to your list!

https://www.shopdisney.eu/events-and-activities

jlm29 · 09-01-2021 11:59am

shesty wrote: »

Neyite, you said your guy likes drawing....i don't know, would this be any good, but if you go to the Disney online store, there is a section with free printables for colouring, but also a section for animation.I haven't looked too deeply in at it but I think the idea is they walk through the process of drawing and animation.You would probably need a printer, but it might be worth having a look at, just something else to add to your list!

https://www.shopdisney.eu/events-and-activities

My oldest guy is nine, and loves Pokemon. Maybe the summer before last, when he was coming up to 8, I printed out free printable pokemon colouring pages and he spent hours and hours colouring them in. He was motivated to do this, because I promised him I would get them published as a book when he was done

. I brought them to a print shop locally and had them bound into a book (cost around a fiver).

shesty · 09-01-2021 2:06pm

Lovely idea jlm.ðŸ˜I might do that for my eldest - she draws constantly, it would be nice to make a little book of some of her drawings because they are nice.

Lashes28 · 09-01-2021 6:10pm

A time capsule we started today. Scrap book of newspapers/print outs of what's happening, how they feel,what they are doing each day,school from home,picture of them etc so when this is all over and they older they can have something to look back and remember what they went through...

Redser87 · 09-01-2021 6:39pm

tradtime.ie has great interactive lessons for tin whistle if that's any good to anyone.
We had a chess tournament in my class once on http://chessossity.com/

Both online I know but a useful way for them to engage with their devices.

I would also recommend The Anti-Colouring Book for 8+. It's a bit old school but some nice ideas for them to get creative.

chases0102 · 10-01-2021 10:09am

If there were any interactive art/activity YouTube programmes, might be great to pass an hour or so! Have a 3 y/o, who's quite good to play but the day can be quite long as I'm sure you'll all agree, so any new ideas always welcome!

Incidentally, one of the nicer shows that I find for his age group would be SuperWhy - superheroes who solves problems using reading/spelling!

screamer · 10-01-2021 10:34am

I had my 3 kids last time, working full time from home and pregnant also, just to make sure I had enough stress. To be honest the smaller kids lose interest quickly in anything really, so I ended up letting them outside to play, I still do I just wrap them up well, they need the air and exercise to burn off steam. I also get them to help with chores like loading the dryer or dishwasher. They enjoy hoovering too. Getting them to help with dinner or lunch. Small things really. What I found in lockdown - was that my working time was the same but my day changed. I used to stretch my work out so I wouldn’t be finished till later, but if I needed an hour off during the day if the kids were particularly unsettled, then that was fine too. My boss was flexible and I needed that as my husband wasn’t allowed to work even one day at home.

cant26 · 10-01-2021 3:04pm

Simon Hetherington is live streaming free Art classes every Monday and Thursday mornings at 10.30 throughout the lockdown.

Neyite · 10-01-2021 8:53pm

screamer wrote: »

I had my 3 kids last time, working full time from home and pregnant also, just to make sure I had enough stress. To be honest the smaller kids lose interest quickly in anything really, so I ended up letting them outside to play, I still do I just wrap them up well, they need the air and exercise to burn off steam. I also get them to help with chores like loading the dryer or dishwasher. They enjoy hoovering too. Getting them to help with dinner or lunch. Small things really. What I found in lockdown - was that my working time was the same but my day changed. I used to stretch my work out so I wouldn’t be finished till later, but if I needed an hour off during the day if the kids were particularly unsettled, then that was fine too. My boss was flexible and I needed that as my husband wasn’t allowed to work even one day at home.

Fair play to you!!
Your husband's boss is a bollox by the way. But you already probably know that

Someone I know had her kids thinking that doing the dishwasher was a HUGE treat and they only got it if they begged. I keep telling her that she needs to write a parenting blog!

Outdoor play is really important. My problem is that if I let my lad outside, the neighbour kids (one family) want to play with him and I piss them all off by being the bad guy.

Currently we have on the go - art, pastels. I'll also look into that disney link Shesty. And I love the idea of a time capsule!! That's going to be on the list for sure. I'm going to get his cousin to teach him a bit of music remotely - even learning how to play twinkle twinkle on the guitar might get him strumming and enjoying it. I don't really care if he doesn't like something, as long as a) I've got something to suggest when I get "Mom, I'm bored" and b) keep him busy for 30 mins or so!

shesty · 11-01-2021 3:18pm

Have to admit Neyite, if I can close my ears to the "I'm SO bored" for 15 mins or so, I find they do give up whining about it, and go and find something to amuse themselves.It depends on how much you can stick it though really.

Neyite · 11-01-2021 3:21pm

He got stuck into his schoolwork over breakfast at 9am and was done and dusted by 10.30 :pac:

Ms2011 · 20-01-2021 9:47pm

Outschool do alot of online classes, my 8 year loves Roblox so loves the classes on drawing the characters or coding new games but there are loads of options.

https://outschool.com/online-classes#abkk5wdubb

Neyite · 20-01-2021 9:53pm

Brilliant! I'll check those out for sure.

We had a good day - did some art in the morning - I started him off and he spent a good hour on his own doing that, then some school work and in the afternoon we painted our clay projects from last week.

Things to do during lockdown with kids

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