Quarantining with Kids
Quarantining with kids is a whole different world to quarantining without them. I sometimes flirt with the idea of how glorious the childless life must be during the pandemic. I mean, picture this: waking up whenever you like after a full and undisturbed night’s sleep, enjoying a Netflix series that isn’t Peppa Pig or Paw Patrol, taking an afternoon nap, meditating without someone climbing all over you, and eating a meal without a small human constantly trying to steal food off your plate. Sounds wonderful, right? My childless friends are coming out of quarantine with abs of steel and the peachiest bottoms after following workout routines given by their favorite Instagram influencers. And me? I think I worked out about 10 times and my excuse is that I just haven’t had the time or energy to get it done. My abs aren’t made of steel and my bottom certainly hasn’t gained anymore peachiness (loud sigh).
Although it seems that much of the world is now embracing a new type of normal, here in Puerto Vallarta we’re still in the thick of the pandemic with COVID cases on the rise. Some local schools and nurseries have reopened and have strict health prevention strategies in place, but most aren’t reopening until the New Year.
This means that for a lot of us parents, the journey of social distancing and quarantining isn’t over – but that doesn’t have to be a daunting thought!
I think the key to surviving quarantine with a little one is 1) having patience with them and with yourself, 2) expect the unexpected, and 3) try to plan daily activities. Children love to be active and stimulated so it’s always a good idea to have a range of activities that you can turn too when your little one is reaching the point of boredom and tantrums.
I also think that surviving quarantine with children is a mindset – just hear me out! Even though some days are a total disaster and you’re desperately counting down the minutes until 7pm, we have to remember how lucky and blessed we are to have been granted this extra time to spend with our little ones. We’re often so caught up with work and other matters that we forget what treasures we have waiting for us at home. I know that my family and I have made such fond memories during quarantine without disturbances from the outside world, and I feel so grateful for that. I’ve watched my daughter truly blossom and I didn’t think it was possible for us to bond even more but we have, and to me that’s more important than anything – even having a peachy bottom.
Below I have given some activities that you can practice at home with your kids. They’re all relatively easy to do and offer hours of fun and creativity! They’re great to entertain your child if you need to get an hour of work in, make a Zoom call or just sit down and have a coffee.
1. Rock Painting
Rock painting is a fantastic recreational activity for children that develops fine motor skills, outdoor play, kindness, and creativity! You can decorate your rocks to look like cartoon characters, animals and people or decorate them in a pretty patterns.
Materials:
- Smooth flat rocks
- Paintbrushes
- Non-toxic, child-friendly paint
- Paint sealer
- A small tub for water to clean the brushes
- Old sheet to cover the surface
- Plastic jars for the paint
Steps:
(1) Thoroughly wash the rocks in warm soapy water before decorating them to remove any dirt. Leave them to dry.
(2) Cover your painting surface with the old sheet.
(3) Squirt the paints into individual plastic jars and prepare the small tub of water and paintbrushes.
(4) Prime the rocks with white paint so that the colors appear more bright.
(5) Start painting! You can sketch out your design onto the rock in pencil first.
(6) Once the paint has dried, you can start decorating your rocks with glitter, pom poms, googly eyes, and more!
4. Mask making
Masks are so fun to make and to wear! This recreational activity allows for the expression of creativity and imagination! You can make cartoon masks, funny masks, or animal masks using all different colors and materials!
Materials:
- Foamy material or card
- Decorations
- Glue stick
- Silicone liquid glue
- Scissors
- Pencil
- String or lace
Steps:
(1) With a pencil, start by sketching out the shape of your mask on the foamy material or card
(2) Use the scissors to cut out the shape of your mask
(3) Start painting and decorating your mask using all of your colorful materials! You can stick the decorations on using either the glue stick or silicone liquid glue.
(4) Once dried, cut a small hole on either side of your mask. The hole must be large enough to fit the lace or string through.
(5) Measure how much string or lace you need to enable the mask to fit snuggly around your head.
(6) Thread each end of the string or lace through each hole on the mask and tie firmly in a double knot. Voila!
3. Coloring in a Mandala
Mandala’s represent something very spiritual and meditative. It’s a sacred symbol that’s used in Buddhism to represent the calming and imaginary place that you travel to during meditation. It's a symbolic representation of the Universe that comprises an inner and outer world. The purpose of the Mandala is to help enlighten ordinary minds and assist with meditation.
Coloring in a Mandala can be very calming and focused. Remember, the Mandala represents the universe, so children can fully express their creativity however they wish. They can use colors that represent and express how they’re feeling or simply have fun and use their favorite colors.
You will find many different Mandala designs online, which you can download and print off. Simply type in ‘Mandala template’ in your search engine. There are simpler styles for younger children and more complex ones for those who are older.
I hope you enjoy the above activities and I also hope that your family stays happy and healthy. One day, this will all be a distant memory and we will truly miss the precious, undisturbed time that we had our little ones. Enjoy it as much as possible and remember, a little TV time never hurt nobody!
