Raise your hand if you feel you are failing your kid(s)?

Here are some things that will help you and your family get through this time in quarantine together.

1) Take Care of YOU - There’s a reason why on airplanes they tell you to put the mask on yourself before your child. If you’re stressed, your child will feel it. I’d rather you take 20 min to take a bath, put on a face mask or meditate & have your child on screens/listen to @sparkle_stories than you feel this massive amount of guilt/stress which may lead to lashing out. Let me know if you want recs of what I let my kids watch? 

2) Be you and Own it! DO NOT compare yourself to the world of IG…seeing moms doing arts & crafts, science projects, baking etc works for some but not everyone. If you have to clean your house, involve your kids. There’s so much learning when cleaning. There’s planning, sequencing, problem solving, working as a team... Don’t feel bad if your whole day is about cleaning, but try to incorporate aspects of fun. If you don’t know how to play, let your child lead you. If you are doing laundry & they get into the basket, go with it! Take a few min & move them in the basket for a fun ride. Then back to laundry. 

3) Trust your Kids. Kids are more capable than you think (ie, making the bed, doing dishes, vacuuming) Even if you have a toddler & they aren’t physically able to vacuum…let them use a pretend vacuum, broom or even a duster & they can follow you around while you get work done bc it makes them feel involved. 

4) What’s Old is New Again. There’s a reason why I rotate toys. Kids can only play w/ so much at a time. But how do you start if you have so much stuff? Make this your activity for the day or week. Put everything away! Categorize, organize, separate & let your kid pick 3 things they can keep in the area they play. 

5) Less is More. Do not feel the need to buy more things to entertain your child. Your closet is entertainment. Dress up is a key part of child development. Kids are constantly mimicking what’s in their environment. Repetition is 1 way we learn. Scavenger hunts are a great way to entertain (go find a whisk, a glue stick, a soccer ball). Collecting things in nature. I am all about making fairy gardens out of a shoe box & filling them w/ little trinkets. Do you want more ideas?