Five Tips For Thriving At Home With Kids During Self-Isolation

Bored kids are rarely easy to manage. And if kids are attempting to run the place, self-isolation could be a nightmare, for both kids, and parents alike. But alternatively, self-isolating with kids at home, could be a time when you can build closer relationships and create great memories... If you're smart about it.

It could be a bit like going camping and having weeks of wet weather. Not what you planned. But you can still make the best of it and have fun.

During this pandemic, rarely being able to leave the house, limits what you can do to break the monotony for your kids.

But some of us can relate.

I can remember having 25 new preschoolers starting a new year during three weeks of rain.

And I knew if I didn't keep them happy and engaged, those who were inclined to be challenging, would be all over me. Because those who tested their parents, were also inclined to test me.

So why didn't they? Or if they did, why didn't they continue to do so.

Simply put, children got less attention for being difficult. But more importantly, there was so much more in it for them to do the right thing.

I always had heaps of interesting things to do, so it was fun to cooperate.

I wanted kids to be positive about learning. So I focused on every positive I could about their efforts to learn.

e.g. When teaching Year 1 I focused on the best sentence written on their page and explained why that was particularly good. That identified what quality work was. And as a result I got better quality work... For younger kids, it may be as simple as commenting on the best letter formation. E.g. straight backs on letters of equal size.

But if you're stuck at home, and there are generally kids screaming and running around the place, it's likely they may not have enough to do. And it can increase the overall levels of stress in a household.

But with a little planning, you can turn what is a difficult time, into a positive time. One where you build quality relationships with your family, rather than be saddened by them.

Improvements can be made with the introduction of:

• Simple routines: Kids love predictability. They like to know things like after an activity we wash our hands. Then we have snack break. And after less stimulating activities there will be something more exciting to do.