Fun & Learning at Home
For families with children, keeping them active during this #stayhomefornevada time is so important for everyone! When the local parks or school jungle gyms or equipment are closed, we have some ideas to share to keep kids active. You might have seen different websites or ideas for crafts you can do at home with items you may already have around the house, like a sensory bin or rock painting craft. Tilton’s Therapy also has a list of resources for parents to find new ideas during this time in addition to all of our free printable instructional activities. This month we are featuring a few new resources for parents to create good energy at home with kids through active bodies and minds.
GoNoodle Games & Fun
A great website to find lots of different activities and ideas is GoNoodle.com. They are introducing new ideas each week with different themes or focus. The first week of April features some ideas to get out that extra energy with a “standing” theme, like starting a dance party! Having fun together with a family dance time can be a great and easy way to create some positive energy while also letting out some of what builds up from staying at home. Another activity featured is a comparison activity printable which allows them to identify which item is taller when standing next to one another. The last in this theme is how to make a growth chart with some options for getting extra creative with your DIY.
Focusing on Mindfulness
Another great idea to create a sense of calm in your home is to practice mindfulness for the whole family. If you have a meditation or focusing practice already, that is great! For others who would prefer to be guided, you can find some examples of videos to help your family find calm. In addition to videos, you can view or print other ideas for mindfulness practices, like a mindful listening exercise. Parents can simply ring a bell or make another kind of sound, and children can identify when they no longer hear that sound. They can continue the practice by noticing other sounds that they hear throughout the space. Breathe for kids is a meditation app for children with simple videos and guided imagery to calm the senses and promote body regulation from various arousal states, include anxious, hyper and tired.
Deep breathing exercises are also a way you can reach a state of calm and practice reducing or dealing with anxiety together. You can find instructions for deep breathing exercises in our resources & activities.
HYPE at Home
In the vein of dance parties at home, you can also incorporate things that adhere to guidelines for proper exercise, stretching, and strength conditioning with Hip Hop Public Health’s series of music you can follow. Their library of resources offer lots of different options to give you ways to narrow down based on things like grade, Health Education National Learning Standard levels, Healthy Out of School Time Standards, and more.
Check out their full library of resources here: https://hhph.org/resources/cross-dip-music-track/
Education & Learning
Parents are now sometimes faced with the task of providing the educational structure along with the normal routine they are used to. Although for many this is a fun learning experience, it can present challenges for many of us. Luckily, we have some amazing resources out there for parents to access that can help guide them through these uncertain times. One resource for children ages K-5 is teach@home. This website helps parents develop a lesson plan for each week following curriculum in math, literacy, and STEM. You can watch videos for the lessons each week and have access to printable worksheets to continue practice. The daily videos are taught by experienced teachers and are between 5-15 minutes long each.
For those in pre-K or younger ages, teach@home also features a variety of activities that are fun and educational for kids like coloring pages, learning shapes, colors, sequencing, and more. Parents can also find examples of ways to set up a daily routine using their resources, based on age or grade. You can also take advantage of their virtual manipulatives to mix things up from what you have been using already. The best part of all of this content is that if you have access to the internet and a computer, tablet, or phone anyone can use them! There is no software or program needed to engage in their lessons.
As we continue to stay at home and learn our new routine, these tools and activities definitely help to ease some of the strain that comes with such a big adjustment. Taking time to develop some resources that work well for your family can be a great way to feel prepared and organized as we start each new week. Be sure to check out the resources that all of these different avenues have to offer and find something that suits you best!
Learn more about development, find free developmental activities you can do at home, and more in our resources. Tilton’s Therapy is dedicated to our communities and happy to be able to offer therapeutic intervention and provide ideas for families based on their individual needs. Occupational, physical, and speech therapy is available during this time and with our team, you always receive therapy in the comfort of your own home!
