Some days are fun, some days are okay and some days are a struggle when you’re at home all day with kids – are you finding that too? I reached out to my Brains Trust on Instagram to find out what everyone was doing to help them get through isolation and stay positive rather than sinking into anxiety and worry.
Here’s what they said. Thanks for everyone’s fabbo contributions. And remember our words to live by – ‘Whatever works’. GOOD LUCK!
Exercise + just getting outside
Getting outside is great for mental health and for our bodies!
If you can’t get outside then make a time to exercise each day. Many people recommend first thing in the morning to set you up for the day.
If you’re out walking you can listen to a podcast for inspiration or education, and make sure to pause and appreciate the nature around you
Make sure to do a 5k daily walks with the kids and explore the neighbourhood or jump on bikes and go for rides.
Join in online work out classes like Joe Wicks.
Go on the treadmill or walk every morning – start a routine.
Try intermittent fasting to help with clarity and health
Go with the flow
Just be, enjoy the lack of pressure and time to yourself.
Remind yourself that this is not forever.
Lean into it. It sucks but just try and get through – make sure to eat, sleep and shower! Anything else is a bonus
Practice being grateful
Write down three things you’re grateful for each day.
Take a photo each day to remind yourself of this time and to look back on together after the pandemic is over.
Get into the photos – be present with your family and your friends as much as you can.
Talk to friends and family online if you can
Use Zoom, Facebook Messenger, Houseparty of WattsApp to connect.
Organise family games, wine time or challenges online.
Connect with your neighbourhood
Do chalk drawings outside or create chalk courses for kids to follow.
Have social isolation drinks on your driveway with neighbours.
Play games like statues with kids on their driveways.
Send letters to family and friends – or to nursing homes for residents
Do consistent daily activities
Set daily projects to do together like cooking and cleaning.
Teach your kids about the home and how to manage a household.
Make themes for each day
Make themes for each day like Take out Tuesday, Wings Wednesday to keep it fun for the kids.
Bribes are fine
Do like I do, two hours of schoolwork = 30 minutes of Roblocks later in the day.
Our motto is WHATEVER WORKS
Have fun!
Do silly things like have a water fight.
Get an accountability partner if working for yourself
Get an online partner and work for blocks of time together.
I work with my partner Emma Morrel from Wanderlust and Wetwipes in 25 minute blocks. We state our objective and work on it for 25 minutes then do a 5 minute stretch or cardo session before the next 25 minute block of work.
If you’re working from home you can protect your data with a VPN.
Don’t stress about schooling
Please try not to stress about school, do what you can and don’t let it get to you.
Entertaining kids and working and trying to teach them as well is super tough.
Do what you can – being online is not a crime! And they can learn a lot from YouTube lessons, history documentaries, geography and tourist videos and so much more.
Oh and here’s a way to make it routine and/or fun – dressing school uniform for schoolwork. Have you tried this? Did it work for you?
Don’t be hard on yourself.
You can read my blog post about schooling at home here.
Remember, ‘whatever works’
Turn off the news
Have time without reading the news, or watching it on TV.
Getting too caught up in it can increase anxiety, so have news free time.
Only watch one news bulletin a day, don’t read online news.
Craft and be creative
Use whatever you have at home to create and be creative!
Two Plucky Girls made a gorgeous nature collage from their autumn ramble
Have a routine
Follow it each day and relax on weekends
If you’re working set up your routine like you would on a work day.
If you’re not a routine is really important too, so have a routine with the kids.
Start the day with a good routine – get up, make the bed, shower and get dressed.
At the end of the day make a plan for the next day with 3 – 5 achiveable goals.
Have a structure. We get up eat, dress, make beds. Then do 1.5 hours of work, then walk and play.
Make a to do list and tick something off every day.
Make sure to include relax time in your routine – colour, read or do something enjoyable.
Play online games
Play educational online games like kahoots which is a super fun multiple choice game.
Emmie has been practicing times tables at timestables.com
There are so many educational apps and websites to use.
Pamper sessions at home
Have a bubble bath.
Open a salon and paint nails
Colour your hair! Emmie has pink hair and she LOVES it and in some way it makes this time special when kids are allowed to do things they usually wouldn’t be able to.
Planning for when we can travel again
Start planning trips for when we can travel again.
Involve the family in planning, and research countries and places to see.
It’s a great time to learn about the places you’ll be visiting, or learn more about places you’ve been.
Explore and learn about other countries
Use YouTube to visit other countries and cities
Make their cuisine, study their artists and musicians.
Learn their games.
Learn their songs.
Dress up in their national dress.
Learn a language
Start learning a language together with your children. We are about to start Mandarin with The Cultured Kid and do the weekly lessons together. Find out more here.
Download your free checklist for how to teach your kids a language here.
Family challenges!
Have individual challenges or parents V kids challenges such as:
Best baking.
Best drawing.
Best silly dancing.
Have pop quizzes like geography and country flags.
Enjoy the small moments
Sit in the sun with a cuppa while the kids play
Enjoy the peace – when you can!
Play games
Get out the old board games or learn new ones
Have family dinners followed by a family activity like UNO or hide and seek
Make a loungeroom fort!
Volunteer
Check if local groups need food delivery or help. It feels good to help others and there are many things you can do to help without leaving home.
Check on your neighbours – see if they need help or meals or even just a safe conversation over the fence.
Camp in the backyard
So many people suggested this!
Emmie and I have a tent we bought when we came out of quarantine and we are going to put it up today! I hope the wifi reaches hehe.
Families are having so much fun with backyard camping.
Kids are also LOVING their fire pits. We have one and after Emmie toasted some marshmallows and made s’mores I sat and enjoyed a G&T by the fire.
Make a photo album online or scrapbook together
Finally get your photographs sorted.
Create an online album and have it printed and sent to you.
Get out photos and magazines and start scrapbooking.
Meditation and prayer
Find some space and time to focus and learn to meditate.
Spend time in prayer.
Podcasts
There are some fabulous podcasts to listen to while walking or while we may have a little time to spend.
I love listening to Mamamia Out Loud that my pal Holly Wainright hosts and there are so many podcasts online for anything you could possibly want to learn about or listen to.
Bake
Cook up a storm in the kitchen. Bake, create, try recipes you’ve never tried before and cuisine from around the world.
Make cookies and cakes and simple dinners with the kids.
Take it in turns.
Host dinner parties and dress up nights.
And get takeout and delivery whenever you feel like it.
Netflix, Stan, Apple TV FREE trials
Try out the streaming platforms you’ve never tried before and use their free trails to binge on the best shows
Use a VPN to access other country’s programs (like watch Killing Eve for free on ABC iview or US Netflix from out-of-country).
Put your tech away
Make a time – a few hours a day – that is technology free. It’s scary how little we do this and it a great time to relax and reconnect.
Hang out in your pillow fort and enjoy the calm.
Do something different
What have you been doing that you’ve never done before? Let me know and I’ll add it here!
