Five things your child might need
Printer paper, pens, glue/tape and scissors
That’s the minimum for art or crafting. Coloured pens, crayons, paints and other art supplies are a bonus. You might not even need tape or glue: there are hundreds of origami guides on YouTube, ranging from easy to very complex. If you’re crafting, lay out a sheet or mat that you don’t mind getting messy so they can really go for it.
Space
If you can create a space that’s just for their learning time, then do so – it doesn’t need to be a whole room, just a mat in one corner of the lounge, a sheet on the floor in the living room, or one side of your bed, for reading or screen time.
Older children will likely have a study space set up in their rooms already. Let them work in there, but keep an eye on them – they will be feeling isolation from their mates keenly.
A place to let off steam
No child can sit still for too long, they will need to get up and move about. Wellness Mama Blog even suggests a mini trampoline for burning off energy between projects.
If your kids are little, you could even devise an indoor obstacle course or one around your garden if you have outdoor space.
Be prepared to go for a lot of walks. Parks and playgrounds are out of bounds, so you’ll need to stay with them out of doors unless it’s in your own garden.
Storage
During the lockdown it’s likely that lines between work time and home time will be blurred. If you don’t have a study or spare room you’re working in, that you can close the door on at the end of the day, it might be a good idea to have a storage box or cupboard for housing school tablets, workbooks and papers at the end of the day.
This is a particularly good idea if you’re working from the kitchen table or in the living room.
Books
If you’re limiting screen time to the two or three hours a day, and you’re able, make sure there are a lot of books around for them to pick up once they’re bored enough to try them.
Not everyone will have access to a lot of books. It might be possible to share with friends but remember that there’s some proof the novel coronavirus can live on cardboard and paper for up to three days.
As that may be the case, you’ll need to clean with soap and water (not always the best for paper products), or keep them in a closed box for at least three days before touching them.