ASK THE EXPERT
Q I HAVE very young children and am running out of things to keep them entertained in lockdown. What you suggest?
A ADANNA STEINACKER, below, of Instagram and YouTube influencers The Adanna & David Family (@adannadavid_ fam) and mum to Noah, 3, and Kian, 5, says: “It’s important to reflect on what lockdown 1.0 looked like. It was unprecedented. The pressure of keeping up with what kids were doing at school was real. In addition to working full-time, we had to put time into planning the day – from arts and crafts to reading, from baking to painting, indoor play, outdoor play, nap time, snack time, even scheduling calls with parents of school friends for them to maintain social contact. It was tough, we were exhausted.
“As the months progressed, there have been conversations about our mental health as parents – happy parents result in happy kids.
“Fast forward to lockdown 3.0. We realised a lot of the pressure was self-inflicted. We’ve come to the realisation that it can take a lot less to keep them entertained.
“Freestyle play and getting them involved in what we’re doing (even housework) has worked well. Spending time outdoors – walking, running, riding bikes/scooters, planting herbs or hunting for bugs, keeps toddlers entertained.
“We’ve also stopped saying this is what they did yesterday – it’s fine to repeat activities.
“Another great time killer is Face-Timing family. We call the grandparents who are more than happy to read a book, sing a song or ask the kids about their day.
“Lastly, combining what they love doing with educational aspects has been a rewarding experience for both our children and us. Our top two activities are watching online videos of their favourite characters discussing numbers, colours, alphabets etc., and using Lego bricks, or any other toys where they have to be creative, to build and create their own things.
“Our boys can sometimes spend one or two hours just building things up and creating imaginative scenarios.”