Coronavirus + staying at home with the kids routine + Social Distancing

Our weekend of Social Distancing was spent building a ton of forts, playing with legos & magnatiles , coloring & sticker books, baking cookies, reading books, playing soccer in the backyard, going for walks, watching the boats and some frozen 2 screen time. No set structure so when a Mom Friend of mine sent over this schedule from NESCA (Neuropsychology & Education Services for Children & Adolescents) designed by Jessica Mchale I thought it might useful as a framework to build some structure throughout your day especially for any families with two working from home parents. Rosie & margate are not at “school age” yet so while I won’t be teaching them math or science but I do think it’s useful to have blocks of time designated for outside play, arts & crafts, story time etc. I rounded up some activities & crafts to stay busy with the little ones below! Nothing groundbreaking just a few things that we enjoy at home on a regular basis. Rosie LOVES building with legos & these magnatiles and can stay occupied for a good chunk of time while I’m cooking/straightening up so I went ahead and ordered a few extra sets.

1. BAKE something: we’ve stocked up on cookie mix and will be baking and decorating shamrock cookies today in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow. I purchased this 30 piece cookie cutter set a few years ago and it comes in handy during different holidays throughout the year.
2. GET OUTSIDE: soccer ball and soccer net are set up in the backyard, and we’ve been heading outside for that + a few trail walks and down to the water to look at the boats. No playgrounds, parks or playdates until further notice. Rosie also has this particular scooter & helmet and for Christmas she received this little pink jeep which frank can control by remote control car which we have been riding around the neighborhood.
3. BUILD something: we’ve been building lots of forts with pillows and blankets in the living room. Rosie is also obsessed with building with legos & magnatiles as well and usually constructs some sort of elaborate castle at the kitchen table while I’m straightening up, cooking etc.
4. MAKE “CRAFT” something: we’ve made these fun snap bracelets, and have been doing lots of coloring and sticker books. I love this particular one from Melissa & Doug it’s jumbo size and has a mix of coloring & stickers. Animal/Vehicle theme & Princess theme Rosie also loves playing dress up with these wooden doll characters I’m a big fan of any & all Melissa & Doug toys!
5. PLAY something: Rosie has been into playing pretend “Vet” and “waitress” these days so we set up a scene where she has a little cafe and serves croissants & tea . This tea pot sings cute little songs while she pours tea and has little deserts as well that she keeps in her pretend kitchen. For pretend vet she makes a doctors office in her bedroom for all of her stuffed animals and we also have this vet kit .
6. WATCH Something: TV is usually for the weekends and Rosie picks a movie Friday & Saturday night if she has behaved well during the week. That said, I have no qualms incorporating a little TV here & there over the next few weeks. Also thank G for early release of Frozen 2 on Disney plus!