The family is like a ship in which we sail on the ocean of life. And during a pandemic, it became like an ark in which we save the most important thing — life, health, children. How to swim out of this period without losses? We will give you some ideas on what to do with your family and how to organise family life during corona.
Make an action plan
A) Plan for the entire period of self-isolation
Having a route makes travel predictable. Having plans reduces anxiety, gives a sense of control over what is happening.
The minimum plan during this period: just quietly go through it, remain safe and sound.
Maximum plan: take everything from life!
Use all the possibilities of this period: study online, make money online; develop online (visit virtual exhibitions, performances, etc.), use the emerging time for creativity, etc.
B) Action plan for every day
A certain regime, daily routine set the desired rhythm, relieve idleness, boredom and anxiety.
An example of a routine: getting up, exercising, having breakfast, distance learning for school children, remote work for parents. Dinner. Daytime sleep of babies (the rest — optional). Housework. Time for a walk, games, creativity. Dinner. Joint viewing of films and cartoons of your choice (online walks to museums, online travel). Reading together. Preparation for sleep. Sleep.
You don’t need to have a rigid attachment to time. But there is a certain sequence of things. It gives a sense of predictability and security.
Cleanliness and order: ways to clean up with your kids in a fun way
Let your home — your main living environment in this time of crisis — give you a feeling of comfort, cosiness and reliability.
It’s great if all of your family crew members are involved in cleaning. It is important to talk about the need to clean up more during the period of self-isolation. And that mom really needs everyone’s help.
Each family member should have his own work scope.
Children are children, they love to do everything playfully. Make a cleaning quest for them. You can catch an enemy agent with them — dust with the help of a secret weapon — rags and a vacuum cleaner. Children put scouts — things from other rooms — in their places or help refugee things to return home.
You can be the employees of the cleaning company, who are tasked with laundering a room. The reward is gratitude, generous praise, as well as “goodies” in the form of a joint viewing of a funny comedy, ice cream, etc. The game turns cleaning from a boring obligation into a fun, interesting activity.
Chat! How to interview each family member
In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, many household members become familiar strangers to each other. We manage to take an interest in the thoughts of loved ones only at a superficial level. “Did you eat? Did you do your homework?” – these are the questions that parents most often ask children.
The best thing about quarantine is that we are placed in conditions that facilitate closer communication with loved ones. Common meals, communication, hugs bring you very close.
And there are also games that help you become closer and dearer. Try those that consist of a joint discussion of questions about the inner world of each other. For example, about dreams, about a funny incident from childhood, about favourite games or favourite activities, about best friends, etc.
You can ask questions in different formats:
interviews ( use a cucumber or banana as a microphone. Pass it around. Everyone who takes a bite answers the question); fishing (put pieces of paper with questions in a hat. Each one pulls out a “fish” for himself – a question. Or you can attach paper clips to pieces of paper – and pull questions with a magnet on a rope); hot chair (one person sits – and everyone else asks him. It turns out in the form of a mini-press conference).
Get moving:
In order to get out of the period of isolation with the least damage to your health, it is very important to include physical activity in your daily routine.
How do you get inspired to exercise at home?
Children are charged with the desire to practice for a long time after watching films (for example, “Faster, Higher, Bolder”) and cartoons (“KungFu Panda”) on sports topics;
It is interesting to work with coaches and fitness instructors (fortunately, now there is access to training videos);
You can arrange a competition in the number of steps, giving each household a pedometer for the day in turn;
The simplest thing: turn on incendiary music and dance together!
Day of records: everyone demonstrates their favourite physical exercises, achievements in strength and dexterity, flexibility and speed. Applause to all champions!
Fun competitions will not leave anyone motionless. For example arm wrestling with dad, jumping rope, standing on one leg, tennis with a balloon, etc.
Don’t forget about the importance of fresh air. Go for a walk, play volleyball outside or go biking. There is no child that doesn’t love bikes. And if you don’t have enough bikes for the whole family, it’s great that you don’t have to go to the store, but order from Bicycles Online.
Win! What heroes to take an example in self-isolation
Despondency, fear, anxiety are the enemies of this period. But there are remedies that are important to apply. In crowded places, we wear a mask to protect ourselves. It is also important to filter information, protecting yourself and loved ones from panic viruses.
Help the children see the good times every day. Create little joys and a festive mood. Share with each other what you liked about that day in the evening, replenish the family piggy bank of joys.
During this challenging time, it is very important to discuss with children the experience of coping with the difficulties of parents and grandparents. Tell them how you and your family won, coped, how you fell, but got up. Research confirms that the experience of ancestor victories becomes a pillar in the hour of trials for their descendants.
You can study with children how literary characters (for example, Robinson Crusoe) and living people (for example, astronauts) overcome the difficulties of isolation. Let their experiences inspire you to hold on and not give up.
You can discuss the goals, destinations of your family boat. What are you aiming for? What will you do after self-isolation? Will you appreciate things as simple as living with friends and family, walking and travelling more?
You can make a dream collage with the whole family – outline your goals with the help of pictures in terms of health, communication, finance, education, travel, etc. Such a conversation can help teenagers with a great desire to start studying (for example, to learn a new language, which is definitely needed when travelling abroad).
Conclusion
During this tough period, it is important to channel anxiety into action. During the war, people helped each other a lot, sharing even the little that they had. And now we can share words of support, sympathy, optimism with our friends and family. Stay in touch with them. Call your parents more often. Don’t isolate yourself mentally.
We wish your crews solidarity! We wish you to emerge from this period safely and sound, loving and happy!
Country & Victorian Times 