Being on maternity leave, it wasn’t much of a change to our daily routine when we were urged to stay home and practice social distancing. My husband was thankfully also given the green light to work from home.
But living in a 2-bedroom condo, it became a challenge to give my husband the space to work. My toddler knows he’s home, but she doesn’t understand why he can’t play with her.
So in the first day of self-isolation, I searched for ideas to keep my toddler busy, instead of resorting to screen time (I’m not against screen time, but I do try to limit it).
Sensory Bins
Grab 3 bowls in small, medium and large sizes, measuring cups and spoons, a funnel, and roughly three cups of uncooked rice (pasta or lentils could work too). Place them all within a large tray as a catchall. Celine loves to scoop and transfer the rice from bowl to bowl and her independent play buys me at least half an hour!
Memory Lane
Celine recently discovered our album of photo booth strips from our wedding and she likes to name the people she recognizes in the photos. It’s such a nice way to go down memory lane and also an opportunity for me to tell her stories from before she was born. Looking through her baby photos/videos is another fun pastime, she loves to watch videos we’ve taken of her when she was a baby.
Box Road
I love this idea from @busytoddler on Instagram. If you have building blocks at home, all you need is to lay a box flat, draw a road with a marker, and the kids can build a city on top of it!
Build a Fort/Hiding Spot
Celine’s at that age (2.5 years old) where any crevice she finds at home becomes a hiding spot. So I like to let her hang out there (after it passes a safety test) and offer her some books or colouring materials (and snacks) to occupy herself with.
Dance Party
I like to execute this one when Celine starts asking me if she can watch TV. I’ll ask Google Home to play some music and she usually starts dancing with me. It counts as staying active, right? Obviously this would only work if my husband is not on a call (lol).
Good Ol’ Screen Time
When all else fails or if it’s been a particularly taxing day, I let her choose her favourite movie (currently rotating between Trolls and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs) and just join her on the sofa. At the least it will be some bonding time.
I’m ending this post with a note to remind ourselves to give ourselves grace, especially at this time. Let’s be kind to ourselves and take it one day at a time (I know I have to remind myself of this daily). Stay safe, everyone.
- Alexis Coronado
