Conditions of self-isolation change the mode of the day, biorhythms, and the density of personal contact in child-parent interaction. This transition is especially acute when there are preschool children. Kindergartens are closed, the mother needs to do work remotely, and the child requires a lot of attention.
Perfectionism in such conditions is extremely difficult, there are not many options to choose from. What should I do to save resources and adapt to the new situation?
1. Accept uncertainty and find your oxygen
Do you remember how to put an oxygen mask on yourself, then on the child on the plane? Mom, how are you feeling? Before you think about your child or husband, think about yourself and evaluate your condition. You find yourself in a state of uncertainty: fear and anxiety are natural reactions. It is important to adapt yourself, so as not to discharge the alarm on the child. How do you feel, what kind of sleep do you have, is there enough physical activity? Find your oxygen!
2. And again, about the sleep schedule
You need to plan your time. The mode of kindergarten or school determines the rhythms in which the family lives. The most important task in the new conditions is to create your own regime. Planning removes the fuss and reduces the level of anxiety. Daily activity, food intake, sleep — it is better to bring this mode closer to the kindergarten schedule.
In the morning-exercise, wash your hands and sit down to eat. We eat together, we clean together — what a big, clever girl you are! Then there are activities: reading a book, modeling, drawing. In this lesson, you can make cookies and then bake them. After free play activity — what do you want to play? Important rule: if you work out, clean up after yourself. If possible, take a walk or move around, dance. After lunch, while the mother cleans the dishes, the baby plays a little by himself. Why don’t we take a break and lie down? Calm music, a fairy tale — and a day’s sleep is ready! Afternoon tea, play activities, and by 9-10 PM the child will be ready for bed, and the mother still has free time.
3. Priorities
At the beginning of the quarantine there were grandiose plans for General cleaning and culinary delights?
You will have to unravel, restore perfect beauty, cook delicious food and set the table beautifully — with this perfect picture you will have to… goodbye. That in the first place? A relationship with the family, or the perfect purity? It is important to set priorities and solve everyday issues easier. Cook the simplest dishes, use a slow cooker and microwave, semi-finished products and a dishwasher will always help out. And maximum help from your spouse and children.
4. Mom, make the child do something!
A three — year-old child is already able to get things out of the washing machine, a five-year-old is able to set the table. Joint classes take the load off the mother and involve the child, teach them to be independent. Let’s get your things together! Let’s make soup together-bring two carrots, three potatoes. Then household activities teach and develop. Of course, there may be a mess, and the process will go slower, but do not rush necessarily to a certain date. Don’t put the most important task!
5. Delegate
If you are quarantined with your spouse, distribute your responsibilities evenly. In kindergarten, the teachers work in two shifts. Agree: before lunch, dad works at a remote location, do not distract him, after lunch, mom passes him the honorary mission of the kindergarten Director and does other things.
6. Play and cook
Cook cookies together and then bake them. We make our most wonderful fantasies out of salt dough, and then we can color them. Colorful beans, cereals and small items-baby, help your mother to arrange the cups! How many vegetables do you need for borscht, what do you know? Put the pots in their places-children love these tasks! An exciting game, and lunch is ready!
7. Motor activity
What can an adult do with children? Music, dancing, hide-and-seek, pillow fights, or fooling around. Useful for both mother and child. Be sure to open the window, ventilate. The game «We will not say, we will show». Game «Hot-cold». You can diversify it and include a developing lesson — you can hide the letter that you are learning now, or the answer to an arithmetic problem. Modify games to fit the child’s needs, including educational elements in the gameplay.
8. Let’s play together
Conduct an audit of Board games. Action games, Lotto, sea battle and TIC-TAC-toe.
Games for observation: find what is white in our house (round, soft, etc.). and the trackers together with my mother begin to search. If there are a lot of children, you can divide them into teams: your team is looking for white, and your team is looking for round.
On the development of memory «Toy lost» — the child goes out the door, and the mother swaps toys, or hides one toy in the closet. Tired — you can change the toys, and it will be interesting again!
Speech games. «The Golden gate is not always missed», and let those who call… the word with the letter A, colors, numbers… And let’s remember how many Pets, wild animals, and so on you know.
From the age of 4, you can play developmental transformations. Draw any geometric shape-what does it look like? Following the imagination, the child finishes drawing: the circle can turn out to be a sun, a cat, etc. You can circle the palm and turn it into a stump on which mushrooms have grown. Or draw in turn: mom draws a house, baby-grass, in the end you will get a whole picture. A pre-school student can cut out drawings and make a collage.
On the development of attention: there is a drawing, while the baby turned away, my mother finished drawing the window of the house — what has changed, find the difference.
Modeling. It is better to stretch plasticine in your hand so that it is soft. Create three-dimensional shapes or paintings on cardboard. Together, knead the salted dough and sculpt it into story pictures.
Story-role-playing games: seat dolls and play with them in school, kindergarten. You can go on a trip — what suitcase will you need, what will we pack in it? Make huts under the table, invent a ship from a blanket-where we will sail, what will be useful on the road, draw a treasure map! From the age of 5, a child can play for a long time without the all-encompassing inclusion of parents.
9. Independent gaming activities
Playing together doesn’t mean spending the whole day with just a child. The younger he is, the more parental involvement he needs. But even here everything is individual. What things does the kid like to do by himself? Older children can spend more time at their own discretion. Pre-school children constantly strive to create something or play games that they themselves have come up with. To do this, you may need some items, tools, or equipment. You can organize space for them, provide them with the necessary props: the child is busy playing, and the mother has free time for herself.
Mom, don’t set over-tasks! You need to understand that you are not alone in your new position. Ordinary people have no such experience. There will be a mode-life will be normalized and free up time for yourself. Find your resources, your oxygen. Take care of yourself, structure your time and space, then your life balance will be restored!