For
some families with very young children, the pandemic has been difficult. If you
are staying mostly at home or going out less than you would have if there were
no pandemic, here are some ideas.
If
you can, please get the children out of the house, safely, of course, whatever
that feels like for you and your family. Maybe take a walk in the neighborhood.
Possibly taking a drive to a farm or a duck pond would be nice or whatever is
easy to access in your area but not crowded, if you're concerned about crowds.
Get them outside of the house or apartment, and point out an airplane going by,
or the garbage truck, and how those who collect the garbage are some of our
community helpers.
Also,
there are things you can do at home to give young children enrichment and
social skills. Books open whole new worlds to them.
Games,
whether card games or board games - geared to their age - help them learn to
take turns and give them the fun experience of doing something together with
others. There are games made especially for younger children, although some may
be more geared to children 5 and up, and may need some little modifications for
3's and 4's.
Sing
songs. Playing songs on TV or the web is good, but it's also fun and bonding to
sing songs with them (or to them, until they pick it up). Also, if they don't
get out as much, they can dance, jump, spin, even at home. You can find
preschool songs online which feature movement.
Build
structure into their lives. Have a place to eat meals. Maybe sit down together
at the table most evenings to eat dinner. Of course, now and then a picnic
outside might be fun, too. And I'm not saying anyone should have a strict
schedule, just that some routine is helpful for their wellbeing.
Establish
some boundaries in their lives. You probably wouldn't let your child of 3 or 4
run inside of a church or at the library. But if you're not going out much, it
might be harder to teach those kinds of boundaries. Is there an area of your
home which would be safer for them if they don't run? That would be a good
place for teaching the skill of respecting boundaries, such as "walking
only" in this area.
And
one more thing I would suggest is teaching them to come when you call them.
Maybe they want to keep playing, but it might be helpful at some time - maybe
even vital for their safety - if they learn to come when you call them to find
out what it is you want. And then, at least some of the time, they can go back
to their play.
Just
some thoughts I have had, while thinking about the young children in today's
world, some of whom have been in their own homes a lot more in the past year
and a half than is usually the case, some of them for half or more of their
lives.
