Quarantine Activities for Kids that Support Development
As we learn to navigate the current pandemic, the first thing on many parents’ minds is often how all of this is affecting their children. As pediatricians, this is a priority for us as well. Maintaining proper child development in quarantine is very important to keep your little one on track and making progress growing mentally, physically, and emotionally. To help you support your child’s development, we’ve come up with a list of activities for kids during quarantine, so you can help your child live a more normal life, amidst these unprecedented circumstances.
Avoid Isolation
Staying involved in social settings is incredibly important for child development. So even if you cannot send your kid to school or get them out outside to play with friends due to quarantine, there are plenty of ways to keep your child interacting safely.
Keep in mind that isolation might make it harder for children to adjust to meeting new people in the future because it will be something they aren’t used to. Interaction with non-immediate family members is very important for your children to get used to seeing new people. However, you can also engage with them more inside the household. Be sure to have a good balance of family and solo time to avoid encouraging separation anxiety.
Encourage Interaction
Children of any age need interaction. Since babies and young children are still developing their language skills, it is incredibly important to encourage their social development, since only a few people are interacting with your little one. Be sure to provide back and forth interaction by responding to them when they give any cues.
Keep in mind that kids do not learn language from parents alone. A lot of language acquisition takes place with friends their age at school. Whenever safe, for toddlers and older kids, engage them in socially distanced and COVID-safe outdoor social activities with kids their age. Take a walk around the block and say hello to friends or neighbors you meet along the way. In addition, you can also encourage video calling for your child to interact with different people including with friends their age.
Engage Creativity
A great way to support child development with quarantine activities is to practice creative skills. You can start with reading to your child so they hear your voice, ask questions, learn language, and respond. Reading reinforces language skills and encourages your child to communicate, thereby improving language and literacy.
Another way is to combine interaction with creative activities. Play together with your child through things like cooking, puzzles, coloring, and games that engage their imagination. These activities will not only keep your child busy and happy but will also encourage their creative development.
Start Exercising
Staying inside all day, especially while sitting down, is simply not healthy for your child. Before quarantine, kids used to play outside during recess and lunch while at school. They were active throughout the day in a way that they probably aren’t when staying at home. Now, they will need a way to replace this activity.
Get them moving outside, exercising with the accompanying bonus of added Vitamin D from the sun. This will provide a closer simulation to a normal life and an outlet for their energy. You can even exercise with them, to increase both interaction and healthy movement simultaneously.
We hope these quarantine activities for kids will be useful to you in supporting your child’s development during the pandemic. Also, be sure to visit your Coastal Kids pediatrician regularly, as they can help you evaluate how your child is progressing, make sure that development is on track, and help you come up with a solution if your child is falling behind. If you have not attended your regular child wellness visit, make an appointment today to come in and see us. We look forward to it!