Unless you’re living under a rock, chances are, your daily routines have changed dramatically this year. For parents, the 10+ months of quarantining and distance learning, social isolation and nation-wide turmoil has felt really dang hard. No two weeks have been alike, no two weeks have gone smoothly, and no two weeks have been easy. We’ve been thrown into a race that we never signed up for. And like you my friend, I’m burned out. Like you, I don’t want to be a part of this three-ring circus as teacher, playmate, and parent any longer.
But we’re so close. But we’re all in this together. But we can do hard things.
Take a breath, or two or three hundred.
After talking with two practitioners, Jennifer Bosma, and Amanda Griffith, co-owners of KidSense Therapy, I have learned that we can work with the tools and resources that we already have available and use them to our family’s benefit.
Occupational therapy is the promotion of engagement in daily activities to promote mental and physical well-being, can help families adapt and thrive. Continuing to serve a critical role in supporting families’ adjustment to disruptions in routine and daily life, therapists like Jennifer and Amanda have helped children and families navigate disruptions to their daily routine due to COVID-19.
Here are some strategies that KidSense therapists utilize when treating and supporting their clients that can easily be implemented right at home:
Get Outside
Children likely aren’t getting frequent enough breaks to move their bodies during the week. Kids of all ages can benefit tremendously from spending at least three hours of free play outdoors each and every day. When kids head outside, they learn that it’s okay to take chances. To take risks. Let your kids roam outside where they will discover leaves and dirt. Follow their lead and let them be free to explore and learn. Make a fort. Climb trees. Play outside in the rain.
The Power of Play
One positive aspect of this pandemic is that it has given families extra quality time with their children. Time to soak in every moment of their development and growth. One of the greatest things we can do with our children now and always is build imaginative skills. Imaginative play is about making visualizations and future-thinking. These skills are so important, especially as we get older to help us handle our relationships, interact with friends, and authority figures and handle disappointment. Allowing kids to be bored is important. Go living room camping. Head to Mars. Create a mud kitchen. The possibilities are endless.
Less is More.
So, your children are home from school and their distance-learning school day has come to an end. But your day is hardly over. There’s laundry and dinner. One last work call and bedtime routines. Using ordinary household objects to keep your children busy is a way to tend to your household tasks and also your children’s needs.Pots and pans, plastic containers and cardboard boxes can provide hours of fun. Kids can even have fun washing dishes (granted you’re going to have to re-wash them probably) and it’s teaching them a life lesson. When thinking about what items in your household your kids can use, allow your kids to have at it and find what interests them. Let your kids go in the cabinets and have free range.
Get Kids Moving Using Technology
As our kids are growing up in a world where technology plays a key role in school learning, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to completely separate them from it. There are ways we can constructively use technology to get children moving. We like the Wii because it allows the kids to move their bodies whether they’re playing Just Dance or Rockband. Plus. competition is a great thing because it teaches you how to strategize and also to deal with disappointment.
Bring Back Family Game Night
Not only are board games a great way to bond with family, have fun with friends, but they allow your kids to work on a variety of skills such as social skills, problem solving, fine motor skills, visual motor skills, executive functioning skills, the list goes on. You’re developing strategies. You’re dealing with winning and losing. You’re planning. It’s time to bring back Family Game Night.
KidSense is a pediatric therapy clinic treating children with varying needs In the areas of Occupational, Speech and Language, Physical, Feeding, Social Cognition and Mental Health Counseling.
KidSense Therapy Group is currently co-owned by Jennifer Bosma, a speech-language pathologist and Amanda Griffith, an occupational therapist assistant. Passionate about helping children and families get the help and support they need, KidSense works together to ensure success, not only in the therapeutic setting, but at home and in the school environment.
Offering speech-language, occupational and art therapy along with a variety of programs to further enhance your child's ability to navigate life with enthusiasm and ease, KidSense kids experience therapy in an environment conducive to play.
