Okay so; we are all aware of the situation right now. We are all stocking up on wine/gin/prosecco/chocolate/more wine. We know things are about to get challenging. So here are some of our top tips on surviving Enforced Family Time!
1. Yoga!
Come on now; you knew we’d go there! Yoga is our thing!
Physical activity is hard to come by when you’re housebound and our anxiety levels are pretty high right now. Yoga can help everyone tune into something calm and fun for a while, focusing on breathing and movement, burning through the inevitable build up of energy whilst protecting your TV screen from an indoor 5 aside football match.
Best of all; you can join Kalma Baby for classes! All of our franchises are running virtual classes each week and you can join in! Classes are running for all ages so why not get involved!
2. Get outside.
Now, obviously there are some restrictions on this one. We are all doing our bit for our community and are therefore following social distancing measures but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a good lungful of fresh air!
You’ve probably heard the phrase “there’s no such thing as the wrong weather, just the wrong clothing”… well it’s true! Get your wellies, gloves and hats on and get out in the garden. Build an obstacle course. Cut the grass. Dig some dirt. Plant some seeds. Growing your own fruits, vegetables and herbs is incredibly rewarding and definitely fits into the national curriculum somewhere. You can have your very own Forest School days or even set up a tent and “go camping”! Bonus points for having the kettle on ready for hot chocolates when you get back inside.
Don’t have a garden? Go for a walk. Take a pair of binoculars or a camera and challenge yourselves to find or take photos of different things- birds, trees, flowers, bugs. There’s a lot to see when you go looking for it!
3. Cook
If dinner time is normally a stressful affair, with you batting children away from the hob whilst you try and create a meal everyone will (definitely won’t) eat then why not take the stress away? Get everyone involved! Sure it’s going to take longer and be messier… but think of how much time it’s using up! Making food together is a great, no screen, educational and bonding activity. You can teach older children to cut up ingredients safely. Younger ones can chuck ingredients all over the floor. You know the drill! Make a few meals, review them and make a note for next time! You may find you have more willing volunteers in the future, or maybe even a budding chef in the house.
4. Role Play.
This is such an open ended option but here’s some inspiration!
Cinema; choose a film, make some tickets up, pop some corn and close the curtains. Get everyone to arrive just before the film is due to start, collect their snacks and then hunker down for a quiet movie session! By simply pretending you’re going to the cinema, the simple activity of watching a movie becomes instantly more memorable and enjoyable!
Car wash; you can get your children involved in all kinds of mundane activities and who doesn’t loathe washing their car? Grab some buckets and cloths and let them go wild! Or if it’s too chilly, let them pretend to drive for a while and give the car a quick hoover and dust out? My car was filthy…it isn’t anymore and my son had the best time “driving through the car wash”…
Shops; dig some produce from the cupboards, make up some price labels, grab your jar of old change and some of the millions of reusable shopping bags you have. For younger children, have fun choosing items and paying for them. Keep it simple… 1 item is normally £1 I find! But for older children, get them involved in some harder maths and get them counting out the correct money for their shopping.
5. Make a time capsule!
It might feel like these next few unknown weeks will last forever, but they will most likely fly by and before we’ve blinked everything will be running at full speed again. Why not document life as it is right now and create a time capsule to open up in a year, or 5, or 10?
You could go the good old fashioned route and put lots of photos and bits in a box and bury or hide it somewhere. Or go ultra modern and create a virtual time capsule. Use technology and social media to create a selection of memories for you to revisit in an agreed timescale.
Hopefully you’ll find some inspiration in dealing with enforced family time with these ideas, but remember; there is no pressure! This is not the time to overwhelm yourself and your children with schedules and curriculums. Take each day as it comes and try to achieve just one thing each day. It might be that you simply all get up, get dressed and brush your teeth. Take the win when it’s there! Try to enjoy the time and find ways of setting boundaries to give everyone space and time from each other in a respectful manner. (Oh and put some wine in the fridge)
Natalie Courtney Kalma Life Yoga Teacher North Somerset
