Instill new life skills in your children.
Aside from school and extracurricular activities, it can be tough to find time to teach your children important life skills. During the holiday season, or during unexpected pauses in their school schedule, is the greatest time to do this. Simple things like learning how to type, how to securely surf the internet, how to cook, how to conduct basic housekeeping around the house, and even how to handle a knife safely when eating are all vital. You can also engage in enjoyable activities such as playing the piano, hula hooping, or singing. Take the time to introduce whatever skill you believe your children need to know to them in a fun way at home.
“I think this time we have our kids at home gives a unique chance for those of us who don’t homeschool to spend quality time teaching our kids life skills that will aid them when they grow up and leave the house,” says Lena from What Mommy Does.
“While I don’t dictate my children’s “fun” activities, I do have a list of things I want to teach them, like meal planning, baking bread from scratch, cooking with only what’s in the cupboard, cleaning clothes, mopping the floor, budgeting for needs, and learning new skills,” she says.
Old skills should be reinforced and re-learned.
Bring back memories of simpler times by engaging in some nostalgic or traditional activities. This might be anything from relearning how to manufacture a friendship bracelet to navigating a non-digital map. Even simple things like wearing sneakers with laces (rather than Velcro) need to be relearned from time to time. Fit in some time for a refresher course and go with your intuition on what has to be reinforced or re-learned.
Matching the letters of the alphabet for younger children
Alphabet matching, according to Carly of the Mommy On Purpose website, is an excellent learning game for younger children. She explains the procedure in the following paragraphs:
“Use a magnetic alphabet kit and a baking sheet to teach children letters. Use washable markers (or alphabet stickers) to write the alphabet on the cookie sheet, then have your child match the magnetic letters to the letters on the sheet.” Carly also suggests writing the letters on the refrigerator. “First, make sure that “washable” marks actually wash off in an inconspicuous location!” She issues a warning.
