6 fun things to do at home with your family

Try these fun apps at home with your family when schools and daycares are closed

Public health experts around the world are recommending “social distancing” as a means of preventing the spread of COVID-19. As a result, millions of parents are bunkering down with their little ones at home. While spending so much time indoors can be challenging for parents, self-quarantining can lead to lots of quality family time. Here are a few apps to help keep your family engaged and healthy at home (many of them are free right now, including Kinedu!)

Kinedu during quarantine:

• Kids love consistency. Having a routine helps children fare better with transition and change. If your child is used to doing activities at a certain time of day, try sticking to the same schedule at home (if you’re not sure, ask your daycare provider!). Use Kinedu activity reminders to set a time every day where you and your child can sit down and play –and stick to it!
• Kinedu Premium is currently free until April 15. Explore our catalog for thousands of activity ideas.
• If your child is old enough, let them pick the activity. Filter our catalog by age and watch a few videos together. Play whatever interests your child!

Other apps and services to try at home:

Caribu 

Give grandma and grandpa a call! COVID-19 poses a serious risk to those over 60, leaving many elderly residents no choice but to stay at home. Caribu offers a fun way for grandchildren to connect with their grandparents on “virtual playdates.” Read books, play games, or draw pictures using the app.

Happy Family Organics

Get into cooking! Find recipes and tips for every stage of eating. Chat online with a nutritional expert to get real-time support for your baby’s dietary needs and order organic formulas, snacks, finger foods, and superfoods.

MarcoPolo

Have older kids? Use MarcoPolo World School to access 3,000 lessons and learning activities for kids aged 3 to 7. Explore the world while learning literacy, English, and math skills within a full STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) curriculum. New users can get 7 days free and then 50% OFF using promo code: MP50.

Calm

Now is a great time to practice self-care at home. There are lots of meditation tools out there for both parents and kids. Calm, in particular, offers guided meditations for kids by age group alongside hundreds of meditations, sleep stories, and calming music tracks for you. Taking care of yourself is important, too!

Huckleberry

Use this time to work on your baby’s sleep schedule! Struggling to get your child down for a nap? Sleep through the night? Huckleberry analyzes your child’s habits and helps you identify a sleep “sweet spot.”

REFERENCES: 

• Calm: https://www.calm.com/
• Caribu: https://caribu.com/
• Happy Family Organics: https://www.happyfamilyorganics.com/
• Huckleberry: https://huckleberrycare.com/
• Kinedu: https://www.kinedu.com/
• MarcoPolo World School: https://www.marcopololearning.com/

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Author: Riley Stevenson is a writer and teacher from Portland, OR with a Masters in Media Studies and Education. She’s certified as an English as a Foreign Language instructor and Trauma-Informed Care provider. Riley spent five years working as a language arts teacher in Oregon public schools, where she served as a lead curriculum consultant. She’s interested in the development of early language skills, especially in the area of second language acquisition.