COVID-19 Home Activities for Kids on Mallorca

Per the government’s orderBys, all schools and childcare facilities will stay closed on Mallorca until further notice in an effort to limit the spreading of the coronavirus. Grandparents, as a risk group for the more serious and potentially lethal forms of COVID-19 infection, cannot pitch in to bridge the hours Mum and Dad are at work. And as if that wasn’t enough already to cause parents sleepless nights, the Spanish Government’s total shutdown allowing people only out for food, medical supplies, essential work and emergencies, confines everybody to their own four walls. What this means for children, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you.

Here is what we at Affordable Mallorca recommend to keep everybody busy and entertained and hopefully happy, too.

This Is Not the Holidays #

Although it might look like it, the closing of schools due to the corona crisis doesn’t mean children couldn’t (and shouldn’t) go on learning. To make the best of this time of curfew, here is a wonderful breakdown of free online education resources.

Kid-friendly Offline Productivity #

• Create a vision board. This article will help you get started. Help your kids create their own. All you need is a pen and notepad or get more creative using magazine cut outs, glue and a poster board.
• Garden. Gardening is a great way to stay grounded and connect your kids to nature. We have a COMPLETE grow it yourself guide [[Link to AM garden article]]. AND, it is the perfect time to start your seeds. You don’t need your own garden patch to get going. Order online if you need, and use cups, recycled containers or any other odd and ends to start growing. Hopefully, the epidemic will be history come harvest time.
• Invent a story. Children love stories – and to invent one themselves is one of the greatest pastimes. Create a book or write a play and set up a theatre performance, complete with costumes and a grand premiere evening. Invite the grandparents to join the fun on video.
• Write. You might not know it yet, but there could well be a literary talent in your family. Have a writing contest!
• Cook: We know the store aisles are empty. Now, what to do with all this food? Check out this culinary guide [[link]] and get cookin’. Invite your kids for the fun!
• Meditate: In times of stress it is twice as important to stay your nerves - and calm your children down. Tara Brach offers free meditation podcasts [[link here]] or simply youtube free meditations to get you started. Meditating with your family and kids offers a meaningful way to connect.
• Fitness: Push-ups, lunges, planks, jumping jacks, crunches, high-knees – youtube and google have at-home workouts at your fingertips. Also, don’t forget to DANCE! ALL of these may be done alongside your spouse and kids.
• Play: Board games, card games, Sudoku, crossword puzzles… Either in the house or if you have a yard, play hide-and-seek, treasure hunts or build a fort.
• Arts and Craft: Paint, draw, collage, learn a new song. Make masks. String together jewellery. Use household items to build things - cardboard boxes can turn into castles, marshmellows and toothpicks into funny animals or monsters.
• Read: this is a no-brainer, but, dust off that old, old fairy tale book from your own childhood, snuggle up together on the sofa and enjoy this time together.
• [[End of Bullet Point List]]

Give Your Days a Structure #

Without being too strict about it, our recommendation is to give yourselves a regular schedule with a certain amount of time reserved for each type of activity and rest. Have regular meals, set a fixed time for bath and bed, reserve a certain number of hours each day for education and for fun – and for doing your own stuff, too. When being holed up in the confines of your own four walls it’s more important than ever to give each family member as much space as possible, and that means: time alone.

Take care and stay healthy!

Sources
Community references
Personal experience

#coronavirus #quarantined #mallorca