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parenting through pandemic

Mask Wearing Tips for Kids with Sensory Issues

small teddy bear wearing a mask sitting on a large chair

By Sharla Kostelyk

Wearing face masks is becoming mandatory in many public spaces as well as many schools around the world. While for some, this is a minor inconvenience, for those with breathing difficulty, hearing loss, or sensory issues, it is much more of a challenge. Below, you will find a comprehensive guide of mask wearing tips for kids with sensory issues.a teddy bear sits on a white chair wearing a face mask. Text reads "Mask Wearing Tips for kids with Sensory Issues"Important note: I know that there continues to be debate over mask wearing. Regardless of how you personally feel about masks, the fact remains that more and more regulations are being put in place requiring the use of masks. This article is not meant to debate the effectiveness of face masks or whether or not they should be mandated. It is meant to address the practicalities of having children wear masks, particularly children who struggle with sensory issues and may therefore find it more difficult. 

The Challenges of Wearing a Mask for Kids with Sensory Issues:

  • Texture or scratchiness of the fabric
  • Sensation or tightness against the face
  • Smell inside the mask
  • Heat and dampness inside the mask
  • Pulling or tugging on the ears or at the back of the head
  • Breathing out through the mouth can cause more dampness and the smell of recycled air.
  • Breathing in and out through the nose can feel restrictive.
  • Kids who struggle with oral sensitivities may suck on their mask, creating a wet patch. Experts say this renders the mask essentially useless.
  • Difficulty reading facial expressions on others who are wearing masks, particularly for kids who have poor visual perception skills.

You’ll want to play detective by observing and asking questions to determine what specific challenges your child is having with wearing a mask or keeping it on. This information will help you be able to address those issues and find solutions. 

Tips to help kids with face masks:

Be a role model.

Wear a mask yourself and do so without complaining to your child about how much you dislike it. Our kids are watching what we do more than listening to what we say. Regardless of how you feel about mask wearing, if you know it will be required, make the best of it yourself. This will speak volumes to your child. 

Practise, practise, practise.

Before going into a situation such as a public place or school where a mask has to be worn, allow your child to practise at home. Start with short bursts of time and increase the time gradually. 

Practise with the mask when the child has a distraction such as when they are watching a movie or playing on a tablet. Some children also find it easier to practise outside as they feel less restricted and there may be less other sensory stimuli to contend with. 

Plan low risk outings as practise where you can leave if need be and where there is not a lot of other competing stimuli. 

Reduce other sensory stimuli.

Remember that no matter what mask your child wears, it will be more sensory input. Sensory overload will happen more quickly due to mask wearing. Sensory overload may lead to sensory meltdowns. You may also want to read more on preventing sensory meltdowns from sensory overload.

You can cut back on sensory overload by reducing some of the other stimuli in your child’s environment. You may also want to talk to their teacher about reducing some of the distractions in the classroom as well. 

While reducing outside sensory stimuli is helpful, you’ll also want to ensure that your child also receives enough healthy sensory input during the day. Of particular importance is getting proprioceptive input. This helps with calming and self regulation. Using a calm down kit can be beneficial for children.

Ask for their input.

Allow your child to have a say in the fabric, print, and fit of their mask. Choosing a fun print on the fabric can help kids express their unique personality. If your child is old enough, you can even let them help make their own mask. There are many patterns for no-sew masks available online. Being part of the creation can make them feel more a part of this process. 

Be sure to also listen to their feedback about what struggles they may be having with keeping the mask on to give you clues as to how best to help them adjust. You may be surprised by what you learn. This can help tremendously in coming up with solutions.

When kids feel like they have a say in choosing their mask, they are able to feel as if they are at least able to control something in a world that can feel pretty out of control. 

Offer breath mints or gum.

Breath mints, hard candies, or gum help with the smell inside the mask. Gum can also give them oral sensory feedback and proprioceptive feedback which may help prevent them from licking or sucking on the inside of their mask.

Of course, hard candies or mints can be a choking hazard, so only use this tip with older kids and those who don’t have risk factors for choking. small teddy bear wearing a mask sitting on a large chair

Give those ears a rest!

Having a mask looped around the ears can cause discomfort for anyone and that discomfort is multiplied for those with sensory issues. Ear savers allow a mask to be attached behind the head instead of around the ears.

Provide ear savers, a headband with buttons for the mask to loop around, caps with buttons or snaps for the mask to attach to, or a mask that fits around the head rather than around the ears to alleviate the tugging on the ears. 

Clear your nose.

Prior to putting on a mask, have your child clear their nose well. This can be achieved by using a Neti Pot (if they can tolerate it) or steam from the shower. Doing this will help your child feel that they can breathe easier with the mask on. 

Mask brackets for the win! 

Mask brackets are a brace that fits snugly inside your existing mask. They prevent the gagging feeling some people feel when the fabric touches their face. It also helps the nose tickling that many kids complain about. For younger children, be sure to buy a children’s size. 

Play.

Help kids get used to the idea of face masks through play. Purchase or make a matching mask for your child’s doll or stuffed animal. This can help direct their play and they can even begin to work through some of their emotions as they role play different situations for themselves and their toy in regards to wearing a mask. child wearing a blue face mask putting a matching mask on a teddy bearInvite your child to draw pictures of themselves and their family or friends wearing masks. This can help them express some of the emotions they may have about this “new normal”. 

This poster shows some beloved children’s characters wearing masks. 

Completing a mask colouring book is another hands-on activity that can promote discussion. This free I Can Wear a Mask Easy Reader booklet is another good resource to use.

Keep hands busy.

One way to help kids resist the urge to remove their mask is to give them something else to do with their hands. Provide fidgets to keep their hands busy and to get their sensory needs met.

Explain the reason behind wearing a mask.

There are some resources that can help you talk to your child about why we’re wearing masks. We Wear Masks is a video social story that explains things very simply for younger kids. Note that the video does mention not being in school and that may no longer apply in your area.

This Face Mask Social Story is a really good way to explain things to kids and address some of their related worries.

Listen and empathize.

Even if you do everything in your power to make this easier, this big change will likely cause a mix of emotions. It is going to take a lot of adjustment for kids. Be there for them. 

Be sure they know that they can share their feelings about these new rules. Acknowledge how hard this must be for them. Do not minimize their emotions. While this is something they may have to get used to doing, that doesn’t mean it will be easy and it’s okay for them to express that to you.

Create a safe place for them to say “this is hard. I feel frustrated.” mom comforting her son while he's wearing a face mask

Choosing a mask:

Invite your child to be part of the decision about the type of mask they are most comfortable with.

Find a fit and fabric that your child can tolerate. Ensuring a comfortable fit will reduce the amount your child fidgets with their mask. It should fit over the mouth and nose and secure under the child’s chin. It should allow your child to breathe easily while worn. 

Mask Types:

Reusable Fabric Masks

Choose a fabric that is most comfortable for your child. Soft cotton may be the most comfortable fabric for most, but some kids may prefer seersucker, satin, or synthetic fabric. Some parents add a softer layer as a liner as this will be what touches the skin.

Allow your child to pick a fun pattern as this can help them get more excited about wearing the mask.

Some fabric masks allow you to add a filter. For one of our daughters, the flap inside for the filter insert was driving her crazy, so we sewed that flap shut. 

Disposable or Surgical Masks

Some people find that the disposable masks allow more air flow while others find them more restrictive than cloth. This is something you will have to experiment with to see what your child prefers. 

I find personally that the 3 ply surgical style masks get less hot inside than the fabric ones. However, in winter, the warmth of a cloth mask may prove quite welcome!

Masks with a Built-in Filter

Masks with a built-in filter tend to be made of a heavier material and be a bit bulkier. They may, therefore cause more distress for kids with sensory issues. If you choose to go this route, be sure your child has rest periods where they can remove the mask for a time. 

Clear Masks

One of our daughters is deaf and relies on lip reading to “hear”. As you can imagine, mask wearing, particularly by her teachers, therapists, and family members has made her life much more difficult, so we have instead used different versions of clear masks. 

Cloth masks can be sewn with a clear window using clear shower curtains or clear page protectors. My neighbour and friend sewed some for me using this clear mask pattern. 

You can also purchase clear masks or the type that are cloth with a clear window.

To keep the clear window from fogging up:

  1. Add some Dawn dish soap or shaving cream.
  2. Spread all over the window.
  3. Allow it to sit for a time.
  4. Rinse off and dry.

Face Shields 

If masks are required at your child’s school, be sure to ask about the allowability of face shields as an alternative. Our school district will only allow face shields if a mask is worn underneath. 

If your school will allow them, face shields are proven to be the easiest for those who are hard of hearing to be able to both hear and lip read and some kids find them much less restrictive than masks. You can purchase face shields in children’s sizes or adult face shields.

Neck Gaiters or Buffs and Bandanas

While many school districts do not allow the use of bandanas or neck gaiters in place of masks, some do. Again, some kids find these easier or at least more familiar to wear while others find them to be worse as they are bothered by the feel of it on their neck. It comes down to your child’s sensory preferences and what works best for them. 

This is a possible alternative option to try if you haven’t been able to find a mask that suits your child’s sensory needs. Mom putting a mask on her young daughter

Mask fit:

The other important consideration is the fit of the mask. Some children prefer a more snug fitting mask, while others like there to be as much space as there can be.

Some masks fit around the ears while others tie or secure behind the head. Ear Savers can make around the ear masks fit more like behind the head masks. 

Mask brackets help eliminate the side gaps and give a better overall fit.  

Safety tips:

Be sure to follow safety guidelines such as not wearing a mask for children under 2, while exercising, while eating or drinking, or when in the water. 

According to the CDC, children under age 2 or anyone who has trouble breathing, is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance should never use a cloth face covering.

I am not a doctor or medical expert. The tips in this article are designed as suggestions to help you and your child but are not meant to replace medical or expert advise. 

What things have you found helpful when it comes to your child wearing a mask?

Enter your email below to get a free copy of the Pandemic Journal for Kids, printable pages to help them process their emotions and better express themselves. 

You may also be interested in reading:

The Complete Guide to School at Home

Surefire Signs Your Child has Sensory Issues

50 Awesomely Simple Calm Down Strategies

Filed Under: Sensory, Special Needs Parenting Tagged With: parenting through pandemic

Happy at Home Challenge

woman on bed holding teal mug. Only her hands and socked feet are visible.

By Sharla Kostelyk

There’s nothing quite like being stuck at home to test certain aspects of your character. Whether we’re at home due to a pandemic, an illness, a new baby, or choosing to be there, feeling cooped up can test our patience, resilience, and positivity. That’s where this Happy at Home Challenge comes in.woman's socked feet are visible as her hands hold a teal mug. Text reads "Happy at Home Challenge"Even under difficult circumstances, we can determine our own happiness. Happiness is an attitude, a choice.

It’s obviously easy to choose when life is roses! But when life is more challenging, that’s when it’s even more important to take responsibility for our own happiness and do what we can to improve it. 

The research is clear. There are things that we can do that increase our happiness.

So will you join me in this Happy at Home Challenge? Try it for just two weeks and see if it makes a difference for you. 

Gratitude.

Gratitude is consistently shown to correlate to higher levels of happiness. Simply writing out 3 things each day you’re thankful for will dramatically increase your satisfaction with your life. 

For many years, I had my kids write out 5 things they were thankful for to start out their homeschool day. And when the pandemic lockdown hit last March, it’s a practise we started again right away. It was so good for all of us.

The challenge? Jot down 3 things you’re thankful for each day. Write each one on a Post-it note and stick those around the house in places you’ll see them to get even more reminders of your blessings. 

Kindness.

Serving others provides us with connection to community and triggers feelings of pleasure in our brains. In other words, helping others also helps us. It feels good.

I also find for myself personally that helping others gives me better perspective on my own circumstances as it brings a greater awareness of the needs and pain of others which leads to me realizing that I have much to be thankful for.

array of scattered papers and pencilsThis Family Kindness Calendar is full of lovely ideas for ways to help others. The kindness suggestions included can be done by school-age children or younger children with the help of an adult. They’re great for getting the whole family working on a common project.

The challenge? Do one small thing for someone else each day. It can be a kind word, an act of service, or even writing a little note on a Post-it and sticking it on their door. If you’re having a hard time thinking of ideas that are safe given the pandemic restrictions, we have a list of ways you can spread kindness without spreading the virus.

Get outside.

Yes, we’re talking about when you’re stuck at home, but the research is clear. Going on a nature walk, spending time in a forest, or even just getting fresh air improve mood and decrease cortisol, the stress hormone. So even if you’re not able to go far, get outside.

The challenge? Get some fresh air every day. If possible, add some movement like going for a walk to get those endorphins going. 

Move more.

Speaking of endorphins…

Endorphins are one of the brain chemicals which are known as neurotransmitters and endorphins trigger positive feelings in your body. They are the “feel-good” chemical and you can release them naturally through exercise.

The challenge? Move more every day. Choose whatever you want and are capable of. Run up and down the stairs, do a YouTube workout, do an exercise video, yoga, or have a dance party with your kids in the kitchen.

Write down your feelings.

Writing out your feelings helps clarify your thoughts, relieve stress, help you identify specific emotions and get at their root causes, and more efficiently solve problems. 

Of course, as adults, most of us can identify our feelings, but kids may not be able to easily identify their emotions or the emotions of others. That’s one of the reasons it’s so important to give your kids an emotional vocabulary. 

The Teaching Emotions Toolkit helps parents or teachers provide kids with a rich emotional vocabulary and better understanding of their feelings.

The challenge? Start a journal to track your emotions.

These things can all contribute towards you feeling more happy at home.

Filed Under: Parenting in the Chaos Tagged With: parenting through pandemic

Easy Outdoor Sensory Activities at Home

By Sharla Kostelyk

We’ve been stuck inside only able to do indoor sensory activities but now it’s finally warmed up enough to spend some time outside. That means we can finally add these easy outdoor sensory activities to our days. We are so looking forward to getting some fresh air.collage of images of kids playing. Text reads "Outdoor Sensory Activities at home"The kids have already begun exploring in the trees and enjoying the sunshine. It has done wonders for their mood now that they aren’t as cooped up anymore.

Easy Outdoor Sensory Activities at Home

Outdoor Sensory Scavenger Hunt for Kids

Frozen Treasure Find

This is one of my favourite activities as it keeps the kids busy for hours.

Scented Bubbles: Calming Lavender Bubble Recipe

There are so many fun ways to play with bubbles and this is a great homemade recipe to use.

5 Trampoline Games

Playing on a trampoline is good for kids' moods and health. These trampoline games are great fun.

Bug Action Cards for Kids

These bug action cards give kids ideas for practising their gross motor skills while getting fresh air.

Nature Sensory Bottle

As kids explore outside, they can collect items to create their own unique sensory bottle.

Nature Inspired Spring Sensory Soup

Pour, dump, scoop, and stir with this sensory soup.

Nature Weaving

Nature meets art in this sensory rich weaving project.

Ghost Hands Campfire Fun

Ewwww! This is so sticky and messy, but kids completely love it!

Edible Freezie Painting

Even toddlers can participate in creating art with this taste-safe "paint".

Cotton Ball Painting

Big movements and lots of interaction is required for this cool art activity.

Calming Lavender Sensory Bin

There are only a few simple supplies needed to make this calming sensory bin for kids.

Photo Scavenger Hunt

Older kids will enjoy exploring outdoors in a photo scavenger hunt.

Bubble Wrap Body Slam Painting

Bubble wrap body slam painting is as hilarious to watch as it is to do. Great proprioceptive sensory input too!

Shaving Cream Polka-Dot Sidewalk Painting

Shaving cream painting is a neat alternative to sidewalk chalk.

Toilet Paper Roll Bird Feeder

Use your empty toilet paper rolls to create a bird feeder. Then watch as the birds come to eat.

Simple Summer Sensory Activity

This is so easy to set up, but the best ideas usually are. My kids always love this game.

Photo Credit: www.steampoweredfamily.com

Flower Oobleck

Summer, sensory, and science combine for this ooey-gooey gorgeous flower oobleck.

Photo Credit: happilyevermom.com

Nature Soup

A mess free nature sensory bin for toddlers and siblings to do together. Gather materials outside, freeze them, and make a nature soup that will help kids cool down on a hot day as they mix their nature soup together!

Photo Credit: teachingmama.org

Sensory Walk

Exploring the sense of touch with the toes in a sensory walk!

Photo Credit: littlebinsforlittlehands.com

Nature Sensory Bin Outdoor Explore and Discover

Create a real nature theme sensory bin to explore the senses! Go on a nature hunt and collect materials to build an outdoor sensory bin. Make sure to talk with your kiddo about all the smells, textures, and items found in nature.

Photo Credit: frugalfun4boys.com

How to Make a PVC Pipe Sand and Water Table

Make your own sand or water table using PVC pipes. There are so many play opportunities with this.

Photo Credit: handsonaswegrow.com

DIY Mud Kitchen in One Weekend

Make your own outdoor mud kitchen for messy exploration.

Photo Credit: happyhooligans.ca

Outdoor Sensory Play - exploring herbs

Make some "homemade" sensory soup using weeds or herbs from the garden.

Photo Credit: www.notimeforflashcards.com

Mud Soup

Pretend play doesn't have to be complicated. How about some good old fashioned mud soup?

Not all activities have to be planned out. There are other things that can be done more spontaneously in the yard. 

Other easy ideas for outdoor sensory activities you can do at home:

  • make mud pies
  • water balloons or an old fashioned water fight
  • obstacle course – Use anything you have on hand such as hula hoops, slides, wood, pallets, tunnels, pool noodles, chairs, and tires. 
  • jump rope
  • relay races
  • sprinkler, kiddie pool, or Slip ‘n’ Slide
  • tag
  • yard work – Great for proprioception and for teaching good work ethic! Think raking, mowing (for kids who are old enough), picking rocks, and carrying firewood or bricks.
  • dig in the sandbox
  • gardening – digging, planting, pulling weeds, and picking are all great tactile sensory input.
  • bike rides
  • hikes or nature walks
  • family campfire
  • tree climbing
  • interval circuit – set up exercise stations in the yard with signs like “10 Jumping Jacks”, “1 Run Around the Yard”, “10 Supermans” (my kids loved this activity!)

Of course as with all sensory activities, adult supervision should be used. 

In case the weather doesn’t cooperate, you can find a great list of indoor sensory activities for home here.

Filed Under: Crafts and Activities, Sensory, Summer Sensory Activities Tagged With: parenting through pandemic

2020 Pandemic Journal for Kids

By Sharla Kostelyk

The 2020 Pandemic Journal for Kids is a powerful tool in helping your child focus on the positive, express their feelings in a healthy way, shift their thinking to gratitude and hopefulness, and create a memorable time capsule keepsake.

As much as we try to shelter our child from the stress of what’s happening in the world right now, we can’t shield them from it all. Their reality has been altered. School closures, not being able to hug grandparents or visit friends, not going out to the playground, movies, or even the store, and maybe hearing the hushed whispers of adults are just a few of the changes your child may be facing. 

Even though we are doing our best as parents to make things as normal as possible for them, chances are, they still carry with them some concern. Worry in a child may look like:​

  • teasing or arguing with siblings more than usual
  • being irritable
  • having trouble falling asleep or having nightmares
  • whining
  • outbursts or meltdowns
  • being rigid/inflexible
  • quick or easy to anger
  • easily frustrated
  • big emotions
  • asking a lot of questions
  • aggression

What can you do to help your child through this?

Offer hope. ​

Talk about the future without making promises you can’t keep. The statement “Someday, you’ll be able to tell your kids that you were 9 years old during the 2020 pandemic.” is very powerful. It conveys to them that this will not end the world. That they have a future to look forward to and it also helps them feel like what they are doing now will hold a place in history. 

Help them focus on the positive.

There is so much surrounding them that is difficult right now that it can be easy for kids (and adults) to slip into negative thought patterns. “It’s never going to get better.” “I can’t do …”

By helping them reframe what they are going through in more positive language, kids can shift their thinking to gratitude and hopefulness.

Give them an outlet for expressing their feelings.

When kids are able to identify their feelings, they can better manage them. By tracking their emotions, they can also learn to communicate about them. This helps parents and teachers be able to help them through even the most difficult emotions and enables them to equip their child or student with appropriate calm down strategies and tools to better manage those.

What the 2020 Pandemic Journal for Kids includes:

  • 19 printable pages
  • prompts to help kids document the journey for a time capsule keepsake
  • pages for them to help identify and process their emotions
  • new habit tracker 
  • gratitude journal 
  • encouraging colouring pages
  • ideas to help them focus on the positives
  • and more

How to Use the Journal:

Supplies needed:

  • 2020 Pandemic Journal for Kids (download yours here)
  • pen or pencil
  • markers, crayons, or pencil crayons
  • scissors
  • glue stick or glue

Instructions:

  1. Download the pandemic journal.
  2. Print off the pages. You may want to make multiple copies of some of the pages such as the gratitude page and daily journal. 
  3. Have your child complete the pages of the journal.
  4. If you want to, you can hole punch the papers to keep them in a binder or duo tang. 

How to adapt the Pandemic Journal for Preschoolers:

Even preschoolers can easily use this tool. They can colour the title page and colouring pages, a parent can help them fill in the answers for the “my life during the pandemic page” by interviewing them and recording their answers, the Feelings Log pages can be completed by colouring, cutting, and pasting, and all the other sheets can be completed by drawing rather than writing. 

How to adapt the Pandemic Journal for Older Kids and Teens:

This tool can actually serve as an inspiration for your teen or older child to expand on this idea. Perhaps they will want to create a video journal or scrapbook of news articles to accompany their Pandemic Journal. Maybe they will choose to write a report on what they are learning through this experience or about the ways the world came together. 

They can use the pages in the journal to write their experiences, thoughts, and emotions as well as to document the experience through their eyes. Depending on the age, maturity, and personality of your teen, they also want to follow reputable news sources to create a timeline or even write a book about the pandemic as seen through their eyes.

To download your free copy of the 2020 Pandemic Journal for Kids, enter your email address in the box below.

You may also be interested in reading:

Your Complete Guide to School at Home

How to Talk to Your Child about the Pandemic

Theme Day Ideas for Family Fun at Home

Filed Under: Homeschooling, Parenting in the Chaos, Printables Tagged With: parenting through pandemic

Theme Day Ideas for Family Fun at Home

By Sharla Kostelyk

Is it just me or are the days starting to blend together?! Without school and appointments, it’s hard to know what day of the week it is. There was one day when I didn’t even realize that it was a weekend. These theme day ideas are a great way to break up the monotony and add it some fun.collage of party images with text that reads "Theme Day Ideas for family fun at home"

The idea for this came because my kids were officially on Spring Break but with it snowing and cold outside and no option to go anywhere fun, I brought the fun to them with a family Beach Party. We even Zoomed with our neighbours who had a beach setup happening at their house too. The beach party gave us all something to look forward to as we prepared for it and then gave us memories to look back on. It certainly helped that Tuesday stand out from the other days that week!

Since I know that some of you are also trying to teach your kids at home right now, I’ve also included some learning or art activities into some of the theme day ideas. 

One last thing to mention: Busy mamas, this is not meant to give you ONE MORE THING to do. Enlist your kids to do the planning and decorating. Ideally, this should give you less work because you won’t hear the cries of “I’m bored” as often. It can also give your kids something to look forward to when so many of their events are being cancelled. They can look and see that on Friday, it’s the family dance party and get excited for that.

Theme Day Ideas:

Backwards Day:

This is such an easy one to do. You don’t need to buy extra supplies or spend money and you can pull this off at the last minute. Here are just some of the things you can do:

  • supper for breakfast and breakfast for supper
  • dessert before the meal
  • wearing your clothes backwards
  • have kids learn about palindromes (words, phrases, or sentences that are spelled the same backwards and forwards – find lots here)
  • count backwards
  • say the alphabet backwards
  • sing a song backwards
  • call everyone by their name spelled backwards
  • read a book backwards
  • walk backwards

Beach Party:

Our beach party was so much fun! It was like bringing a bit of tropical vacation right to our living room. Making the decorations and food for it also gave the kids a fun project to work on for days beforehand. 

If it’s warm out where you are, you could have this in your backyard instead. Here are some ideas for having your own beach party:

  • decorate with beach towels, paper fish (we taped ours to blue recycle bags to make it look like water), sand pails and sand toys, tropical confetti, sunglasses
  • bring in beach chairs or loungers
  • food ideas: goldfish crackers, cupcakes with blue icing and brown sugar (sand) with a tiny umbrella, umbrellas in drinks, picnic food such as sandwiches, chips, candy fish, clear cups filled with blue jello and a gummy shark “swimming” in it, fruit skewers, sand dollar cookies, watermelon slices
  • dress in bathing suits, shorts, sundresses, t-shirts, flip-flops
  • play music like the Beach Boys and dance on the “beach”
  • read books like The Rainbow Fish
  • have a Limbo competition
  • set out a station for fish crafts or put out beach theme colouring pages with markers or crayons
  • paint seashells
  • read lounging out on your beach chair or towel
  • toss around a beach ball

Minute to Win It Theme:

Our family loves, loves Minute to Win It games. They are easy and inexpensive to set up, great for all ages, and best of all, hilarious! Here are some of our best Minute to Win It Games:

  • Minute to Win It Family Fun Games
  • Dollar Store Minute to Win It Games
  • Minute to Win It Games for Camping
  • How to play Minute to Win It Games

Dollar Store Minute to Win It party

Camping at Home:

  • set out a tent or tents in your living room or backyard (we like to put ours on the trampoline because it raises it up and makes it less cold)
  • sleep in sleeping bags
  • make S’mores (if you have a backyard fire pit, use that, if not, you can make s’mores in the microwave)
  • Ghost Hands are super fun (albeit messy) if you have a fire pit
  • play Minute to Win It Camping Games
  • sing campfire songs
  • paint camping story stones
  • food ideas: hot dogs, s’mores cookies, chips, walking tacos, mini camping cereals for breakfast
  • print off this camping printable pack that has camping theme learning activities for kids
  • star gaze together as you learn about constellations
  • play card games or board games
  • go bird watching in the backyard

Drive in Movie in the Living Room:

This is so fun if you have little ones. 

  • Decorate a large box as a car. You’ll need one per child. Let your child use their imaginations. You can use paper plates for wheels and the steering wheel and paint details or add them in Sharpie. 
  • food ideas: popcorn, juice boxes or pop, chips, raw veggies, movie snacks
  • Set the “cars” up in front of the TV and watch a movie. 

Christmas:

Pull out the tree, turn on the outside lights, and start baking! Since it kind of feels like those weeks around Christmas anyway, you might as well embrace it!

  • set out a holiday puzzle for everyone to work on
  • wrap things you already own to gift each other
  • play Christmas music
  • pull out your Hallmark Christmas movies shirt and start watching those Christmas movies!
  • sing carols
  • play Christmas Minute to Win It Games
  • make Christmas crafts
  • read Christmas books
  • play Christmas games
  • print off Christmas activities for the kids to do
  • wear your ugly Christmas sweaters
  • food ideas: Christmas baking, traditional Christmas foods

Family Talent Show:

Hosting a talent night in your home is great because for days before, it gives the kids something to practise. Set the stage in the living room or backyard and cheer on each family member as they perform. Here are some ideas for talents to be performed:

  • a skit or short play
  • reciting a memorized monologue or poem
  • playing a song by tapping on water glasses
  • playing the spoons
  • magic tricks
  • displaying art
  • singing
  • lip syncing
  • dancing
  • gymnastics
  • juggling
  • comedy act
  • martial arts
  • playing an instrument
  • showcasing a new skill such as knitting, whittling, or macrame 
  • hand clapping routine
  • yo-yo
  • jump rope routine
  • hula hoop
  • baton twirling

Fun Food Ideas:

We’ve been doing these fun food nights mostly for our Survivor nights. I pick a different one each week. 

  • Build your own nachos bar – pie plates for everyone, different kinds of tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and all the toppings: sliced black olives, jalapeños, tomatoes, onions, red peppers, taco meat or shredded chicken, beans, sour cream, salsas, and guacamole
  • Make your own pita pizzas
  • Sundae bar
  • Decorate your own cookies or cupcakes
  • Appetizer night
  • Popcorn bar
  • Pasta bar
  • Breakfast for supper
  • Fondu night

Other Fun Theme Day Ideas:

  • pyjama day 
  • crazy hair day
  • Rainbow party
  • formal day
  • Dr. Seuss party
  • sensory play all day
  • celebrity lookalike day
  • dress up
  • twins day (dress to match someone else in the house)
  • Lego building challenge
  • baking or cake decorating challenge
  • family dance party
  • family fun night (hilarious!)
  • backyard or living room picnic
  • 50s day
  • 60s day
  • 70s day
  • 80s day
  • 90s day
  • moustache day
  • backyard Olympics
  • math game marathon
  • role reversal day (kids and parents swap clothes and roles)
  • kitchen restaurant (kids make menus and cook for parents)
  • Zombie day
  • un-birthday party (cake, decorations, singing, streamers for no one’s birthday)
  • fort building competition
  • kitchen science experiments

These fun family theme day ideas can help you make the most of this time you have together. You can build memories and infuse some laughter into these weeks and focus on building family connection.

Looking for more ideas for family fun or resources to help you connect with your child? Join our free 5 Days to Better Family Connection email series.

You may also be interested in reading:

The Ultimate List of Family Game Night IdeasThe image contains a collage of 5 photos and the words "the best family game night ideas". The pictures include a boy with his nose and mouth covered in flour sitting over a plate of flour, a boy with a stack of Oreo type cookies stacked on his forehead, a girl wearing a light green shirt with a pair of panty hose on her head with a tennis ball in the end of each as she swings her head from side to side trying to knock over red cups on the floor, a smiling blue eyed girl holding a paper bag between her teeth, and a curly haired boy with an Oreo on one of his eyes.

The Complete Slime Making Guide

Filed Under: Family Games, Parenting in the Chaos Tagged With: parenting through pandemic

April Emotions Printables for Kids

By Sharla Kostelyk

It is so important, especially during hard times that kids learn to communicate about their feelings. With these April Emotions Printables, you can help your child process and talk about their feelings. This will also help them expand their vocabulary of different emotions which can also help them with empathy. April Emotions printables collage of pages printed out

The printable copywork pages help children associate the emotion word with the corresponding facial expression using adorable little Easter bunnies. They also offer extra printing practise.

Right now, kids may be experiencing a wide range of emotions and they likely vary from day to day or even from hour to hour. Keeping track of these feelings can be a healthy way for them to work through them. When kids can name their emotions, they can better manage them. That’s why this month’s My Feelings Log is particularly important to use. 

April Emotions Printables for Kids:

April Copywork Emotions Sentences:

Supplies needed:

  • April Emotions Printable pages (download them here)
  • pen or pencil OR
  • plastic sleeve AND dry erase marker

If you the sheets to be reusable, laminate the pages or slip them in a plastic page protector. Your child can then use a dry erase marker to do the tracing and writing. Or you can have them write directly on the pages with a pen, pencil, marker, or pencil crayons.

Copywork Sentences Instructions for the child:

  1. Read the sentence.
  2. Fill in the outline.
  3. Trace the dotted words.
  4. Write the sentence on the lines provided.
  5. Discuss the various emotions.

These worksheets can be a starting point for a talk about different emotions. You can further expand on this by having the child describe a time when they have felt that emotion. They can also come up with a story describing why the Easter bunny might be experiencing that particular feeling.

April My Feelings Log:

Supplies needed:

  • printed Feelings Log (download here)
  • scissors
  • glue stick
  • markers, pencil crayons (coloured pencils), or crayons
  • pen or pencil

My Feelings Log Instructions for the child:

  1. Choose one icon each day to colour, cut, and paste to your log.
  2. At the end of the month, you can look back and see the various emotions you felt.
  3. Discuss your feelings with a parent or trusted adult.

The bunny emotion visuals can help children better identify and work through their own feelings in a way that feels less vulnerable. Once you know HOW they are feeling that day, you can help them dig into WHY they might be feeling that way. Together, you can then work on strategies for managing that emotion.

Simply enter your email in the box below to download the April Emotions Printable Worksheets. You can print them off to use them with your child at home or with your students.

You may also be interested in reading:

Calming Your Child’s Fight, Flight, or Freeze Response

Calm Down Breathing for Kids

Calm Down Jar Cards

Filed Under: Homeschooling, Printables Tagged With: parenting through pandemic

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