Tips for this uncertain time

Hello Newcastle Staff and Families,
With students at home, I wanted to share some daily routine tips (to achieve some sense of “normalcy”), as well as some articles on how to talk to your kids about the virus, and some Social Emotional book ideas:
 
What to do while your kids are at home?

• Stick to a routine similar to school.  Just like school, having a schedule for the day is helpful for kids.  Include a morning wake up time and a bedtime appropriate for the child’s age.
• Create a time during the day to “do school”.  Include time to read and do any other learning activities of your choice.  Have your child help you with the schedule.
• Earn fun activities with an incentive chart. Learning activities and chores can be used to earn “fun” privileges to help structure the day.
• Decide on a “screens” plan for your family.  Search out the many resources online on this topic for helpful ideas to keep balance in your household.
• Make a fun kid MENU of stuff to do.  Create a list with your kids of different activities.  When their screen time is used up for the day, they have the choice of anything on the list.  Ideas can include:  crafts, board games, making recipes, scavenger hunts inside and outside, imagination play, backyard play.
• Keep kids socially engaged.  FaceTime, Skype, E-mail, sending postcards – there are various “safe” ways to curb loneliness kids may feel without their usual school social-connectedness.

Also, the online library at KCLS has great resources for FREE audiobooks and ebooks:   https://kcls.org/resources-types/ebooks-format/ 
Sign up to get a library card and use this card to e-check out a lot of audiobooks and digital books to enjoy.
Here are some articles that provide advice for talking to kids about the coronavirus:

• https://childmind.org/article/talking-to-kids-about-the-coronavirus/
•  https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/smart-parenting-smarter-kids/202003/how-talk-kids-and-teens-about-the-coronavirus
• For younger children: https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/how-to-talk-to-your-kids-about-coronavirus

Finally, here are some book ideas on the topics of feelings and emotions:
https://childhood101.com/books-about-emotions/