We have now been practising social distancing and living in isolation for over a month. Emotions in our household are up and down. Some days the girls cope with the restrictions reasonably well, and on other days they struggle. While we are all trying to make the best of this situation, it is not easy. They miss school, they miss their friends, they miss going to the playground and parties, they miss their grandparents and they desperately miss having freedom. But you can lift your kids’ spirits by creating a Post-Iso Bucket List.
Right now there is a lot of uncertainty and change. Our kids have been thrust into a “new normal” with little warning and without an end date. We know that kids thrive on structure and routine, so the disruption is really tough. The sudden change to the family routine, lack of social and physical activity and fears related to the outbreak can be especially stressful and anxiety-producing for children. Which is why it’s important they understand the situation is not permanent.
Over the weekend my girls were feeling quite flat. Home schooling (or crisis learning as Maggie Dent refers to it) had been a steep learning curve and their mood was noticeably low. So I decided to remind them of all the wonderful things we can look forward to when social distancing restrictions are lifted. Operation Freedom was born!
Lift your kids’ spirits with a Post-Iso Bucket List
I find that one of the best mood boosters in life is to plan something. Many experts agree that one of the keys to happiness is having something to look forward to. A healthy sense of anticipation can help us get through hard times and times are tough right now. So I grabbed a jar from the pantry and asked the girls to create a label for it . A few ideas were tossed around, but they settled on The Freedom Jar. It is essentially a bucket list of fun activities for our family do to post-isolation!
The whole family got involved. We each wrote down the activities we were looking forward to enjoying when we get out freedom back. Simple things like visiting grandparents and going to the footy with Dada, to some bigger things like taking a family trip to Sydney and going to see a ballet (as my 11-year-old was terribly disappointed that our mum/daughter date to Swan Lake was cancelled).
In no time at all our Freedom Jar had over 30 activities to look forward to post-isolation. And this is just the beginning. Every time the girls think of something new, into the jar it will go. When we come out the other side of COVID-19, we will take it in turns to dip into our “Freedom Lucky Dip Jar.”
All you need is an empty jar or box, some paper, a few markers and *bucket* loads of ideas. Create your own post-iso bucket list and remind your kids that the current situation is temporary. There is a lot to be grateful for and a lot to look forward to!
What are your kids most looking forward to when social distancing is lifted?
