A Fine Parent

A Life Skills Blog Exclusively For Parents

Missing Your Old Activity Schedule? Here’s a Positive Way to Look at It

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(This article is part of the Coronavirus Support series. Get free article updates here.)

Main-Image-Activity-Schedule.jpgMy family’s calendar was rather full. Then the word “CANCELED” began to cover the days one by one. No more church activities. No more field trips. All of the extracurricular activities seemed to disappear.

But was that a bad thing? Maybe it was time to break free from the busyness outside of our home!

Research shows too many extracurricular activities can have a negative affect on families. Kids need time to learn about themselves and explore their interests without being bounced from one activity to the next.

This article from Psych Central states that too many extracurricular activities can “potentially harm children’s development and well-being” in addition to putting “excessive strain on family relationships and resources.”

Yes, there are many uncertainties at this time. Things are really strange. People are scared. But maybe this is a good time to reflect on all of those extracurricular activities and intentionally focus on family bonding time. [Read more…]

Schooling at Home? Here Are the Best Tips from 7 Veteran Homeschoolers

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(This article is part of the Coronavirus Support series. Get free article updates here.)

Featured-Image-Homeschool-Article.jpgYou’re now schooling at home.

In several parts of the country, it looks like this may go on till the end of the school year.

Maybe some of you wanted to homeschool all along, and find the idea exciting. That’s great news!

But for many parents, school closures forced them to take on the sudden role of “teacher.” And that notion is daunting and overwhelming.

So what can parents do to ensure our kids are getting a decent education during this difficult time? We asked some long-time homeschoolers these questions so we could bring you the best advice:

How can we as parents make the best of the situation for our children and their education (as well as our sanity)? Can kids learn at home successfully while also having fun?

And what if my child is spectacularly unmotivated to learn anything from home at all? What do we do then?

Here’s what the experts had to say! [Read more…]

110+ FREE Resources for Kids to Use During the Coronavirus School Closures

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(This article is part of the Coronavirus Support series. Get free article updates here.)

Main-Image-school-resources-copy.jpgUnexpectedly homeschooling because of Coronavirus school closures?

Overwhelmed by the unrealistic Instagram posts of people’s daily schedules?

Deep breath. You can totally do this!

We’ve compiled for you a list of 110+ awesome free educational resources to make this super easy.

And here’s more good news: homeschooling doesn’t have to be anything like actual school to be educational. 

Click on a link (or three) below and start exploring with your younger kids.

And if your kids are old enough, you can give them the reins and let them explore what they find most interesting on this list. Language arts, math, chemistry, art and finances, it’s all here!

As a homeschooling parent, I’ve utilized many of these resources myself and have chosen these for you because they are:

  1. easy to use
  2. engaging and educational for the kiddos
  3. and best of all, free!

(Many of these are free all the time, some only while the schools are closed).

In my experience, I spend about 15-20 minutes per subject for elementary kids, but I don’t stop if they’re engaged and we’re delving into something in which they are showing a lot of interest.

Alright. Time to dive in. Click on any link below and let the learning joy begin!

PS: Do you have a favorite resource that I have not listed? Please let me know about it in the comments section below. Thank you! [Read more…]

Had Enough of Coronavirus Worrying? Here are 10 Creative Ways to Relieve Anxiety

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(This article is part of the Coronavirus Support, Positive Parenting FAQ series. Get free article updates here.)

Main-Image-Anxiety-Crafts.jpgThe world has changed in the space of a few weeks.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has caused drastic upheaval in our lives, and we are all searching for ways to relieve anxiety during this trying time.

Whether we are in quarantine, imposing self-isolation or practicing safe social distancing in an effort to flatten the curve, we are all struggling to make sense of the greater implications of the worldwide pandemic.

At the same time, we must deal with our day-to-day lives, which in many cases have been completely disrupted as our kids are required to stay home from school and we ourselves may be working from home.

Naturally, we are all stressed and anxious about the health and safety of our loved ones and the long-term social and economic fallout of the pandemic. As our own anxiety and worries clash with those of our children, the home front can quickly become a hotbed of uncertainty, worry, fear and stress.

How can we reduce our family’s stress levels? What can we do with a houseful of worried people and nowhere to go? What are some creative ways to relieve anxiety?

Doing creative activities together as a family is a great way to diffuse some of this anxiety. Art therapy has long been touted as a great stress reliever. Doodling, painting, cutting and pasting have all been shown to lower our cortisol levels, which are a marker of stress. Art can help put us in that meditative state known as the “flow” or “zone,” letting us escape, if only for an hour or so, the relentless anxiety-provoking news cycle.

Here at A Fine Parent, we have put together a list of art projects that you can do with the entire family to help get you through these trying times.

[Read more…]