Get Active
If your family is healthy, take time to go outside and go for walks or ride bikes around your neighborhood. Fresh air is important. Just remember to practice social distancing and stay at least 6 feet away from anyone you may meet. Look for other ways to keep moving throughout the day, like playing with blocks or jump ropes, or having your own dance party.
Get Creative
Play and learn while working on arts and crafts. Reinforce ideas about science and recycling with these fun indoor and outdoor gardening projects. Use your imagination to reuse and invent new objects using materials you already have at home.
Read a Book
Have fun reading together as a family while boosting critical development skills. Have a story and cuddle time with the little ones. You can also catch Storytime with a Sheriff from the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department every morning. Start your own family book club with older kids using discussion questions you find online or create yourselves. While physical library locations are closed, take advantage of your library’s ebook catalog to find books you can download online. You can also join your library’s summer reading program online!
- Pierce County Library Summer Reading Program
- King County Library Summer Reading Program
- Tacoma Library Summer Reading Club
Screen Time
While everyone is stuck at home, your family is likely going to be using more screen time to cope. It’s still important to continue to keep tabs on screen time each day. Try to make screen time as educational as possible. Common Sense Media has great guidelines and reviews for parents on suggested media based on your child’s age.
Here are a few fun virtual field trips with an added educational bonus:
- British Museum: Learn about ancient artifacts and cultures
- California Academy of Sciences: Watch live animal webcams of sting rays and penguins
- Cincinnati Zoo: Virtual safari and at-home activities posted daily
- Museum of Flight: Take a virtual 3D tour of Air Force One, Concorde, and the B-17
- National Parks: Follow rangers through a virtual tour of 5 different parks from glaciers in Alaska to the volcanoes of Hawai’i
- Nature Convervancy: Explore rainforests and coral reefs
- On the Farm: Learn about caring for calves, guardian dogs, and more on these farm tours
- San Diego Zoo: Fun facts, videos, activities, and games for kids
- More places to explore
At-Home Learning
Whether you are looking for formal courses to help your child stay on-track with school, or a few exercises and fun activities to keep their academic skills sharpened, there are plenty of free online resources available:
- Bright by Text: Free developmental tips, games, activities, and resources for parents of children prenatal to age 8.
- KBTC Kids: Fun and educational games, videos, activities, and community resources for kids
- Khan Academy and Khan Academy Kids app
- CK-12 Foundation
- Discovery K12
- Bedtime Math: Fun activities, a free app, and videos for families with kids ages 3-9.