As families across New York and much of the country continue to shelter in place and practice social distancing, there has been some positive news about the pandemic, with some of the lowest hospitalization numbers since March. However, experts warn that it’s still vital to continue social distancing, wearing masks, sanitizing regularly, and taking other safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 … Easier said than done for parents of little kids!
Parenting during the coronavirus pandemic is a tough job, so bravo to all of you moms and dads out there. You and your kids are likely sick of staring at the same walls of your home, but you’re also worried about exposing them to the coronavirus when you go out. What’s a parent to do?
Don’t worry, there are actually some easy ways to keep your kids safe during the pandemic without everyone in the house feeling like they’re stuck in jail. Keep reading to learn how to have fun, safely.
How to Reduce Your Kids’ Risk of Getting Coronavirus
Clean, clean, clean!
We know, a parent’s cleaning job is never done. But cleaning—and more specifically, sanitizing—is one of the most important measures we have to defend against coronavirus. Hopefully you’re already following the CDC recommendation to sanitize door knobs, light switches, faucets, and other frequently-touched surfaces every day. If you have young children, sanitization is even more crucial as they are more likely to put their hands in their mouth or on their face. While you should teach all of your kids not to do that, let’s be honest—little kids are going to do what they’re going to do, so mitigating risk is key.
The best way to disinfect toys, books, and other kids’ stuff depends on the material it’s made out of, so check out this handy guide to disinfecting toys for all the pro tips.
Continue social distancing.
As hard as it is for your kids to be away from their friends, it’s still important to maintain social distancing. If your kids are old enough to be trusted to follow directions, you could set up a park playdate with a friend or two and their parents. (Make sure you and the other parents also social distance, because kids learn by example!) Help the kids come up with social distancing-friendly activities, like races (you and the other parents can stand in as markers so your kids know how to stay in their own lane, or air space as it were), or soccer (no hands allowed!). You could even eat lunch “together” by sitting on picnic blankets at least 6 feet apart, allowing everyone to still talk without breathing on each other. Keep in mind that playground equipment is still off limits in most places due to the risk of transmission.
Stay active, safely.
If you’re not confident that you can keep your kids off of playground and park equipment and at least 6 feet from other kids, that doesn’t mean you all have to resign yourselves to staying stuck indoors. Just choose activities that make social distancing easier, like riding bikes or going on a family nature walk on a (not too crowded) trail or around the neighborhood.
We hope these ideas help keep you and your kids entertained and active until we’re able to safely re-open Rainbow Skateland! We can’t wait to welcome you back for roller skating fun with friends.
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