I am Not Doing Preschool Homework During the Coronavirus Quarantine

0

I am not a teacher.

When I worked at my last office job, we took a StrengthsFinder test. Out of nine strengths, teaching was my very least strength! Seriously. It is not my strength. It might even be my number one weakness! So when my son’s K4 teacher sent over the coronavirus quarantine school schedule and online homework for the week, I broke out in hives.

But I am not worried about making sure he’s ready for kindergarten, because:

  • I’m confident that he learned a ton while he was at school from August to March, and
  • tons of learning can be done in our home and around our neighborhood every day. In fact, there are benefits beyond a classroom that they are getting at home.

School looks a little different for us during the coronavirus quarantine!

Plenty of learning happens that doesn’t just happen through being in a classroom, doing worksheets, or distance learning. So here are a few of the benefits of not doing preschool homework.

Being Outside

Being outside is crucial for us during the coronavirus quarantine!

Oh hey, the rain stopped, y’all, and it is BEAUTIFUL outside! One thing we’ve been enjoying is walking around our neighborhood. When we go on walks, we point out the trees, squirrels, flowers, and neighbors. The other day we counted every American flag we could find, then said the Pledge of Allegiance. We love seeing bears in the windows as we go on a “bear hunt.” One day, we played in the baby pool and ate a picnic lunch on the porch. Another day, we drew on the driveway with sidewalk chalk and made a pretty mosaic using painter’s tape. 

Enjoying the outdoors even more during the coronavirus quarantine.

Our baseball season was cut short, so dad and son have had lots of times to hit and play catch. I’m pretty sure when this is all over, both my son and husband might say this was their favorite time together.

My daughter loves to feed our neighbor’s dog treats (we asked the owner first!) and pick flowers in our yard. They might just be weeds, but they are beautiful treasures to her. 

Emotional Benefits

My son and daughter are getting plenty of play time together. It’s been sweet to see their relationship grow with lots of time together making memories. Some of their favorite things to do together are movie nights on a pallet on the floor (thank you, Disney+), coloring, dress up, and dance parties. Before bedtime, they’ve started to act out the Bible stories from the Jesus Storybook Bible. Daniel and the Lions Den is a favorite . . . someone gets to act like a lion!

We've had many movie nights during the coronavirus quarantine!

This has been the most time we’ve ever gotten to spend with my husband. While he is working full-time at home (shout out to all you parents working at home!), we get to see him in the mornings now and at lunch time. When he takes a break, he can come chat with us and have a snack. I can’t imagine there will be many more seasons like this, so we are trying to cherish them. 

Games

I play several card and board games with my preschoolers that are fun for the whole family. The biggest hits have been Candyland, Guess Who?, Uno Attack, Children’s Charades, Let’s Go Fishing, and Paw Patrol Go Fish (“Go Pup”). We’ve laughed more during Charades and Uno Attack than we have in a while. There is just something about laughing with your family that builds the happiest of memories. 

We've loved playing games as a family during the coronavirus quarantine.

Life Lessons

Soooooooo many changes and questions have come up since our entire lives turned upside down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No more school or church. No more gym or even going to the grocery store. No more baseball. No more getting to visit friends. That’s a big adjustment for little kids! This has been a great opportunity to explain what a virus is and why we are helping our community and the health of our neighbors by staying at home. 

Here are a few things we’ve talked about: a virus is invisible to the naked eye but can sometimes be seen under a microscope, how to wash our hands with soap for at least a minute (I mean they should know this, but ya know, they’re kids), and being as generous as we can by supporting businesses and our community. 

We told our kids it’s okay to be scared sometimes. Even Mommy and Daddy get afraid. But our hope is in Jesus, and we know all this is in His hands. While we don’t know the future, we know the One Who holds the future. We will continue to pray for successful treatments for this virus, that our leaders will have wisdom on how to handle it, and that He will give extra strength to all our healthcare workers. 

Do What You Enjoy

Since I lead singing at church, we sing all the time at home. While I’m no teacher, I enjoy music, so I incorporate it into our lives. We have songs for brushing teeth, washing hands, when we are afraid, and more. I have another sweet friend who is a graphic designer, so she does tons of paint and art projects with her kids. So I say whatever you enjoy most, share it with your kids! They might really enjoy it, too. 

No Homework

So will we get around to doing our online homework? Sure, maybe a little. But am I going to enjoy sweet memories of this once-in-a-lifetime situation by snuggling more, walking the neighborhood more, and enjoying each other more? Absolutely.

Enjoying each other more during the coronavirus quarantine.