Keeping our kids entertained for a few more weeks

The last year has seen us having to spend more time than ever in our homes. While it has been nice being able to spend more time than ever with our families, we have also had to find innovative new ways to keep entertained, particularly where the kids are involved! 

Preparing our kids for the new COVID safe Christmas

Christmas brings with it many changes. Despite being a very exciting time of year the upheaval and appearances around the home can cause some stress and this year it's going to be even more different. We won't have lots of people over and the day will be different due to staying safe and COVID-19. So how do we prepare our autistic and neurotypical kids for the changes ahead of them?

Getting the kids involved in Christmas baking this year

This year is perhaps one of the years when we don't want lots of fingers in food.  But, baking and cooking at Christmas can be a great way to keep kids learning when they've spent time out of school in the run up to the festive break.  There’s so much that they can learn along the way and it’ll actually improve their skills and learning in a lot of different ways that you may not have not thought about. Use the times when it's just your household to get together and bake.. here's just a few things they'll get from it. 

What to do with the worries we can't do anything about

I know there are many people with worries at the moment.  Our son Anthony is autistic and has ADHD and struggles with lots of things.  He suffers from anxiety.  I have my own difficulties in 'letting things go'.  It leads to further issues with sleep in our home and can have a general affect on how the boys cope daily.  They have less resilience and this puts us at greater risk of mental health issues, especially now.

How do I talk to my young children about the Coronavirus COVID-19 and keep them safe?

"Jane have you heard of the Coronavirus?  Do you know anything about it?"

Jane immediately stopped what she was doing.  She came over to me and looked focussed. "Do you mean COVID-19?  That's it's proper name."  It was obvious she was being very serious and knew something about it. So I asked, "What do you know?  Do you want to know anything else about it?"

"I need to stop it spreading."

Keeping our autistic kids safe outside in the sun

Many kids with autism have challenges with their sensory system. Their brains are wired a bit differently and this means they interpret the world around them differently too. This can sometimes make it a bit more complicated when keeping them safe outside in the sun. But we've learned a few things as they've been growing that help us.