Parenting in 2020 has not been easy.
“With a preschooler and a toddler, (we do) a lot of fort building, playdough, building, creating, dance parties, the floor is hot lava...getting creative as best we can without going to buy new supplies,” Russell said, adding that the family spends most of their time in an upstairs playroom, because it’s harder to breathe downstairs.
For parents who have exhausted board games and indoor forts, here are eight suggestions from the TODAY Parenting Team:
For the child on the go
Homemade Race Track (Olivia Johanson)
“This works best on any kind of floor (use blue painter's tape for hardwood floors and masking tape for carpet) and is remarkably easy. All you have to do is lay out some masking tape around part of your living room floor and draw little lines in the center to make each strip look like a road. You can add some obstacles in the form of toys to make it more challenging. Then race your kids or get them to race around the track together.”
For the photographer
“On a regular day just like any other, get an alarm clock and set it to go off at intervals; an hour is normally good as you are likely to be doing something different each time. Take a picture of whatever you are all doing when that alarm clock chimes and you can build a collage at the end of the day. The kids will eagerly anticipate the alarm going off and it can provide for a great memory when you look back on it in a few years’ time.”
And if you’re a parent who just cannot adult any more, this genius nap time art lesson is pretty high on the list of hacks to pull out in case of emergency.
