Reading Toddler Books and 9 Other Isolation Tips for Moms

The WHO has officially declared the outbreak of the novel coronavirus a pandemic. If you’re a parent of young children, you’re probably thinking about what to say to them, how much to explain without frightening them, and of course, how to keep them occupied during the advised self-isolation period. To give you a helping hand we’ve come up with some fun ways to keep the little ones entertained while they have to stay home – from our engaging toddler books at tobybooks.com to epic pillow fights.

1. Engage Them in Activity Books

Quiet play that keeps their little minds active and develops fine motor skills sounds good to us! If you already have an activity book or two that your kids really love, break them out and get busy. If not, the range of printable colouring pages, jigsaw puzzles and educational games at tobybooks.com is sure to delight every pre-schooler.

2. Bake Simple Treats

Keep the baking simple, and let the youngsters get involved. They get tactile stimulation as they mix and shape the dough, and it’s never too early to involve kids in preparing food so they can understand and appreciate where it comes from. The fact that they can unleash their inner artist as they decorate whatever you bake is an added bonus!

3. Dance and Sing to Your Favourite Songs

Toddler books that keep your little ones engaged in quiet activity are great, but let’s be honest – children always have a lot of energy to burn through! Get them to do just that by dancing and singing to their favourite songs.

The rhymes and concepts – such as days of the week or seasons of the year – help to stimulate their minds at the same time. You can also stimulate their listening skills by playing Musical Statues, where they have to freeze whenever you pause the song. Mix in some of the music that you love, to share a little of yourself with them.

4. Pillow Fights are Quality Time

This sounds very simple – and it is, but the concept is important. Young children are very perceptive, and they’ll probably have picked up on the tension surrounding the new reality of COVID-19 social distancing. One of the key ways to help them deal with this is to keep your self-isolation time fun.

An epic pillow fight, building a blanket fort and snuggling inside, or eating dinner in bed all have an element of novelty that can make this time at home feel special. If you feel up to it, let them stay awake a little later than usual for the same reason.

5. Try Out Toy Tombola

You don’t have to turn everything you do with your pre-schooler into an educational experience, but at the same time everyday experiences offer perfect opportunities to learn. Take Toy Tombola, where they’ll get to choose a “prize” while practicing their counting skills, or something similar they have learnt from an activity book.

Cut up small pieces of paper and write a number on each of them, and place them in a bowl, jar or hat. Then line up a row of small toys, and have them draw out a piece of paper. This can be a little fiddly, but it’s ideal for developing those fine motor skills. Count the drawn number across the toy positions, to land on the item that can be claimed as a prize.

6. Watch Funny Videos

When you need to take a break, the videos recommended at tobybooks.com will help you do just that. All our videos have been pre-approved, so you can trust that they are as safe as they are entertaining for pre-schoolers.

7. Get Gardening

If you have a garden, then now is the ideal time to get your little one outdoors. You can teach them more about the bugs they’ll find, show them how to plant plants in pots, let them help with watering, or simply keep an eye on them while they “bake” good old-fashioned mud pies. They may get a little dirty, but they’ll have loads of fun.

8. Complete Printable Crafts

Tobybooks.com has some exciting printable crafts to complement our activity book pages. Sewing card crafts and various animal masks will keep little fingers fully engaged.

9. Any Time is a Good Time to Read

Encouraging literacy and a love of books in your child is always worthwhile. The toddler books on our website will engage them in Toby’s adventures, and there are hundreds of other wonderful publications to choose from.

10. Dress Up and Act Out Stories

Kids love acting out what they see in the stories that they’re read. Let them go to town and dress up as Toby or any of the other characters in the toddler books that you’re sharing with them. The imaginative play is essential to their development, and can even help them express complex emotions, so playing dress-up is a winner on all fronts.