Best stay at home tip

Kevin calls this photo, “Hell’s Angels”, illustrative of our days hanging out at the moment.

I’ve joined a group of mums to answer a Monday question. This week’s is: “what’s the best stay at home tip you’ve received”.

I loved these texts early last week from Hannah to our group of mums who usually go to Digbies on a Monday (Developing Individual growth by imaginative play, education and speech). The group is for children with Down’s syndrome who are Coraline’s age. Hannah delivers some of the sessions and has two children, one of whom has Down’s syndrome.

“Give yourselves time to adjust to all this suddenly being your child's teacher. Our children learn through play and repetition. You are teaching them all day without realising it. We will all have different ways of teaching our children, as our home lives are all different, as are our children. Over this time never beat yourself up thinking you haven’t done enough. You really have. Stay as positive and happy as you can and do something each day for yourself as it’s important to have a break too.”

And then a later text:

“It's just an idea but if you are doing the washing take your little one with you to help. Count as you put it in together. Name the people’s clothes going in and sign the names. Also you can say daddy's pants are big. Mummy's are small etc. You can use colours as well for the clothes and you can do same and different for the socks. All in all, a lesson done, and washing complete, win win. Xxx

I just loved the washing tip, as after beginning the week with a proper routine of activities we would do with Coraline, we quickly morphed to a relaxed approach of play and fun, with some learning on the side. This made me really feel brilliant as it gave me a new idea, and I was really trying to think of new ideas at the time. It was fun, we could do it in the sun, sat on a rug, and I felt like I was doing something for Coraline. Coraline loves moving washing about into little piles. As Coraline does not have language, this kind of describing time is so important. I love Hannah’s whole ethos about this time.