Whether you are stuck at home during a snowstorm or a health crisis, it can be hard to keep kids engaged and keep your sanity. The news is weird right now; schools are shutting down for weeks at a time, and that means that everyone is off their routine.

I am lucky; my loved-ones are not in the at-risk groups for COVID-19. What DOES worry me, though is keeping myself sane and my kids occupied in healthy, educational ways, rather than repeat viewings of  Fire Dinosaurs 7 or Ice Princesses 2. This is where the choice board comes in; it gives the ability to switch out individual activities and keep a schedule while also keep things new. ​

The chart breaks down to 9 different activities. These can be done all in one day, one PER day, etc....the beauty of it is that it's flexible.  Below you will see some of the ideas I have for each square, and how I use these sections.

Every educator knows that the key to student buy-in is giving them choices. When I was still in the classroom, one of my favorite activities was my must-do/may-do workshop. For this activity, students complete a must-do (something required) before they can do a may-do (enrichment). It made sure students worked on the essentials, while also giving them the chance to make choices about the fun stuff. Now that I'm at home, I do this with my own kids; in this available freebie, there is a must-do/may-do option. I have my kids do 1 must-do before a may-do. My kids are still very young, so we need to break up the day. BUT, if you have older kids, having them do the must-do activities first is just fine. 

Many schools may send home work packets, which is great if you have older students; school stuff is a pre-made must-do. If, however, they don't send home work, I have provided a few free options below. 

This is a must-do activity in our house while we are out of school. Below are some of our favorite FREE activities from my friends on Teachers Pay Teachers. 

I don't know about y'all, but with kids in the house, we have plenty of cleaning to do. When it comes to keeping little hands busy, household chores teach cleanliness and responsibility. Even our little ones can help out around the house; my little ones do small chores. Below is a list of chores kids can do to help out, divided by age-group.

Toddlers : Obviously, you don't want your 3-year-old scrubbing the baseboards, but this is a great time to start teaching them about taking care of their homes with some of the following activities: 

• put clothes in hamper 
• pick up toys
• move clothes from the dryer to a basket 
• throwing away their own diaper 
• wiping up spills 
• putting their dishes in the sink 
• make their bed 

Preschoolers: Independence is setting in! These guys can do everything from the list above, plus a few bigger jobs.

• set the table 
• vacuum 
• unload dishes from dishwasher onto the counter (make sure to pull sharp objects out first)
• match socks and put away their clothes
• dust 
• feed pets 

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Elementary Students: Students can do much more at this point, and with more power comes more responsibility.

• load dishes into dishwasher 
• clean their room 
• fold and put away clothes independently 
• sweeping porches/balconies/sidewalks

Spending time with books is SO important. Research shows that young children need to be read to; why not take it a step further and ask them to really think about what you're reading together? Ask questions like: 

• Why do you think the character feels _____? 
• What do you think will happen? 
• What is happening? 

Older students should be reading to themselves as well as with an adult. Reading the same book and talking about it can be a lot of fun! Good stories are always engaging.

Kids have a ton of energy, and everyone (moms included) will feel better (and sleep better!) if they have a chance to spend that energy. Some physical activity ideas:

• playing outside
• having a dance party
• simon says
• walking in the neighborhood!

Whatever you do, get out and move! It's the best way to avoid that other contagion: CABIN FEVER.

These are activities that I don't require them to do every day; they are fun and great ways to keep kids engaged and their brains working, but give them a choice. May-do activities teach kids an important lesson: once I finish what I have to do, what are some fun things that I want to do?

Call it art or crafting, everybody likes to make stuff. This can be as simple as Legos or other building materials (these are a few of our favs) or you can use recycled materials and give them a challenge (leperchaun traps?, boats to hold pennies, ect). Also, play-dough is great, but making  your own play-dough is even better (here is a great recipe you can make together).

My kids are two and four and LOVE to cook. Each day, this can be something as easy as scrambling eggs or making pancakes. Cooking with kids  is a learning experience in and of itself. For little cooks, cooking allows them to practice how to follow directions, how to count, and refines fine motor skills. Older kids practice reading (with recipes!) and get to flex those valuable math muscles with measurements (for an extra challenge, try halving or doubling a recipe and having the kids do the calculations). Plus, each cooking "lesson" ends in a yummy treat; who doesn't love that?
Below are a couple of our favorite things to cook. 

Cake Mix Cookies
Can cookies get any easier? These can be made with any cake mix, so changing up the flavor is easy to do. You can also add mix-ins to make them fun.  Our favorite combos are strawberry cake mix with chocolate chips, chocolate cake with peanut butters chips, and of course funfetti with extra sprinkles on top. 

Ingredients 
I box cake mix of your choice(18.25 oz size) 
2 eggs 
1/2 cup vegetable oil 
Directions
1. Add cake mix to a bowl. Add oil and eggs. Mix well. 

2. Form mixture into balls (we love our cookie scoop)

3. Bake at 350 * F. 

English Muffin Pizzas 
Who doesn't love pizza? These are the perfect lunch for a day stuck at home. Easy and tasty. My kids love being able to make their own and choosing what they want on them 
 
Ingredients: 
english muffins 
sauce 
cheese 
toppings of your choice 

Directions:
1. Let little ones spread sauces and adding toppings 

2. bake at 350* for 5-7 minutes until cheese is bubbling. 

Playing alone or with siblings is so important, because it teaches something that is so hard to teach: imagination and self-motivation. I try to give my kids time away from my lead everyday. You would be amazed with the things they can come up with. A pile of plastic animals in our backyard turned into paleontology dig, a pile of sticks became a fence; next, who knows? Creativity and imagination take over.

This is also the time we play with the bulk of our toys. To keep things exciting, I rotate out anything that isn't being played with and add different toys to the pile.

We all need a break sometimes when stuck at home, and TV or electronic games (in moderation) can be a great way for everyone to have a few minutes of down time. I try to keep this time to a minimum, lest we fall to the temptation of the Candy Crush time-suck (and by we, I mean me). 

 Here is a list (link) to tech companies that are free for now due to covid-19. Please check all links before sharing them with your child. 

• Scholastic - Reading 
• Dreambox - Math
• Brain Pop - multi-subject
• Go Noodle - Physical Activity
• Virtual Field Trips

Look, if you have been cooped up for a long time with your kids, then you need something up your sleeve. We all need routine, but we also need to shake things up a little every now and then. That is where surprise comes in. I randomly yell "surprise time" and pull that out of my pocket when I see we need it. It's not on our choice board since it is my choice when we have it. 

I stocked up on a few new toys that I knew my kids would love from Amazon. Surprise Time can also be a special snack (Popsicle comes to mind at my house) or a movie -- Surprise Time is about finding something that you AND your kids can get excited about and pulling it out of the hat when everyone needs a little happy excitement.

​​No matter what anyone says, it is completely okay and normal to not be loving/cherishing every second of your baby. Having a newborn is HARD STUFF, and it's normal to wonder "what have I done?!" Even as they get older, it's okay not to cherish every moment. Some moments are really hard. - Kristen

​Don't try to do everything! The dishes can wait. Ask for help if you need it! Having support (and sleep!) will be so important for your mental health! -Stacey 

It is okay to ask for help! You do not have to be super mom. You do not have to do it all. Find one or two other moms (whether it be family or friends) to lean on when things get tough. Do not be afraid to express your needs, and allow others to help, where you feel comfortable.  -Jennifer

Freezing meals before was a lifesaver. I had a c section and could barely move, so my husband cooked some and we used the frozen meals. I didn’t make a whole day of cooking ahead of time. Whenever I cooked, I would double (or triple) the recipe and freeze a ton. This helped even more when I went back to work because I had even less time for cooking. 
And a second one is have a downstairs and upstairs changing station. Doesn’t have to be fancy. I used a plastic container with an extra pad, wipes, diapers, and a couple onesies downstairs. -Caitlin

​Ones that zip from the chin down so you don’t have to get them practically naked for nighttime changes. These are new-ish and are far superior to the zip from the bottom up version. Even better are the 2 way zip variety. Things have come a long way in the 8 years since my first.   -Kelly 

Keep a spare change of clothes (+diapers/wipes) in the car for baby, AND for you! Their messes aren't always contained. - Shannon

Newborns, breastfeeding, and dairy don't mix! If baby is gassy, try cutting it out of your diet!
-Lauren  
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Nursing is awesome, but don't stress, FED is best.  -Desiree ​

​Don't buy all your bottle nipples, pacifier, sippy cups all at once. My little boy was SO PICKY and we wasted so much money because he only wanted ONE kind! 
-Jordana

 I’m so glad I took another teacher mom’s advice on sleep training. I used BabyWise for both of my kiddos. My babies are all happily in bed by 7 and sleep until 7 the next day. This gave my hubby and I time to catch up, time to put on a face mask, and in worst case situations, do some grading -Amanda

Swaddles saved my life. I loved my Halo Swaddles. Once my babies out grew them we switched to the Halo sleep sacks and still use them at 18 months. -Regan ​

The cleaning can be done later, get down on the floor and play because one day they won’t need you to. – Barbara ​

​ I wish I knew it gets better. As a first time mom, I was definitely sleep-deprived, not completely feeling the connection at first, exhausted and lonely at times even though I was not alone. I realized a few months later that it really does get better. As your baby becomes less needy, more independent, and sleeps longer, you start to become yourself again and all the positivity of being a mom starts to radiate within you. This was my experience and I’m very grateful for it. -Chantal

I wish I would’ve known how quickly the time passes! My oldest started kindergarten this year, and I’m blown away by how much she’s changed & grown in 5 years. I feel like she just turned 2 yesterday and is still my little toddler!  My son just turned 1, and I’m trying to soak in the moments & truly enjoy him—because he’ll be in school before I know it! 
Also—you think your schedule will slow down as your kids get older, but it actually gets busier! School drop-off & pick-up, piano, swim, gymnastics—we are always on the go! I miss the lazy mornings & movie afternoons we used to have! - Erin

How easy is it to put yourself on the back burner when you have young kids? Even more, how easy is it to put your spouse? Remember that person? The one you were so madly in love with just a few short years ago? 
So often, our lives are consumed by our children and jobs, the trudgery  of life. As parents, in my case being a mom, we lose sight of who we were before they came along. I have found that it is so important to take time off from life and enjoy it with my husband. 
This weekend we went away for a couple days while each set of grandparents took a kid, giving us the gift of time. During this weekend I realized how important these weekends can be. Here are a few lessons I learned. 

As a mom, I haven't fully slept through the night since I found out I was pregnant with my oldest. We learn to live on very little sleep, or most of us just continue to drink more coffee. We all know that we need more sleep but often don't have the time. After getting to sleep two FULL nights, plus a nap, I felt more rested then I have since before I was pregnant with our oldest. 

Do you ever feel like you and your spouse are just to ships passing in the night? You talk all the time, you see each other every day, sleep next to each other nightly(well, if you aren't married to a firefighter) yet somehow you still feel like you are not connected to this person. Taking a weekend away allowed for us to just be with each other. One of the best moments we had this weekend was simply sitting on the couch next to each other reading books. I had my feet up in firefighters lap, just the simple act of being with each other in quite moments helped us feel more connected. 

We also had the time to really talk, not just talk about what needs to be done, or what to have for dinner. We talked and laughed about simple things. We wondered at the beauty of the mountains around us. We dreamed about our future. What we would do if we bought our own cabin in the woods. How would we decorate it? What would we need? 

As a parent, how often do you really get to eat hot food? Better yet, hot food that isn't also be sampled by a smaller version of yourself? I feel like I never truly get to enjoy my meals. I always have little hands in it, or it was something I made over an hour ago, but put aside to help the kids with something, only to come back and find that it is a lesser version of it's once glorious self. 

Part of why we haven't been away for more than a night is my worry about the kids. Will they miss me? Will they feel abandoned? We are so lucky to have two wonderful sets of grandparents who love our kids. Our kids had a blast being with their grandparents. Our 3 year old was so excited to tell us about all the things he got to do (and was purchased for him). They truly had a wonderful weekend without parents. While I think they did miss us at times, overall they were happy to get a break from us too. 

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? Like many parents I have found that my kids eat a big breakfast and smaller lunch and dinner. This made me realize how important it is for me to make sure they are getting not only something to fill their belly but something that packs a nutritional punch. 
I try to make sure that they get a fruit at every breakfast. Protein is also a must. I don't know the science behind it, but if my kids eat protein with breakfast they have better concentration, behavior and more energy (maybe we can do without the last one). 

Oatmeal is a favorite around here. Just be cautioned, if you are buying the pre-made packets you are adding a lot of unnecessary sugar to your kids breakfast.  I like to use regular old fashioned oats.
​For just the kids, I microwave 1.5 servings in our 4 cup measuring cup for 2 minutes. It needs to be a larger container or you will have an oatmeal mess in your microwave.
​After it's done, I put it into their bowls and we add in some yummy stuff. One thing I do try to do is add something with protein. Between the oatmeal and protein, we have a lot more staying power. 
You can also do overnight oats. Add 1 part oats to 2 parts of the liquid of your choice (milk, almond milk, soy milk, yogurt, etc.) Add your mix ins and leave in the fridge overnight. You can eat them cold or zap them in the microwave if you want them hot. 

Eggs are a great way to add a lot of protein in a kid friendly way.  We love just simple scrambled eggs, on school mornings we will have scrambled eggs with a side of fruit and whole wheat. It is easy, and not sticky, so it's easy to get out the door quick. 
To keep things from getting boring I add things into our eggs. I instead of turning our eggs into an omelet I just mix what we want into the scramble. This adds something different, while not taking the time to make the perfect omelet, or multiple ones. We often mix in left over veggies from the night before (mushrooms and broccoli seem to be a hit around here. As well as ham, turkey, or cheese. 

We love whole milk Greek yogurt around here. We buy it plain and add different things to it. Our son  asks for it on a regular basis. We normally eat it with berries mixed in. We sometimes add a bit of honey or pure maple syrup to sweeten it (but not for the under 1 crowd).  

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Some other ways we like our yogurt are:

• Nut butter and jam 
• Chunky apple sauce and cinnamon 
• Granola (I love the recipe from 100 Days of Real Food)