SCUK Covid-19 Resource Pack 2 print copy

GROWING

THROUGH THIS

Photo: Olivia Harris/Save the Children

TOGETHER

Activities, tips and

inspiration for you and your

children for the summer

The coronavirus crisis has been putting pressure on families.

But this crisis has come with opportunities too. It has

given families the time to talk, listen and

learn together more than ever before.

As we move towards a new normal,

we may feel relieved but also

a bit worried.

That’s why we wanted to share

some more ideas in this second

resource pack to help you

make the most of this time.

Changes for children

Things are changing for children. They’ve

had weeks of not going to school or

nursery, of not being able to meet up

with their friends or relatives.

Schools and nurseries are opening up and

there are new things to consider when it

comes to social distancing. Everyone has

lots of questions and there are decisions to

make about what is best for children. We

want children to feel happy and confident

about going back to school and nursery,

while understanding that it might be

quite different.

That’s why we’d like to offer you some

tips on how to talk to your children, help

them express their feelings, and support

their learning. We’re also providing

specific information about the virus for

children, things they need to consider

about returning to school or nursery,

and guidance for parents too.

* Names have been changed to protect identities.

The Save the Children Fund is a charity registered

in England and Wales (213890) and Scotland

(SC039570) and a limited company registered in

England and Wales (178159).

Learning at home

This pack has resources, suggestions and

ideas to support your child’s learning at

home. There are games and activities

from Save the Children’s Families Connect

programme, designed for children aged

three to six.

These can easily be tailored to suit

younger or older children too.

Each topic offers simple play-based

activities you can try with your child using

material you might already have at home.

We’ve also added in an ideas bank activity

to help you find quick, fun and easy

things to do together during the summer.

Rachel* reads with her

daughter Beth* at home

in Margate. Photo: Kate

Stanworth/Save the

Children

Remember: Play is important!

When children are worried, play is more important

than ever. It helps them to relax and express

themselves. Play is important for children’s learning

too. So playing with your child and having fun

together is at the heart of this pack.

FAMILIES CONNECT FEELINGS

1. Feelings are important as they influence how we behave and

how well we learn

2. When learning something new or challenging we can feel

uncertain, anxious and frustrated

3. Naming feelings is the first step to learning how to manage

them

How am I feeling? What are the clues?

What is my face showing? What is my body doing on the inside?

smile, frown, raised eyebrows butterflies in my tummy, tight muscles,

heart beating faster

What do I want to do?

cry, laugh, hit out, run away, skip

What is my body doing on

the outside?

feel hot or cold, goose bumps

Ref: 1.3.2 © Save the Children Fund 2020

WORDS FOR CORE FEELINGS

HAPPY

delighted, pleased,

excited

ANGRY

irritated, annoyed,

frustrated

SCARED

worried, frightened,

anxious

SURPRISED

shocked, amazed

SAD

unhappy, hurt,

upset

DISGUST

repulsed, sickened

Are there any missing? Feel free to add more words


FAMILIES CONNECT PRAISE

1. Children learn to value themselves when they are

valued by others

2. Giving lots of praise can help children to feel confident in

themselves

3. Recognising children’s small steps of progress

and their efforts, encourages children to try

something new even if it’s hard

HELPFUL PRAISE IS:

SPECIFIC

So children know what it’s

for and what to do next time

FOCUSED ON EFFORT

Rather than the outcome, so

children know that effort and

practice are important

GENUINE

WITHOUT CRITICISM

Our faces and bodies give

the same message as our

words

When children hear praise

mixed with criticism, they may

only remember the criticism

Remember it’s okay to make mistakes! – it’s actually one of the

best ways to learn as we find out what we need to do differently

next time


USING YOUR FAMILY SUPERSTAR AWARD AT HOME

How can you use the award to practice your praise

skills?

How will you make sure it is fair for the whole family?

When will you give the award?

What will you give the award for?

How will this make your child feel?

Make your praise specific so your child knows what it’s

for and what to do next time, for example recognise their

efforts in:

Taking time to make a colourful picture

Being kind and sharing

Trying a new food for the first time


FAMILIES CONNECT LISTENING

1. Listening to children helps us to understand how they see

the world

2. Children communicate in different ways; through words,

body language, and creative expression

3. If we listen to the small things that matter to children, they

will share the big stuff as well

“Parents will listen to your ideas and think of them in their brain.

They would have a closed and smiley mouth and a heart which

means love” A child’s view of good listening

HOW TO BE A GOOD LISTENER TO YOUR CHILD

Find the right time and show you are interested

Be encouraging

Acknowledge their feelings

Repeat, comment or ask questions

Praise their ideas and solutions

they come up with

Offer choice to help your child

express their views and help them

to make their own decisions

when they can


CLUES YOU CAN GIVE TO SHOW YOU ARE LISTENING

Use eye contact

Give your full attention

Be non-judgemental

Stay focused on what your

child wants to share

Open body language, for example

turn towards your child, nod and smile

Don’t forget body language speaks louder than words!

LISTENING TO CHILDREN’S IDEAS

Open questions can help children to share their ideas, come

up with their own solutions and be creative

What would happen if…?

I wonder…?

What do you think about…?

How can we…?

Why do you like..?

Why did you choose..?


FAMILIES CONNECT STORYTELLING

1. Telling and making up stories together on the move or at home

are great ways to extend children’s vocabulary and spark their

imagination

2. Telling stories doesn’t just mean reading a book. There are lots of

way that children can enjoy telling stories, through play, singing

and dressing up

TOP PLACES, TIMES AND WAYS TO SHARE STORIES

At bedtime or snuggled

up on the sofa

Make up a story

on a journey using

the things you see,

or photos on your

phone

Put some books you

can easily ’dip into’

(such as joke or fact

books) in the bathroom

Try different ways of

sharing books and stories

such as audiobooks, story

websites or ebooks

Share a short story

in the bath with a

story about a duck, or

boats, or pirates

Suggest your child

practices reading

a favourite story

aloud to their toys

or pets

Keep some magazines

or books in the car

and in the toy box


Make up stories using photos, pictures from magazines or objects

you see around you

STORY PROMPTS

“Once upon a time…”

“And every day…”

“Until one day…”

“And because of that…”

“And ever since that day…”

“Until finally…”

“…The end.”

TOP STORY TIPS

Make your child the star!

A favourite toy or pet can be the sidekick

Think about where and when the story is taking place

Use something that happened during the day

Ask your child to make up names or key facts along the way

Include your child’s interests

Ask your child what they think will happen next

Children love hearing stories from your childhood and the

things you got up



FAMILIES CONNECT NUMBER TALK

1. Children see and hear numbers every day in all sorts of

situations but may not yet know what they mean

2. We can help children learn number names by pointing them

out. Talking about numbers explicitly helps children to name

them and understanding what they mean

3. Games like Snakes & Ladders and using a number line with

real objects are great ways to bring numbers to life

NUMBER TALK

What number can you see?

Which number comes before or after?

What is the largest number you can find?

What is the smallest number you can find?

Are the numbers in order?

Are they odd or even?

What’s your favourite number? Why?

What is that number used for?

Repetition is good – the more children

practice, the more they will learn.

Last Post

6pm


LET’S GO ON A NUMBER HUNT

Numbers at home:

Where can you see numbers in the living room?

Telephone

TV remote

Clock

Magazine

Where can you see numbers in the kitchen?

Cooker

Microwave

Measuring jugs

Weighing scales

Food packets

30

MPH

Numbers in your local area:

What numbers can you

see in the local streets?

Bus numbers

Car number plates

Prices in shops

Bus tickets

Cinema tickets

Where else can you

find numbers?


Ref: 6.3.2A © Save the Children Fund 2020



| 2 3 5

6 7 8 |0


2 3 5

| | | | | |

6 7 8

| | | |


70 80 0



20 30 0 50 60

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GETTING READY TO GO BACK

TO SCHOOL OR NURSERY

FLASH CARD CHAT TIME

Step 1 Cut out the cards

Step 2 Play some games

There are lots of games you can play together with the cards. They let you

explore questions your child might have and allow them to talk about

how they might be feeling about going back to school or nursery.

Here are some ideas.

What will their day be like?

Ask them to think about how their day starts, then get them to put the cards

in order as they talk about what a day at school or nursery might be like when

they go back. Suggest they think about how it might feel on their first day back.

Telling people about their day

Once they are back at school or nursery you can use the cards to help share stories

about their day. This could make it easier for them to settle back in.

Make up stories with the cards

Ask them to look at the pictures. They could name the characters and tell stories

about their day. Ask them to tell you what they think the characters are feeling.

They might have questions which the cards could help them to

talk about

• What will snack time be like? • Will all my friends be there?

• Will I be able to hug my friends? • Will my mummy be able to stay with me?

• Will I have to wear a mask? • Will there be plenty of soap to wash my hands?

• Will I still have fun?

• What if I forget the new rules?

Stick the cards on the wall

You could ask your child to stick the cards on the wall to help them

get ready for going back to school or nursery. Remind them that

changes might seem odd at the beginning, but they’re new for everyone

so you can all help each other and keep safe.

You can ask your child to come up with some of their own ideas about

how they’d like to play with the cards too.

FEELING

YOU ARE

EXCITED

OR

ABOUT GOING BACK

TO SCHOOL OR NURSERY?

Whatever you’re feeling is

normal. Focus on the positives!

1 Name your worry

2 What would help?

3 Feeling better

Whatever

you’re feeling

is normal.

Back to School

Just as lockdown has its ups and downs, going back

to school can bring a range of emotions for you

and your child. Here are some helpful tips to

help everyone cope.

TELL THEM WHAT YOU KNOW

Tell children when and how school will be reopening.

Don’t be afraid to talk to your school, raise any

concerns or reservations you have, and ask questions

about the arrangements they have in place.

BE POSITIVE

Remind children of all the positive reasons to return to

school. They can see their teachers, continue learning

new things, play with their friends.

DISCUSS HOW THEY’RE FEELING

Ask how they feel about going back to school.

Reassure them that all feelings are normal.

HELP THEM UNDERSTAND THEIR EMOTIONS

Phrases like ‘I can see you are frustrated’ and ‘you seem

really sad today’ help them to label their feelings. Take

time to comfort them.

REASSURE CHILDREN ABOUT SAFETY

Explain the measures their school will have in place to keep

students and teachers healthy. Try to envisage a school day

together and think about what might be different to normal.

REMIND THEM OF THEIR POWER

Children can prevent germs spreading by washing

their hands with soap and water and covering

their mouths when they cough and sneeze.

PREPARE THEM FOR CHANGES AGAIN

Explain that it’s possible that schools may need to close again

if more people get sick. Reassure them that if this happens it’s

so our communities can stay safe and healthy, but that learning

can still happen at home.

IDEAS BANK

Step 1 Find a container

for your ideas

It could be a jar, a box or

a tin. It could be something

you could decorate.

This is going to be your

ideas bank, which you’re

going to fill with fun ideas

of things to do.

Ideas

Step 2 In your pack you’ll find lots of colourful shapes to cut out

with ideas of fun things to do

We have also put some blank ones in so you can write down your own ideas too.

Cut out all of the shapes, fold them in half and put them into your ideas bank.

Step 3 Pick out an idea and have fun!

Dress as a super hero for a day

Draw a family portrait

Sing your favourite songs

Have a dance competition

If you really

like an activity,

why not put it

back in so you

can do it again

another day?

Top Tips

If you don’t

like the activity

you’ve picked

out, you can

swap it for

another idea.

If you run out of shapes

and want to put more

ideas in, you can make

some new shapes yourself

to write ideas on and

colour, cut out and put in.

Cut out the shapes and put into your ideas bank

Adventure Time! Play a make-believe

journey game! Make a car or a rocket or

ship out of a cardboard box that you

decorate together, or just grab some

cushions, pile in a few teddy bear

passengers, and go off on an adventure!

Saucepan Rock Band!

Get some saucepans and mixing spoons

and make a rock band at home.

You could even dress up!

I went to the shops memory game

Start with I went to the shops and I bought….

Each person has to remember what everyone

else bought when it is their turn and then add a

new item

Fancy Dress Competition

See who can create the most amazing

outfit!

Take photos to share!

Star Jumps!

Do Star Jumps as fast as you can!

Frog Hops

Hop hop back and forth like a frog!

Can you make frog noises too?

Cheetah Run!

Run on the spot as fast as you can just

like the fastest animal in the sahara!

Crab Crawl

Sit and place your palms flat on the ground

behind you near your hips and lift off the

ground and crawl like a crab!


Do some stretches! Lift your arms up to the sky

and be tall like a tree. You can sway like the

wind or flap your arms like a bird or a butterfly.

What ideas can you think of to stretch and be?

After stretching do the flop, breath deeply and

relax.

It’s Happy Song Day! As you get dressed, sing “If

you’re happy and you know it” and change the

words to what you’re doing. “If you’re happy and

know it, put your socks on!” “If you’re happy and

you know it eat your lunch”“If you’re happy and

you know it wash your hands!”“If you’re happy and

you know it sing along!”

Park sensations! As you play at the park,

describe what you’re doing and how it feels

“The sun is warm on our faces” or “The wind is

blowing my hair” or “the leaves are blowing

around me” “the birds are singing, how many

can we hear?”

Make today a counting day. How many things

can you count throughout the day? Count the

number of buttons on your clothes, how many

stairs you climb, how many things on your plate

at meal times, how many times have you

laughed or the number of good things that have

happened today

Today it is time for children to be in charge of your

walk. Suggest commands like turn left, right, go

round the corner, walk until you get to a shop, keep

going until you see something pink or you see

something shiny or you have counted 10 red cars or

5 bikes

You make up the rules for your walk!

Inspect the grass!

If you have access to grass, put down a hoop

or use string/ribbon/jackets to mark out an

area. Have a really close look and count how

many different things you can see

Choose a colour (or a

number, letter) each and count how many

things of that colour you see on your walk.

If you don’t go out today you can try it at home

Draw a map of your local area and the

places you like to go on your walks.

Could you make a junk-model 3D

map? You could use cereal boxes for

buildings.


Exercise patterns for funny walks:

Make up your own pattern to move like

walk walk hop, walk walk jump, walk

walk skip, walk walk backwards, slide,

shuffle and jump!

Excavation – digging your back garden or

exploring a cupboard!

What interesting things can you find?

Toilet roll tunnels!

Use the card tubes left over from toilet rolls or

kitchen towel or other things you can find that

would make good tunnels to roll things along.

Maybe stick them together or make a trail to follow.

Use anything that will roll, you could use little cars

and have car races!

Try and find as many things as you can

that start with the first letter of your

name

Make your own jigsaw!

Draw a picture and cut it up and then see how easy

it is to put it back together again

Or find a picture in a comic or magazine (check it

is ok to cut our first) and cut it up and see how easy

it is to put it back together again

Play I spy

I spy with my little eye something

beginning with……

If you were invisible for a day what

would you do?

What kind of fun things could you do?!

Name that tune!

Take it in turns to hum your favourite tunes and

see who is best at guessing what they are!


House Treasure Hunt!

You set the rules!

Make a Map!

For example: How many red

things can you find?

How many shapes can you

make with your body?

Create an imaginary world in an

old box.

What does it look like?

Who lives there?

Go on a sensory walk around your

house or garden.

What can you see?

What can you smell?

What can you feel?

Plan, design and build your own

house.

You could build a junk model, build it

out of lego or draw it

How many rooms does it have? What

are the house rules? What does it

look like?

Make a junk model of your super

hero!

Or draw your super hero!

What super powers do they have?

Pick your favourite

songs and have a

dance competition.

Play musical statues!

Dance away to music and when the

music stops freeze!

Anyone who moves is out! The Winner

is the last one dancing!

1. 3


Do 5 kind things for

other people today

Make a junk model or

collage. What can you find in

the house or garden to make

it?

Play the who am I game!

Stick the names of who each

other are on your heads and take

it in turns to ask questions and

guess who you are!

Make a den in your

house or garden

Organise a teddy

bears picnic. It can

be outside or inside!

Write a story together,

take it in turns to

write a line each.

Pick your favourite

songs and have a

dance competition.

Plan a treasure hunt game, draw a map

to find a clues or objects. For example,

‘Try looking behind the sofa’. Help each

other look for objects and count them

together – such as 3 cups, 2 pink socks,

4 pens.


Write down some of your own ideas!


Write down some of your own ideas!

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