My sister-in-law is among the many, many, many parents who is now trying to navigate her way through working from home with her three young children. She suggested I write a post about Attachment Breaks for parents to take with their children during the day.

Brilliant!

You see, I believe in this idea whole heartedly, whether you are working from home or not in fact. You see, in order for little one’s to feel safe and secure throughout their day they first need to feel attached to their caregiver.

Since quiet time is such an important piece in my house, I ensure we have connecting time (or attachment breaks) each and every morning. I have found if we do not do this, my little ones are not able to have a successful INDEPENDENT quiet time!

I believe in this idea so much that I wrote an entire eBook about it and filled it to the brim with simple, easy, no-prep connecting activities or attachment break ideas.

Today I wanted to share with you a few ideas from that book.

It is my hope that these attachment break ideas are helpful to you and your children during this challenging time. I hope you find them nice and easy and loads of fun – and hope your little ones do as well!

Five Attachment Break Ideas for Parents Working from Home

1. Collaborative Drawing : Grab a piece of paper, a whiteboard, a chalkboard, whatever you have on hand and draw a picture with your little one. Start by drawing one simple thing, perhaps a tree, and then let your child add an item. If you are doing this with multiple children, add one item each around in a circle and then continue on. You can add all sorts of details to your little ones pictures to make it very silly (kids love silly). Perhaps your son’s bird will be wearing a hat, or sporting some cool shades.
2. Puzzle Hunt: Grab a nice and easy puzzle and count the pieces (This step is very important!) Take those puzzle pieces and hide them in a room. Have your little ones hunt for those puzzle pieces, find them all (hence the counting) and assemble the puzzle! My little ones love doing this as a race. They go first and then they hide the puzzle pieces for me and I have to find them and assemble the puzzle.
3. Blindfolded Obstacle Course: This attachment break is not only a great connecting activity, it is also a great way to get moving with your little ones! Set up a very simple obstacle course in a room. Perhaps a few cushions on the ground around in a circle around the couch. Next, blindfold your child (or tell them to close their eyes, but I warn you, little kids are often big cheaters!) and lead them through the obstacle course by calling out instructions. “Take 3 steps forward slowly, now step to the side – nope the other side!” See if they can make it the whole way through without bumping in to any of the obstacles. Next, it is your turn!
4. Go on an Adventure Walk: Take a break and get a breath of fresh air as you and your little ones go on an adventure walk! Find objects along your neighbourhood walk that could be a challenge for your child – this could be as simple as jumping over a bush or balancing on the curb for little kids, or as tricky as climbing a tree for big kids.
5. Classic Card Games: Card games are always a great way to connect with our little ones. Think of a card game that you loved playing as a child and enjoy it with your own kids!

There you have them my friends. Five simple and easy attachment breaks to enjoy with your little ones while you are working from home – or for any time really.

I know this is a very difficult time for so many families and I would love to support you with more resources. Please feel free to leave a comment below this post to let me know which other resources I could share or topics I could write about to help you.

Hang in there!
xo

Sarah

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