Day 21 of a self-quarantine. All travel plans have been put on hold and I am on forlough from work. The first two weeks my little one and I were very sick, but now all is better. In fact, my little guy is enjoying having me home and to tell the truth, I am enjoying being here with him.

Sometimes we can forget how much our little ones need us and miss us when we are gone. Since going back to work I have had a crazy schedule and often I am not home until after 11pm. I could see the toll this was taking on my son, but I felt powerless to change things. Well now, a coronavirus has altered the course of our days and I have chosen to embrace the positives that come with that change.

One activity that I have always enjoyed with my little angel, was our evening walks. With my previous schedule, it was nearly impossible to partake of that little ritual, but I have now resurrected that pastime. Not only are these walks great opportunities to spend quality time together, they can also be turned into fun learning sessions.

An Evening Stroll

We never take the same walk twice. I like to mix it up so that my son can create a solid mental map of his neighborhood. This is also a good time to review your address, try reading street signs or practice counting. We also like to identify the types of cars we see. At first we just categorized by car, truck, motorcycle and SUV. Now we have stepped up our game and look for the different symbols and try to I.D. the make of the vehicles we see.

Another easy learning activity that we do involves directions. When he was little, I always told him of upcoming changes in direction. For instance, at the stop sign we are going to turn left or we will go straight at the next intersection. Now that he is older, I just call out the directions and watch as he confidently goes in the correct direction. If you walk during the day, you can always add the cardinal directions to your repertoire as well.

Lastly, every evening as we head out, usually around sunset, I point out to my son where the moon is and any interesting astronomical phenomenon. Right now Venus is very bright in the western sky. We have been following the planet’s progression for about a week now.

None of these activities are very rigorous nor do they take any preparation, but they all pay big dividends when done every night during a relaxing stroll. I know that the memories and connections we create during those moments are ones that will last. I am thankful that I was given the chance to once again spend this time with my son.