Winter months can put a damper on your family activities and be a difficult time for parents with children who have disabilities. Being stuck inside all day during the winter months can be challenging and finding a way to keep your child entertained, happy, and safe is no easy task.

Since your child may have missed out on their outdoor summer and fall activities because of COVID-19 and safer-at-home orders, they may be antsy for something fun to do. Here are four ideas that you may be able to implement in your house for your children this winter and throughout quarantine.

Make Cards

Children love sending and receiving cards in the mail. You can have them put together colorful and creative cards that they can send to their friends and family so that they can stay connected with loved ones. You can ask the people whom the cards are sent to to send one back to your child so they know it was received and can feel the excitement of getting something special.

Storybuilding

A lot is going on outside your window besides snowfall. There’s a whole world out there that your child may be eager to learn more about. Ask your child to describe out loud or write down what they see and notice outside and what they are most excited about to do when they are finally able to explore more. This can help build their creativity, self-esteem, and confidence.

Family Reading Club

Designated reading time is an easy way to get everyone in the house together for quiet time. Because children with cerebral palsy can have a wide range of reading levels, the goal of this activity is to help build reading skills during winter months. You can also have one person read out loud to the family so everyone can join in on the same story.

Donate

The winter season is a great time to give back and get your child excited about charity. Go through all your child’s toys and pick out the ones that they don’t play with anymore or don’t want. Explain to your child the purpose of donating toys and how it will benefit other kids. You can have them set up a pile and help pack up the toys so they can be hands-on with the process.

Please note that, depending on the unique circumstances of the condition, not all children with cerebral palsy may be able to manage each one of these activities on their own. A parent or caregiver may have to help the client or find an alternative way to complete the activity, but we hope that these ideas are helpful for your family during your time at home.

If you would like to learn more about the services we offer at Angel Law, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Portland birth injury attorneys at (503) 862-8666 at your earliest convenience.