Activities to do at Home During Covid-19 Pandemic

Our Lighthouse team understands the challenges that parents and children face when their daily routines are disrupted. During this time of adjustment, we want to help our kiddos by providing some fun and educational activities.

Please see below for a list of resources you may utilize during the coming weeks. We have included fun virtual tours of museums and zoos, educational websites and games, easy and creative at-home activities, and some ways to get up and move! There is also a social story that can help explain COVID-19 to children.

 Social Stories

CoronaVirus Social Story

Libraries/Digital Collections:

St. Joseph County

Elkhart

Plymouth

Warsaw

Portage, MI 

Zoos/Animals/Nature:

Meijer Gardens – 10:00 am daily story time and live view of butterfly exhibit.

Sandiego Zoo – Games and activities to learn about animals.

Cincinnati Zoo – 3:00 pm Daily Home Safaris

Switch Zoo – Watch, listen, and play fun animal games!

National Geographic – videos, games and brain boosters!

National Geographic Kids Magazine

Virtual Tours:

Canadian Farm and Food Tours

Louvre Museum – Take a virtual tour!

Monterey Bay Aquarium – View animals on a live cam.

Reid Park Zoo – Live cam of animals at the zoo

Tour your favorite city, or, somewhere you’ve never been! 360 views of cities around the world.

Looking for more live web cam options, view another list of live web cam options offered by various organizations around the world, here!

Games/Education:

Camp Discovery for Autism- a learning app made for those with autism.

PBS Kids – Educational games based on PBS Kids shows

Fun Brain – Pre-K to 8 years old – math, games and books.

Star Fall – Reading and Phonics Skill Activities

Dr. Seuss Books and Activities for all ages

Stories read by celebrities.

ABC – educational games from pre-k to grade 6.

Highlights Kids – activities, games and jokes!

NASA – Join NASA Kids Club

Movement/Music:

OT Development Activities

Strength, Agility and Movement Exercises

Music and Movement

Music Lab – Explore and Create Music

STEM Activities

A special shout out to Hannah and her Girl Scout Troop who assisted in contributing the resources below!

STEM Activities

Junior Handyman’s Toolkit: Classroom Projects, Essentials and Checklists 

Other Activities:

Free Science Activities

Indoor Activities for your toddler!

Children with autism experience social delays, trouble communicating and various other developmental delays that can cause a family to experience extra stress and hardship. This can be particularly hard for siblings who may not understand that their brother and sister has autism and that may cause them to act, communicate or express themselves differently.

Below is a list of items a child who has a sibling with autism may experience. While some of them may be unavoidable, it is important parents are aware of these challenges and work to make sure extra care is not only taken for a child with autism but their siblings as well.

Effects of Autism on Siblings

Sibling Rivalry

It is natural to see rivalry’s develop between children in one household. Siblings may fight over toys, attention, or anything to feel like they are “first” or have “won.” This experience can particularly be heightened for a sibling for a child with autism who may be competing for their parents attention.

Feeling Left Out

Children with autism require extra care, time and attention from parents. This can leave other siblings feeling left out or not important. Parents should take extra care to make sure other siblings feel loved and cared for. This could take the form of picking an activity to do together each week or going on a special outing with each sibling every month.

Extra Responsibility

Siblings may feel like they have to pick up extra work around the house that their parents do not have time for due to the extra work of caring for a child with autism. While there is nothing wrong with siblings pitching in to help the entire family unit, be sure children aren’t taking on too much extra responsibility (or responsibilities that are inappropriate for their age).

Feeling of Rejection

Children may want to have a close relationship with their brother or sister with autism that may not be possible. Children with autism often struggle with touch (like hugging) or with social skills (like being able to express joy, sadness, etc…) which can make it challenging to develop a sibling bond or relationship. Be sure to educate fellow siblings that children with autism do not express needs, wants or emotions in the same way as them and that these things may take different forms depending on the child.

Verbal Skills and Your Child with Autism

Children with autism often struggle with verbal communication skills. A child may be unable to speak in full sentences, only say a few words, or simply unable to carry on a conversation or be unwilling to. Children with autism also may struggle in social environments where verbal communication with others is expected. They may not like being around other people, be unable to look at someone in the eye when they say something, or simply prefer to be alone.

Nonverbal Skills and Your Child with Autism

Many children with autism may be non-verbal, meaning they cannot communicate vocally. For children who are non-verbal, they often cannot communicate their wants and needs and that may leave them feeling frustrated. This can ultimately lead to other behaviors. For children who are non-verbal, it is important that a doctor, therapist, or trained professional work with that child to develop an effective way of communication, whether it is using a picture exchange system, a language software on an eye pad, or something else. It is crucial our children with autism have a way to communicate their wants and needs for their well being and for their quality of life.

Social Signs That May Indicate Your Child has Autism

1.) Non-verbal

2.) No eye-contact

3.) Will not respond to name

4.) Cannot use full sentences

5.) Only talks about one item or topic

6.) Cannot carry an appropriate conversation.

If you suspect your child may have autism, please contact Lighthouse Autism Center for more information on diagnosing your child and ABA therapy.

ABA Therapy for Autism is a Full Time Therapy, Here’s Why.

Prospective parents visiting our center often ask the question, “how much is too much therapy?” At Lighthouse Autism Center, we specialize in full-time, center-based Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy. This is an intensive type of therapy that is the only therapy for children with autism endorsed by the U.S. Surgeon General. Our therapy is play-based and child-led, because we know that children learn best while having fun! We meet our learners where they are most motivated and use strategically selected items in our play spaces to conduct therapy. We also create realistic environments in our therapy centers so that our learners and learn and be more comfortable in these environments when they are in the community in the real situations, such as at the salon or at the grocery store.

Children with autism need consistent, targeted, therapy to minimize skill gaps. Intensive therapy, such as ABA, has been shown to be incredibly effective in helping children and adults with autism live more fulfilled and independent lives. Furthermore, the earlier children with autism begin this therapy, the more effective the therapy will be.

If we think of ABA therapy in the same way we think about school for our children, we will see that the time spent is equal. The average child is in a classroom for 6 to 8 hours a day, five days a week. They are being taught and instructed in the classroom and those lessons are carried over at home. ABA therapy is the same. Most of our children spend eight hours each day at our centers where they are being taught life skills, school skills, and working on decreasing inappropriate or problem behaviors. These same skills are also put into practice in a home setting.

While your child may be missing out on a formal academic or school setting to attend full-time ABA therapy, typically children with autism that are recommended for full-time ABA therapy are not quiet ready for a full-time school setting. At Lighthouse Autism Center, it is our goal to get our learners ready to transition into a academic school setting by working with them on the necessary skills and independence to do so. This is why early intervention is also crucial. If we can get the learner in full-time before academic ages, they likely do not need to miss out on a typical school routine and we can prevent inappropriate or problem behaviors before they develop. Additionally, if the learner is already at an academic age, full-time therapy allows them to make greater progress faster, and transition into a school setting even quicker.

When a child is diagnosed with autism, it affects the entire family. While we often think of the parents or caregivers as those primarily affected, siblings are deeply affected as well. So, as parents, we must ask ourselves, what can we do to help both our child with autism as well as their brothers and sisters?

Educate and Set Expectations

It is important to make sure siblings understand the diagnosis of their brother and sister and what that means. Sit down and have a conversation with your child about autism and what that may mean for their relationship with their sibling (ie: Sam can’t express his wants or needs verbally so he may scream or Sam hears things differently than other people and that’s why we need to turn the music down, etc…). Be sure to have open communication with your child and be sure to let them know it’s ok to ask questions. Furthermore, having a sibling with autism can often mean having unexpected and upsetting reactions with others who may not understand their diagnosis. Prepare your child for different scenarios they may find themselves in with friends, schoolmates, or even strangers, and how to properly and respectfully react to things they may hear or experience.

Quality Time

Often times, so much time is dedicated to the child with autism and their needs, that the siblings can begin to feel neglected, or “left out.” Make sure you’re spending time with all of your children. Consider setting up a special one-on-one activity once a month with each child, or plan activities the entire family can do together. This will ultimately create a stronger family that is prepared to deal with the challenges faced by raising a child with autism.

Finding a Community Network for Families with Autistic Children

When facing the challenges of parenting a child with autism, it’s important for caregivers to understand they are not alone. With 1 in 61 children diagnosed with autism, there are many parents and caregivers going through the same struggles. At Lighthouse, we understand the importance of these caregivers finding a supportive community with others who are experiencing the same daily tasks, challenges and joys that they are.

LAC encourages families to get to know each other, as no one better understands what you are going through than other families going through the same thing. Parents dropping off and picking up their children often get to know each other, and can get together for play dates, coffee, or even just for a quick conversation before picking their kids up from the center. We pride ourselves on creating an atmosphere where families can support each other and their children.

Studies have long suggested that early intervention leads to the best outcomes for children with autism. If your child is not reaching developmental milestones, or is exhibiting possible signs of autism, a parent should immediately have their child tested. For your convenience, Lighthouse Autism Center has a list of these signs on their website.

A child’s brain develops rapidly between birth and three years of age. As a result, the earlier the intervention for your child with autism, the more effective ABA therapy can be. If your suspect your child may have autism, schedule an appointment with your provider to have your child tested. If your child does have autism, you can contact Lighthouse Autism Center and enroll your child at one of our centers. The earlier your child develops a treatment plan with one of our Board Certified Behavior Analysts, the better we can help your child reach his or her fullest potential.