How do you cope as a single parent during long periods of isolation? We asked the Frolo community for their tips for surviving isolation and loneliness as a single parent.
If you’re finding yourself home alone a lot with the kids since becoming a single parent and your pool of ideas is starting to run dry, fear not. We asked frolos to chip in their favourite ways to keep kids entertained at home and they really delivered. Read on for inspiration galore – and make sure you check out our Feeling A Bit Lonely group chat on the Frolo app if you're ever feeling alone and needing connection.
Also, remember that screen time is fine. And screen time when you’re struggling to cope is definitely fine.
Resources for kids
Ideas for entertaining young kids
- Read together – raid local charity shops for some reasonably-priced new reads (if they’re still open)
- Audiobooks – Audible have made 100s of children books available for free
- Mud kitchen
- Obstacle course around the garden
- Face painting
- Scavenger hunt around the house
- Hide and seek
- Hoard your recycling -cardboard boxes, toilet roll tubes etc – for crafts
- Wendy Macnaughton is doing a drawing class for kids of all ages every day at 5pm on Instagram Live
- The floor is lava (a classic)
- Exercise – Joe Wicks is running a Youtube PE lesson every weekday at 9am
- You can find more kid-friendly workouts here
- Create your own comic book together
- Disco bath! Turn the lights off and add music and glow sticks for bath time with a twist
- Have regular Facetime appointments with grandparents, family and friends you can’t see for a little while
- Calming breathing exercises
- This is a list of 40 indoor activities for toddlers
- If you have a printer you can print all sorts of colouring pictures, puzzles, and mazes here
- GoNoodle videos help kids decompress by combining mindfulness and movement
- Fischy Music use songs to nurture wellbeing in children
Ideas for entertaining older kids
- Board games – organise a swap with friends if you’ve played all of yours many times
- Jigsaw puzzles
- Library books – lots of libraries offer free ebooks that can be read on a tablet
- Audiobooks are great for otherwise reluctant readers and Audible have made 100s of children’ titles available for free
- Paint portraits of each other
- Write one line of a story each – keep passing it around until someone writes “the end”
- Teach them how to cook – you might even get nights off making dinner into the bargain
- Exercising together – keeping things moving will improve everybody’s mood
- Whiteboard games – hangman, noughts and crosses, and Pictionary
- Baking – you could branch out into vegan baking if there’s a shortage of eggs in the supermarket near you
- Spring cleaning (this one might take a bit of persuading!)
- A research project on a subject close to their heart
- Sudoku books
- Find a podcast to listen to together on a subject they’re interested in
- Organise loose photos into albums – Snapfish will send you 50 free prints per month if you pay postage
- Declutter and get a charity shop donation box prepped
Keep kids’ brains engaged with our list of educational resources for home learning
Resources for parents
- Joe Wicks posts regular HIIT sessions on his Body Coach Youtube channel and is even launching PE sessions you can do with your kids
- Downdog app – free access to yoga, HIIT, Barre, and seven-minute workouts until 1 April
- Yoga with Adriene – hundreds of free yoga classes on youtube
- Headspace app
- Calm app
- Mindful in Minutes podcast
- Exclusive Frolo Meditation on managing stress and anxiety in uncertain times with Alison Canavan – watch it here
- Matthew Hussey is running ‘focus sessions’ every day at 10am to get you in the zone to work from home
- Dr Nicola LePera and Anna Mathur are offering great psychological support on Instagram
- Check out virtual meet-ups on the Frolo App!
- @quickhealthyfamilymeals on Instagram has loads of recipes which take less than 15 minutes prep time
- @Todaywecooked is the queen of meal prep and has lots of veggie recipe inspiration
- Hungermama has you covered for easy family-friendly recipes
- If you’re on a budget, Jack Monroe’s website has hundred of recipes that cost pennies to make
- Glasgow Film Festival has gone virtual
- The Frolo Playlist has songs for every mood – all chosen by frolos!
We understand the unique challenges single parents face every day, and we're here to support you. That's why we're excited to be in partnership with BetterHelp, an online therapy service that provides accessible and discreet mental health support from licensed therapists, all at a time that suits you. As a member of Frolo, you can enjoy an exclusive discount – get 25%off your first month when you sign up via this link
As a BetterHelp affiliate, we receive compensation from BetterHelp if you purchase products or services through the links provided.
We’ll be adding to this list regularly. If you spot a great resource – tag us on the app
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