Sure, you may not be able to go out to a play or musical or live performance of any kind right now. But, you can star in one — even if it’s just in your living room.
If you’re looking for ways to entertain young ones, or just the young at heart, while stuck at home amid coronavirus, you can always put on a play. And if you need some help, a website with free materials will get you started.
Stage Partners, which was founded by a pair of playwrights in 2015, features a variety of free monologues, scripts, acting exercises and more available to download for free.
There are full scripts available online, story starters to write your own play and more.
With schools across the country closed, Stage Players also put together resources for learning at home.
“Since our ability to congregate has taken a pause while we overcome the current health crisis, many educators across the globe must devise tactics for teaching via the internet,” a post on Stage Partners’ site reads. “Here are some quick ideas from Stage Partners as we try to figure out Distance Learning together.”
With kids home all day because of the virus, a lot of parents are thinking about how to manage screen time.
Nicole Beurkens, a clinical psychologist who often advises families on how to have healthy relationships with technology, shared some tips here.
Beurkens notes that while it’s important to keep some structure to kids’ days when they are home for an extended period, parents can also think of this time as an extended spring break of sorts or a holiday break. Meaning, kids may end up having some more screen time than they would on a typical weekday.
However, the goal is for it to not become the only option, Beurkens said.
To prevent that, she recommends having some benchmarks for kids to reach before they are able to engage with leisure screen time. Perhaps there are some chores to do first or a set amount of reading time.
Experts also say it can be important for kids’ anxiety to have adults talk to them about what’s going on.
Jamie Howard, the Child Mind Institute's director of trauma and resilience service, said in an informational video that parents shouldn't be afraid of discussing the virus outbreak with their kids.
Howard says it’s an opportunity to communicate with kids about the facts. The institute recommends that parents are the ones who consume the news, then relay to kids.
Additional ways to stay occupied when you’re at home:
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