Family-friendly activities and resources for staying home

If you're at home with your little (or big) ones, and you're looking for activities to keep the kids busy, the CBC Toronto Community team has you covered. Coming up with new activities every day isn't always easy, so we've compiled a list of activities and suggestions to help.

We're also inviting the community to send us photos of how you've been adjusting to staying home as part of our 'Show Us Your GTA' series. So if you'd like to share a photo of your child's colouring book, or maybe a new activity that you're trying out together, tag us on social with the hashtag #CBCyourGTA for the chance to be featured. You can find more information here.

Add some colour to you day

No matter your age, there's something soothing about sitting down to work on a colouring sheet. With so much changing, having calming activities to focus on is important. If you want to help your kids discover their artistic talents, CBC Toronto hosts Dwight Drummond and Gill Deacon (in colouring sheet form!) are available, alongside a kid-friendly Toronto skyline sheet created by illustrator Holly Truax. The CBC Arts team has also compiled a list of free colouring pages from Canadian artists across the country, which you can find here.

Download the colouring sheets below:

Explaining COVID-19 to kids

How do you explain concepts like pandemic and isolation to kids? This comic, created by Winnipeg-based illustrator Kailey Sheppard, provides a helpful starting point for these conversations, complete with easy to understand language and images.

CBC Kids has also created fun downloadable sheets that showcase proper handwashing for kids, which you can find here.

Justin Trudeau answered kids' question about COVID-19 on CBC/Radio-Canada 

Questions about COVID-19 aren't only for adults. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Dr. Theresa Tam, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, responded to questions from kids across Canada about the nationwide effort against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Watch the conversation here:

News for kids, by kids

Children, like many adults, have a lot of questions about what's happening in the world right now. CBC Kids News breaks down the things that kids and teens need to know in an accessible, factual and kid-friendly way.

Suggested articles:

• What is flattening the curve?
• Can I go outside during the coronavirus outbreak?
• How to have fun while social distancing?

Want to make sure your children are still learning while out of school? CBC's educational platform for teachers from primary through high school levels, Curio, is now free for families to use.

During these times, it's important that both parents and children have resources to rely on. If you're looking for perspectives from a parents' point of view, CBC Parents is the place to look.

Suggested articles:

• A Daily Schedule for Parents During These Strange Days
• 20 easy-to-prepare snacks when you haven't had a free moment in weeks
• Printable Spring Scavenger Hunt

Social studies with CBC Docs

CBC Docs has compiled a collection of documentaries that families can stream for free. As many parents are now teaching their children from home, this series of social studies-themed films touches on topics ranging from sports to climate change. You can find them here.

Story time in podcast form

CBC Kids podcast The Story Store: Shorties has released brand new episodes perfect for story time. The best part? They're only four minutes long, perfect for a pre-bedtime ritual. Find new episodes here.