Guilt-free and flexible child care

Mums Tips

Childcare

Published on Wednesday, 17 February 2021 16:22

Last Updated on 17 February 2021

Monica Costa

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When parents are expected to homeschool, work and carry their families through a pandemic, undoubtedly, emotions run high. Corinna Bordoli and I (Léa Henry) are on a mission to reduce that burden through guilt-free and flexible child care arrangements while supporting the creative sector which is among the most affected in the current crisis.

As many artistic projects have been halted during this time, CocoRio are doing their part to provide job opportunities in the sector. They vet, train and match amazing creatives with families to provide a smarter child care solution. “Creative sitters” as they call them, perform child care duties and share their craft with the children they care for. Think your favourite creative class, tailored to your child and in your living room (or online), your choice.

  

Creativity is an incredible tool to take care of the mental and physical health of children (and adults’ too), and in a challenging time like this, when more time is spent indoors and less socialising with peers, it can be life changing.

CocoRio cater for toddlers to teens (and babies too!) and our sitters and creative facilitators have experience with different age groups, many also speak foreign languages and have all sorts of expertise’s: from acting, dance, music, to pottery, embroidery, puppetry… and more! Many of our sitters can also offer tutoring and homework support.

Although child care is exempt from all tiers and lockdown rules, we observe strict COVID-19 health and safety procedures to ensure both sitters and families are safe, while doing our part to limit the spread of the virus. We’ve even gone a step further by matching families with sitters local to them wherever possible to limit travel time on public transport and encourage traveling by foot, bike or car.

 

Here are 5 wonders of creativity and how they could aid in your child’s development.

1. Cultivating an imaginative mindset

“Imagination is more important than knowledge,” said Albert Einstein. What better advocate for creativity than one of the most influential scientists of all time? Intellectual and cognitive development have been shown to accelerate when children are encouraged to think outside the box, so why not try coming up with a new character for your next bedtime story and describing them in detail to build your little one’s vocabulary? Drawing that same character is another favourite!

2. Developing key motor skills

Even the simple act of holding a pencil or crayon to make marks can significantly improve your child’s hand-eye coordination and help them get writing-ready by the time they hit school age. Arts and crafts and cookery creative sessions are particularly effective for their ability to distinguish between colours, materials and smells, further enhancing their understanding of the world through exposure to different textures and sensory stimuli.

3. Taller, Faster, Stronger!

Building models with materials like clay is perfect for strengthening your child’s hands and fingers, as well as helping them become more dexterous and lengthening their concentration and attention spans as they focus on completing one activity for a sustained period of time. More physical forms of creativity like dance, sport and drama can also boost their flexibility and bone strength, so make sure they drink their milk and stay active to grow to their fullest potential! ?

4. Social communicators

Sharing ideas visually, verbally and physically with parents and creative facilitators does wonders for a child’s communication skills and ability to interact meaningfully with others. Friendship-building and parental bonding are two areas undoubtedly ameliorated by activities like reading and performing as children learn how to listen and express themselves in their own unique way, leading to much more exciting and linguistically confident accounts of what they get up to every day.

5. Emotional wellbeing

Lastly, creativity aids immeasurably in a child’s ability to tell you how they are really feeling. In the hectic age of modern parenting, sometimes it can be hard for you or your child to get a moment’s rest as you both rush from school to an extracurricular club or family gathering, perhaps feeling the effects of the increasingly competitive nature of education. Particularly during this challenging lockdown, taking the time to sit down with your little one and work your way through a puzzle or create a piece of art together is the best possible way to bond, unwind, and have fun, allowing their imagination to take you places you never knew existed ?

CocoRio offers a smart solution for families and meaningful work for freelancers in the creative industries. If you’re interested, the fastest way to find out more is to register on their website at www.cocorio.co.uk/register and a member of their team will be in touch shortly after. Don’t forget to let them know that you heard about CocoRio in the London Mums magazine online when you register!