Did that title give anyone else the scaries?! Deployment is hard enough as is, doing it with kids in the picture is a whole different story. We had so many military spouses reach out and give us great tips for how they survived and thrived doing a deployment solo with kids. Take a deep breath, grab a glass of wine and read their insights, trust us…YOU GOT THIS!
Storytime
Before your spouse leaves, record them reading 10-12 books, then each night while they’re gone you can play them while your kiddo flips through the pages for their bedtime story! A great way for them to stay connected and have something to look forward to each day during the deployment.
Deployment Countdown
This was a popular recommendation and the cool thing is, you can do it in so many different ways! We had military spouses recommend doing a paper chain, using candy, marking off the day on a calendar, chalkboard countdown, using rocks, etc. Find what works best for your family and put it in a place the kids can see it daily (this is the key to keeping them engaged and excited).
One Picture / Day
Each day try to take a picture of your littles and upload the pictures to a site like Shutterfly. Toward the end of the deployment you can make a cool book you can either give to your spouse when they get home or mail to them.
Upcoming Events Calendar
Make a calendar just for the kids with things to look forward to. Grandma comes to visit, holidays, your spouse’s homecoming date, etc. You can even print out a little photo for those days to make it more visual! This is perfect for children who don’t have a great concept of time just yet, they will know what things they have to look forward to before your spouse comes home from their deployment.
Arts and Crafts
Have special time to sit down and do arts/crafts that you can mail to your spouse! This is great for all ages and gives your spouse something cool to decorate those drab deployment rooms with.
These are just some of the many incredible ways to keep your kids connected to your spouse while they’re deployed. If you have any ideas you’ve used or heard about, post them below so we can help our other military moms out!
And remember, don’t lose yourself in the chaos that will be doing a deployment solo with kids. Embrace it and roll with the punches. Make sure you’re prioritizing time for yourself! This too shall pass and you have a big ol’ community of WAFs ready to help you out in our Facebook group HERE until your hunny gets home!
Special thanks to Cassy, Katherine, Juli, Alyssa, Pam, Kate, and Brittany for contributing their incredible ideas!
Looking for deployment tips for yourself? No problem! Check out this post on how to survive deployment solo!
