My Little Lockdown Life created by Kate Read & Rebecca Atkinson

All photo credits Beth Moseley Photography 

Writer, Rebecca Atkinson and Illustrator, Kate Read have created the ‘My Little Lockdown Life in a Box Project’ to keep children and families colouring, cutting and snipping during lockdown to build a tiny version of their lockdown homes, complete with PE with Joe Wicks on the titchy telly, (huff, puff) tiny home-school work (yawn, yawn) and teeny weeny messages of thanks to NHS workers (our true heroes). 

 
​Right now, we are living through history in the making! Children today will look back on this period and tell their grandchildren about the strange time when the schools shut and we all had to stay inside for weeks and weeks and not see our friends. This project will enable them to make a playful heirloom record.
​Co-creator Rebecca Atkinson

 
The ‘My Little Lockdown Life in a Box’ is a family project which Atkinson and Read hope families will get together around the table and use to talk about what has happened and how it’s affected them, as they build a tiny lockdown world just like their own.  
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​The project has been specially designed to enable families to play and create stories around life in lockdown to help children process and understand why life has gone a bit… topsy turvy!
​Author and illustrator of One Fox picture book Kate Read​

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Kate Read, author and illustrator said, "The project has been specially designed to enable families to play and create stories around life in lockdown to help children process and understand why life has gone a bit… topsy turvy!" The duo will be sending 100 shoebox kits to families affected by disability in their home town of Norwich, thanks to a donation of empty boxes from local children’s shoe brand Start-Rite and funding from The Fore. 

​Play is the way that children make sense of the world around them. It’s a natural way to explore a situation, feelings and relationships. But what do you do when there are no toys or play resources which represent our current situation?
Rebecca Atkinson

 "We are filling these boxes with felt tips, scissors, glue and a printed copy of the project so children can start building and playing right away with a kit that is relevant to their lives right now,” explains Atkinson. “When the crisis has come to pass we hope to bring these boxes together to build a tower block of shoebox homes for a public exhibition at The Forum in Norwich. For those who are not local to us, we have made the project available to download for a small fee to support our organisation. We hope the project will provide hours of fun for many families."

To find out more and to purchase your very own 'My Little Lockdown Life in a box project' click on the website button below. 

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About ToyLikeMe ​​
 ToyLikeMe is an arts and play based not-for-profit organisation based in Norwich and York. Who start playful conversations with children about disability and health to boost self-esteem and grow open minds.