Here is a list of the most common proactive strategies I give to families to avoid power struggles, boredom, and attention seeking behavior.

Visual information: schedules, timers, social stories, photos, videos

Kids who like the structure and predictability of school benefit from visual information. Timers and schedules in addition to routine interactions are helpful during this stretch of home time. Social stories, photos, and videos are helpful to support kids with new expectations such as why they have to stay at home.

Specific Positive Praise

Whenever you notice your child doing something that you have asked them to do or that they have been taught previously, encourage them with specific praise that labels the action that you want to see more of. For example, instead of “Good job” which is general, saying, “It makes me so happy when you turn off the tv when I ask you to.”

Gross motor or fresh air time

During this time of sheltering at home, it will be important to have some time to rev up their battery through exercise and fresh air. This also helps him to sleep better at night and have more consistent bowel movements.

Choices within no choice

The point is to give them two options when you need him to do something but the options are both your ideas. This will help you have some influence over the time at home while not pushing your child to a place of arguing or ignoring you.

Give them a role

When asking your child to engage in a task that is multistep, it can be helpful to define a specific role for them to take. In particular, this is important to help them transition and get started on the new activity. Pairing this with the choice strategy can be effective as well. For example, “Do you want to be the bag holder or the picker upper?”

“I” statements

Using I statements in place of questions can often alleviate the perception that there is one right answer. Children sometimes say nothing in response to a question because they don't want to be wrong. When you use an I statement to point out what you observe or what your idea is, this can take away that right/wrong element. It can also provide a model of how he could approach the current situation. Some examples include:

I see you are feeling frustrated.
It looks like you are trying to find something.
I wonder what I could help with.
I see your sister looks really sad right now.

Focus on the problem rather than the solution

In small ways, all day, provide opportunities for your child to "read" the situation and solve the problem themselves in their own way. Rather than coaching or prompting them to your solution, taking some time to focus on the problem can reinforce that they don't have to stay flummoxed and frustrated. They can be a problem solver. This can happen in very small ways and the key is frequency of opportunity more than anything. It can also be primarily non-verbal because it reinforces children looking out at the greater environment and people in the vicinity rather than looking down and waiting for someone to tell them exactly what to do.

References:

Siegel, Daniel J., M.D. and Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D. (2018). The Yes Brain: How to Cultivate Courage, Curiosity, and Resilience in Your Child. New York, NY : Bantom Books.
Shanker, Stuart. Self-Reg: How to Help Your Child (and You) Break the Stress Cycle and Successfully Engage with Life. New York: Penguin, 2016. Print.
Menillo, Michelle, (date unknown). “What is co-regulation?” https://occupationaltherapychildren.com.au/what-is-co-regulation/
Maitland, Di (2017). “Co-Regulation: An Example.” https://www.rdiconnect.com/co-regulation-an-example/
Rosanbalm, K.D., & Murray, D.W. (2017). Caregiver Co-regulation Across Development: A Practice Brief. OPRE Brief #2017-80. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, US. Department of Health and Human Services.