12 super fun activities to do with your kids at home!
- neyhakhurana
- May 3, 2020
- 4 min read
The COVID19 Pandemic has caused a lot of stress and anxiety. While on one hand families are worried about the health and safety of their loved ones, on the other they are concerned about how to balance work and family time effectively.
The UN estimates that 1.25 billion children are currently at home as a result of the coronavirus lockdown. With majority of countries opting for closure of schools across the globe, parents are juggling like never before to manage online learning for their children and meeting professional commitments.
With a lot of free time at home, its best to engage with children in these fun activities to keep them occupied during the day.
Here are 12 unique and fun activities that you can make your child do or do together as a family.
Scavenger hunt: Make a list of all the things that a child is likely to find in a garden/nature walk. For younger kids, making a picture of each of the things is a good idea. Ask them to tick as many as they can find and collect them in a bag. Once they are done collecting, they can make a display or put them in a scrap book.
Playdough: is a hit with kids of all age. They can make any shape and mould them according to their imagination. Using some moulds, plastic forks and small rolling pins will be exciting for them. Play doughs are easily available online, just make sure they are made out of edible ingredients so it’s safe with the younger kids.
Playdough can be made at home using some ingredients that are readily available in the kitchen. Here is a simple recipe for making playdough at home:
Mix together ½ cup of warm water with a few drops of food colouring. Slowly pour the water into the flour mixture, stirring as you pour. Stir until combined, then knead with your hands until the flour is completely absorbed. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour until it doesn’t stick at all.
Camping at home: Sleeping in the fresh air under the stars, listening to bedtime stories sounds alien in today’s time and age. Lockdown is the perfect opportunity to recreate these simple childhood pleasures. Create an outdoor camp in your balcony, patio, or in a garden. Put up tents, chairs and tables. Set up fairy lights. Ask your kids to help you while you do this.
Photo by Josh Hild on Pexels.com
Paper cups: Use the disposable paper cups to create many fun games for kids. They can create a tower or a battleship by balancing the cups. Painting the cups themselves and then using it later is even more fun.
Jenga: Jenga blocks is a fantastic way to play with your kids. Children can make many fun things with Jenga. Toddlers and Pre-schoolers can make simple designs while older kids can stack the blocks to create complex designs. Or play original Jenga where a stack of blocks is put together to create a tall formation and then each player tries to remove one block on each turn and try not to let the tower fall down.
Monopoly: Monopoly is a board game which was created in 1903 by Lizzy Magic in the United States. It was created to demonstrate that a wealth creating economy is better than the one where monopolists work under constraints. There have been several versions of it since the original one. There is a simpler version for younger kids and is also created according to the country you are living in.
Tea party with toys: With countries practicing social distancing, children are missing meeting their friends and going out for playdates and birthday parties. Create a pretend tea party and invite your child’s soft toys. You can make it more fun for kids, by creating invites, setting up a high tea table and enjoying cookies and tea at it.
Shadow drawing: Put a plastic figurine on a sheet of paper and let the light create a shadow on the paper. Ask your child to trace it and create as many pieces of art as they desire.
Hopscotch with electrical tapes: Another unfavourable effect of lockdown is that children are not able to get enough physical exercise. It’s a well-researched fact that exercise is critical to child’s development and growth. Use electrical tapes and create a hopscotch for kids to play indoors. Try a game yourself too and as they say one should never stop playing.
Make slime at home: Slime is a non-toxic squishy and oozy green or other colour material made primarily from guar gum. While the substances used in slime is harmless but the only drawback is that it gets stuck to carpets and requires a lot of effort to remove it. Slime can be created at home or can be made using a DIY kits that are easily available
Cars garage with tapes: This activity is especially suited for children who love playing with cars. All you need is black/green electrical tape and make tracks on the floor by sticking the tape. Create petrol pumps, traffic signals, schools and other stops while making the garage. Your child will love going vroom on the tracks.
Have a movie night: Watch a movie that is age appropriate for your kids and binge on popcorns, chips. Set up a lounge with lots of cushions and blankets. Ask your child to create paper movie tickets, menu for the movie night to make it more fun.
Playing is fun and releases endorphins which are body’s natural feel good chemicals. What better way to play than with your children? It is a challenging time and hope doing some of these fun activities with your children could reduce stress.
Images taken from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/robinraven/2020/03/15/social-distancing-with-kids-consider-these-ways-to-make-staying-home-feel-like-a-staycation/#1583b8d6567c
How to Make Playdough at home
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