25th March, 2020
With the scare of this coronavirus (COVID-19), schools have been cancelled, big gatherings are not recommended and for the most part, we are all just staying at home to stay safe.
Probably in the beginning you thought this is great, more time at home, more time with the kids, more rest…but now you’re starting to run out of ideas to keep the little ones entertained.
Well, we’ve come up with more than 10 at-home activities you can do while self-quarantining with your little ones to pass the time.
1. Make Pen Pals
Kids are surely missing their friends at school and the play dates they used to have. Why not write them a letter? Or make them a card. Not only will this help them to be more positive thinking about others, they’ll also be so excited when they hear back from their friends!
Make into more of an art project by designing your own cards, use stickers, cut out shapes and stick them on, draw personalised pictures on the front!
This is a guaranteed mood booster!
2. Cook together
Yes, sure you’ve heard 'bake cookies together', 'decorate cupcakes together'. But with the possibility of this continuing for at least a few more months and less chance to move about as much as we all used to, why not make something healthy together? Cook dinner together! Make a veggie stir-fry or a lovely soup!
Benefits:
1) Watching the kids and cooking dinner is now one task!
2) Kids learn more about healthy options.
3) They’ll actually eat their vegetables!
3. Plan a Schedule Together
With all these sudden changes, it feels like the world has turned upside-down and a waking up time and bedtime may have gone out the window. You may have already thought of making a better schedule to have a good routine so as not to go insane. But how about planning it together with your children?
A benefit to this is that kids have the best imagination. They could come up with tons of wacky or interesting activities to do throughout the week and you don’t have to sit for hours trying to come up with ideas.
This is also a great way to bond as you learn more about your child’s interests and both be more positive about the situation.
To make this a bigger project, why not write out your schedule on a board or big piece of paper and decorate it?
4. Garden Activities
If you are blessed with a garden, balcony or rooftop – take advantage of it! Sunshine and fresh air feels so good when you’re stuck at home. You even miss the rain!
So if you can, why not have an outdoor picnic in the garden? Make and pack it together and set up a blanket and sit on the grass together. While you’re there, you could do some bird watching too! If the kids are old enough, why not learn about some of the birds and do a mini project on one or two?
Of course the garden is great for sports too! Try playing some football/soccer or catch. If you’re feeling adventurous, try making a flower bed (this is a great long-term project as you need to keep watering it and looking after the flowers!) or making an obstacle course!
5. Have Some School Activities
This is a great opportunity to get ahead with school or even just keep your child’s brain working with activities and problem solving. There are plenty of free mini courses for kids and printable activities and worksheets online! Read books, review school books, watch documentaries or even learn a language!
Leave your email below and we’ll send you the link to our free printable worksheets! (Great for 6years and under)
6. Take a virtual museum tour!
Some museums offer virtual tours on their website. It’s a great interactive activity that educates at the same time! Here you can visit the British Museum and the Great Wall of China! If a museums website doesn’t have a virtual tour, why not visit famous places around the world on Google Earth? You can even visit Mars!
While you’re on Mars, why not listen to a story READ BY AN ASTRONAUT! (I mean...how cool is that?)
7. Treasure Hunt
This is pretty much self-explanatory. Kids love it and will love to play this for hours. The more clues you have, the longer they’ll take to find the treasure. It may take a bit of hard work and imagination to set up, but once they’re playing, you can catch up with your favourite book as they’ll be entertained for ages!
8. Dance Party
Many may not want to invite others over to their house at this time, although medical professionals do say that small groups are ok. If you are still not comfortable with that, have your own family dance party! If possible, get some funky coloured lights, turn up the music, dress-up in funny clothes and dance like no one’s watching!
9. Sensory Bins
For younger kids, why not try making a sensory bin! Fill it will all kinds of things, from dry pasta, rice, feathers, squishy balls to play dough and rocks! There are tons of sensory bin ideas online. This is great as you can just pick up things from around the house and little ones love digging and exploring all new shapes and textures! (Tip: Give them a spade to dig to the bottom!)
10. Make a collage
Great for all ages! Fill it with picture cut outs, drawings or some of your favourite things. You could have themes like their favourite animals or things you want to do in summer (hopefully the virus will be over by then!) or places you want to visit!
Staying at home more than usual can be tough, but hopefully with these ideas you’ll be able to make some unforgettable memories and just have fun!
Have any more ideas? Comment below! Which was your favourite?
Check out our latest book:
Learn more about our author here.
Comments