Quarantine, Lockdown, Social Distancing, Self Isolation, etc. These new words were introduced and our daily routine got disturbed.
Schools shutdown, Playgrounds shutdown, Entertainment Hubs closed, offices closed. Everyone is locked inside their home for their safety. Everyone is now working from home, Kids are playing outdoor games at home. We are living an abnormal life and proudly calling this a New Normal.
It’s becoming a challenge for parents to keep kids at home. So here I am with some tips and ideas to keep them busy and entertained at the same time:-
1. Gardening
Did you know how much positive impact gardening can put in your kids life? It increases patience in kids as well as adults. Ask kids to plant seeds and water that plant regularly, it will keep them busy for sometime. Gardening includes watering plants, spending sometime with plants, putting compost in pots, etc. You can also involve them in creating compost at home and tell them to put fruits and vegetable waste in the compost making bin. Gardening is best way to connect kids with nature.
2. Household Chores
There are a lot of things to do at home. So keeping kids also occupied in some of the tasks will also be helpful. It puts major impact on them too. They feel important part of the team. Few things you can ask them to do is Organize their toys, Tidy-up their room, set books on book stand, folding laundry, etc. Appreciate and reward them as they are doing the small work to keep them motivated.
3. Playtime with Toys
There should be a playtime in your kids daily schedule. Try playing some creative games or activities to improve their physical & mental health both.
There are in-numerous benefits of playing like:
- It improves creativity
- Makes them happy
- Improves physical health
- Boosts Brain
- Makes them self-confident and many more
So, let them play or sometimes you also play with them.
4. Screen Time
In this era of digital life its difficult to keep kids away from the screen. What we can do is, limit the screen time. So you must be thinking how to restrict screen time?
But, before you restrict the screen time, let me tell you the two types of screen time. Passive and Active screen time. Passive screen time is like watching TV or video on the phone which doesn’t require physical or problem solving activity and it’s not good for kids. On the other hand active screen time is like playing educational games, dancing by watching videos or doing some activity. It puts a good impact on their brain development.
I always try to keep my daughter engaged in puzzle games or I make her dance on her favourite songs. For eg: peppa pig songs.
5. Weekly Party
During these days we can’t go out to celebrate weekends or do any social gatherings. So what else can we do to keep ourselves happy? I would suggest organizing a weekly party at home with your family members can be a great mood booster. Cook good food, watch nice movies, play interesting games, etc. It will make your weekend relaxing.
6. Boost Imagination and Be Creative
Do some activities that boost your kids imagination & allow them to be creative. What I do is, I tell her stories by drawing the visuals & rough characters on white board. Next time I only told her a new story and asked her to draw her imagination of the story and I was surprised as she created the drawing very well. She tried to put all the elements she noticed in the story. Although her sketch was childish, it still has all the necessary elements of my story.