COVID-19 has led to many changes in our day-to-day lives. In particular, parents are working from home, children have the option of going to school or learning online, and people are advised to go out only if necessary. This has led to children having to stay at home and parents, like yourselves, trying to come up with more ways to entertain the children. After asking around the office, we found that the activities listed below can keep the kids off the digital screen for hours.
1. Cooking
Cooking and baking are a great way to spend time and bond with your child while also allowing them to learn new skills. Getting them involved can help boost their self-esteem, help with their language development, boost their creativity, and also allow them to become comfortable and experience new and unfamiliar foods.
2. Blocks
Legos, foam blocks, or any other building blocks can boost your child’s creativity and encourage them to learn and develop new skills. They can improve their math skills, learn about colours, shapes, and sizes as well as learn about balance and what it takes to keep a structure up and sturdy. Blocks may be simple but it can easily keep your child busy for a long time with the various possible creations they could make.
3. Board Games and Puzzles
Board games and puzzles can keep your child entertained and quiet (hopefully!) while also exercising their problem-solving skills. It can help your child’s hand-eye coordination, motor skills, concentration, and overall increase their cognitive skills. Plus, when your child is able to beat the game or finish the puzzle, they will be able to feel a sense of satisfaction, pride, and accomplishment.
4. Music
What better way to get your child moving around and learning new words than to listen to music. Kids can sing and dance along to songs or even make up a song and create their own dance moves to music. To explore the different sounds an instrument can make, children can also play with toy instruments or make their own.
5. Art
Whether it be paint, markers, or clay, creating art is a great way to keep your kids entertained. They can draw and make whatever they want, with whatever materials, allowing them to express their creativity while also staying safe indoors. Want to keep it mess-free? Try pencil and crayons. Sky is the limit.
6. TV and technology
There may not be enough time to take out an activity, to draw, or you may be too busy yourself to keep your child entertained. Watching TV, YouTube, or playing online games isn’t a bad thing. It’s all about maintaining a balance and making sure your child isn’t staring at a computer screen the whole day.
Like other parents, you are trying to keep your kids busy indoors. These are only just a few activities that can keep your kids entertained. But by doing a simple google search, you can access a wide range of activities for the children that will steer them away from electronics.