Activities to keep your kids engaged during lockdown

Do you remember when you were home for so long with your children last? Did you get this kind of time with them in the past? Why not make it memorable for kids to cherish even after they grow up? Presenting business pitches from couch might bring complexities but adding children to the mix brings its own share of happiness.

As all educational institutions are closed due to the Covid-19 lockdown, children are getting bored at home. Keeping your toddlers and kids busy and happy; making sure they are not glued in front of a screen for long may seem daunting. It is, therefore, the responsibility of the family to engage kids and have fun with them to make these times unforgettable.

Here’s how you can have a wonderful time engaging your kids at home:

Teach the mantra of ‘being healthy’:

Introducing yoga to your kids helps establish healthy habits at a tender age. Yoga can boost your child’s strength, dexterity and flexibility, while encouraging body awareness and self-esteem. Also, enrolling your child into a virtual self-defence class will not only teach them valuable life skills, but will also give them all the strength to protect themselves in the near future. Rigorous exercise can help reduce your child’s anxiety and stress and promote a sense of serenity.

Nurturing culinary skills:

Getting kids into the kitchen is a great way to cultivate their budding independence and instil healthy behaviours for life. Cooking can be a pleasure for children of all ages. Start with the basics such as preparing salads and sandwiches or setting up simple breakfasts such as cornflakes/toast butter jam. You may also teach them how to wash fruits and vegetables or help them master the art of garnishing. Also, take necessary precautions in the kitchen and keep hazards like hot pot handles, hot food and liquids, sharp or heavy utensils away from the children.

Learn a new hobby:

With the world going digital, learning a new hobby – be it a new language or playing a new musical instrument has never been this easy. Knowing a secondary language can be really helpful for your kid as it will open up new horizons.

Take full advantage of this lockdown and start your family band by crafting some awesome homemade musical instruments such as CD Cymbals, Rainbow Xylophone, Spoon Maracas, Fringe Musical Anklets and more. Let the music play!

Improve your child’s motor skills:

Kneading ‘atta’ is a good exercise for the fingers and hand. Using both hands also helps in bilateral coordination and muscle strengthening. Give a separate small bowl with some dough to your child to knead and let them create interesting shapes and figurines. Alternatively, they can play with clay they may have from an activity set.

We are sure hopscotch is a game that all of us must be familiar with. Let them play hopscotch indoors to improve their overall balance, gross motor coordination and attention.

Engage in art and craft activities:

Let the creative juices flow! With home schooling now on hiatus, engage your child in artistic pursuits like drawing, crafts or poetry. We have a few ideas to decorate your home. Some of the activities include vegetable or celery stamping, Origami butterflies, DIY coasters, button cards, family photo collage, egg carton wall hangings and many more.  These activities will not only help them utilize their time but will also help enhance their artistic talents and will sharpen their minds.

Teach the ‘art of storytelling’:

Younger kids are naturally good at creating stories and elaborate fantasies with stuffed animals or action figures. They can use their stuff toy collection or figurines to create their own stories. Also, don’t forget to record the performance as things end gradually but memories last forever.

Playing with ‘Bricks and Blocks’:

A family that plays together, stays together. Playing with blocks helps children develop their vocabularies, enhances their math skills, and even teaches them about gravity, balance, and geometry.  Start with simpler structures and gradually move towards more advanced ones. You can make a bridge, a house or even your favourite Hogwart’s castle. To spend some quality time, you can also have a family board game tournament such as Ludo or Monopoly (depending on the child’s age).

Teach them the art of writing:

With digitalisation, the art of writing letters may have become long forgotten, but nothing beats the charm and aura of handwritten letters. Besides serving as excellent memory archives, letters also improve the thought process and handwriting of your child and help in developing clear and rational thinking skills.

Plan a treasure hunt:

Most of the kids love scavenger hunt games. Hide something in the house that your kid will enjoy upon unearthing and lay out some clues to the hidden treasure. To make the game more challenging, fun and time consuming, you may add a small task after each clue. Let your kid ‘be Sherlocked’.

Stay ‘virtually’ connected:

Children love to be with friends; not meeting them for a long time can make them feel sad and depressed. Arrange a video conference call with their friends where they could play Charades etc. from a safe distance.

Grow your own veggies:

Spending time with nature can act as a stress booster and you may consider indoor gardening to keep your child busy and engaged. Growing your own vegetables is obviously good for health, involves good utilization of decomposable waste and also save trips to the grocery store in the future. 

Create your fictious camping site or café:

Instead of going out, why can’t we make our own homely cafes? Decorate a space that you feel suitable with fairy lights and arrange some tables to give the perfect café vibes. Make your kid’s favourite meal and allow them to enjoy the feeling. You can also go garden camping! Wonder how? Pitch a tent in your lawn or balcony, get your camping stove going and toast some paneer or marshmallows.

In this fast-paced world, we are possibly lucky to spend this time with our family. Let’s not waste this opportunity; turn the self-isolation into family bonding time. And as Kevin Heath rightly said, “In the end, kids won’t remember that fancy game or toy you bought for them. They will remember the time you spent with them.”

Stay Positive! Stay home! Stay safe…