Kids have a LOT of energy! Finding fun and educational activities to keep your kids busy can be a challenge when you have to stay home. And if you’re trying to limit their screen time, you often have to think outside the box to come up with new ideas. So let us help you with five ideas of our own that will keep your little ones busy for hours and even teach them a thing or two:
Design Structures with Everyday Objects
Turn your children into little architects and have them use building blocks to design their own towers, bridges, and monuments. You can have them search the internet and look up interesting buildings and landmarks from around the world. The challenge is to recreate those structures at home using everyday objects like paper or plastic cups, paper plates, cardboard boxes, popsicle sticks, and other recycled items. Then, have your child present their project and talk about what inspired their creation.
Break Out the Board Games
You probably have some old-timey board games lying around the house like Monopoly, Scrabble, Life, Clue, or maybe a chessboard or checkerboard. If your kids think of them as “bored” games, come up with new twists on those old classics by upping the ante and giving the winner a special prize, or having the loser do a set of jumping jacks or pushups. Have your kids come up with their own rewards and challenges so that they can build up excitement and get more interested in the outcome of the game they’re playing.
Create an Imaginary Business
Ask your kids to think about a great idea for a small business. Help them draw up a plan to launch their startup by asking them what resources they’ll need, how many people they’ll have to hire, and what different tasks will need to be performed. Have them come up with a clever name and design an attention-grabbing logo for their brand. There are many free online tools available for them to come up with creative designs: for example, they can use a label maker to create branded labels for their products or make their own business cards and stationery.
Host a Tea Party
Keep the kiddos both entertained and well-fed by having them come up with their own special recipes for tea sandwiches, using ingredients you already have on hand and turning them into bite-sized delicacies. Have them decorate the coffee table and put some pillows on the floor to turn your living room into a cozy tea room. Then, sit down and let them take your order! You can even turn this fun activity into an opportunity to teach your children about flavor combinations and healthy eating.
Go on an Indoor Scavenger Hunt
Come up with a list of clues (or pictures for younger kids) that will lead your little ones to look around the house for hidden objects. You can turn this activity into something more educational by having them hunt for clues hidden in the pages of books and encyclopedias, or by having them solve word puzzles and mathematical equations. If you have both older and younger kids, put the older ones to work and have them come up with their own clues and puzzles that their younger siblings will be tasked to solve.
Don’t let rainy days stop your kids from having fun! Let their creativity take flight by providing them with tools and ingredients that will let them turn the mundane into the extraordinary. All you have to do is spark their interest!
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