The Coronavirus pandemic has changed a lot of things for both parents and the little ones. With the restrictions preventing them from going on fun adventures like the feeding zoos, going out to watch a movie, school, and other routines, lockdown can be challenging for your children. However, you can still make staying at home fun and enjoyable for your children by keeping your children engaged using these ten exciting ways.
Photo Credit: Josh Huskin
- Let them exercise and keep fit
Usually, your children would get their exercise from running around during recess or at the park perhaps. Since choices are much more limited, you should consider exercising at home together to keep fit. Create aerobic routines that they can follow or short sprints across the corridor. If you have a safe and conducive backyard, that would work very well so you can allow your children out during the day to stretch their legs, while they jump rope, skip, or just play and run around. Additionally, be sure that they follow a healthy eating plan to have healthy bodies and a strong immune system.
- Divide the chores
Being at home does not automatically make the day a lazy one. Encourage your children to be more productive in this period by allocating chores. Have them clean their rooms, feed the pets, wash the dishes, etc. This is an excellent way of getting hyperactive children to calm down and complete tasks and teach them responsibility and increase their ability to concentrate.
Let them also help you with some of your chores around the house – especially when they offer to help. Besides reducing your workload, being your little helper makes your kids feel trusted and improves upon their self-confidence. Allow them to help you clean around the house, fold laundry, and even help to prepare the day’s meals. Reward them for tasks well done to encourage them to work hard and do better.
- Establish and keep a routine
Keeping a routine not only helps you in keeping your house in order, but it also helps your children in maintaining a semblance of normality. Wake up at the same time, allocate time for chores, meals, playtime, and study time. Keeping a routine goes a long way to instil and maintain discipline in your children. As children, if they do not have anything to keep them occupied during the day, they become bored, restless, and irritable. Creating a routine allows you to keep them productive during the day.
- Encourage online learning
The stay at home cannot be all fun and games; after all, “All play and no work makes Jack a dull boy.” With schools being closed for your child’s safety, it is still essential that they always learn- at least for the bettering of their development. You can create a classroom setting at home by setting up an area in the house for learning or decluttering your child’s study table. You make learning fun by downloading and printing out fun worksheets or signing up for an e-learning class. If you are unsure of the appropriate tools or materials your child should use, there are LMS consultants on hand to direct you to which content may best suit your child.
- Create a chill-out zone
A fun way for you and your children to enjoy each other’s company is by creating a chill-out zone. The designed area could be a little space in the house where you and your children sit to relax. You can encourage them to listen to their music, or just quietly relax after a long day. You can read together in this space with your younger children. Get a colored, pictured, theme book of animals, or princesses- depending on your child’s preferences. They would be able to let their imagination take them to a world outside the one they are already in.
The chill-out zone could also serve as a safe place for your child. The chill space could serve as a place you can let your child use when they feel sad, anxious, or stressed in any way.
- Start a DIY project together
What better time to let creative juices flow? There are many DIY ideas that you and your children could bring to life in this period. Several materials are lying around the house that the children can use to get busy. Have them create items for their bedrooms or gift a family member, or even cards for grandparents and their friends. Doing these DIY projects can introduce new hobbies to your kids. Hobbies do not make for just a good distraction but also help you unwind and relax while learning a new skill. You can also print out coloring sheets, or buy sketch pads, paint, and paintbrushes to get them to create beautiful art pieces for you to display around the house proudly. You can do this together, as you not only supervise them but also help them create their masterpieces.
- Play indoor games
Just because they cannot go out should not mean they cannot play games. There are many games your kids can play while indoors. Encourage them to start a jigsaw puzzle or crosswords- these games help improve upon their memory. Teach them card games and board games like UNO, Monopoly, Business, or create games that you can play with them.
- Virtual hangouts and visits
Your children might not just be in the outside world, but might miss seeing their friends and family. Thanks to technology, there have been many applications that have helped people have a virtual connection with each other during this period. Give your children a virtual visit to the grandparents, or perhaps to see their cousins, friends, and anyone they may have missed during this period. Or maybe, you could host a Netflix- party with the family, or even host a virtual barbeque. You can also create virtual playdates for the younger children, giving you the chance to catch up with the other parents. Doing this would help them socialize from home rather than to go out and put themselves at risk.
- Watch TV
Allocate some time for them to relax and watch a movie or their favorite TV shows. However, you should ensure that they tend to meaningful content; so that they would not be binge-watching shows that are not age-appropriate. Rather than prevent or further restrict screen-time, encourage them to watch age-appropriate cartoons and sitcoms. Movies like The Lion King, Frozen, Ice Age, and Aladdin are some of the few age-appropriate movies the whole family can enjoy. Also, get them to watch documentaries on the animal kingdom or any other to stimulate the minds.
- Go outside
Being cooped up at home is not healthy for you and your family. Being at home can be tedious and make the children idle and slow, making them a little too much to handle. Occasionally, you can go for walks around your neighborhood- wearing your face mask and carrying your hand sanitizer, of course. If you have a balcony or a garden, you can spend some time doing activities such as reading or playing games. Your children can water the plants, plant flowers, or sow some seeds. Sunbath for a few minutes to get the required amount of Vitamin D- an essential vitamin for growing kids.
In addition to these things, you should keep your child updated on what is going on in the world around them. Remember that the aim is not to scare them, but to educate them. Listen to them and ask them what they know, do not shy away from their questions, share useful hygiene tips with them daily, and reassure them that being at home and indoors is safer for the family. With the massive amounts of information coming every day, you do not want to raise fear and panic in your children. You should limit the news consumption by either reducing the TV volume when the news is on, not having the TV on the news channels to receive information as it happens or by not having the TV on any news channels when the children are around.
You should also practice mindfulness. Your child is just as stressed, frustrated, and scared as you are. Do not be caught up in how you feel about what is going on in that you neglect your child’s needs. If your child shows signs of anxiety and stress, you can turn your attention to them and assist them by doing a relaxing activity they enjoy. You can also meditate with them by doing breathing exercises. Another method you can use is positive visual imagery. In this method, you remind them of good memories like a funny scene in a movie, or a delightful memory from a family vacation.
With these ten tips, your child would be able to go through the period of lockdown with an abundance of positivity. Not only would they be occupied, but they would also learn other skills and life skills too. Discover ways also to make your children enjoy their time during the lockdown and be productive as well.
P.S. This post is a paid collaboration.
