We love our kids, but many of us are running out of ways to keep them preoccupied in between possible schoolwork or your own work. You can only watch Frozen 2 so many times. . . While we’re thankful for streaming services, it’s also important to have engaging activities that will have the whole family smiling. We’ve come up with some ideas that serve dual purposes — educational and fun!
1. Wish Jar: Every time your children wish they could do something, go somewhere, see someone, visit a new place or have people over, write it down and put it in your wish jar. When all this is over, have your kids take turns picking out a wish and work your way through the jar! Your kids will be more grateful than ever for the little and lovely things in their lives. Until then, enjoy watching the jar fill up!
2. Talent Show: Host a family talent show! Have each of your children pick a talent whether it is singing, dancing, playing an instrument or even magic tricks. Have them dedicate a little bit of time each day to practice their talent and have a show over the weekend.
3. Around the World In A Week: Each day, visit a different country around the world. Have the kids learn a few words of the language, dress in their attire, have their food for dinner and even watch a TV show or movie from their culture! Encourage the kids to really get into it. Think about it! You can visit China, Italy, India, Portugal, and Ghana all in one week! Or, you know, any country you want!
4. Veggie Garden: Teach your children how to grow their own veggies. Take them through the whole process. Have them pick out their own veggies, plant the seeds, water them daily, and even eat them fresh! Don’t worry, this doesn’t have to take up a lot of space. No yard? No problem! Just get a rail planter, veggies don’t need a lot of space to grow!
5. Learn the Weather: April is a great time of year to study the changing weather. Just look at this week, there was talk of snow! There are so many weather instruments kids can make easily at home. Check out this link to see all the things they can make to learn more about the weather! https://sciencing.com/easy-homemade-weather-instruments-kids-7974126.html
6. Virtual Travel: Being quarantined doesn’t mean you can’t visit other places… well not necessarily. There are tons of places your kids can visit virtually. Here are a few examples: The San Diego Zoo, Great wall of China, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Farm tours, Yellowstone National Park, tour the Louvre, take a walk on Mars, the deserts and grasslands of Africa and even the Coral Reefs of Palau.
7. American Ninja Warrior: Set up an obstacle course in the backyard! You can get as creative as you want with this one. Use your own supplies or… if you’re really into this one, Amazon has kids American Ninja Warrior kids for sale! For more ideas on how to set up your obstacle course, check out this site! https://frugalfun4boys.com/american-ninja-warrior-backyard-obstacle-course/
8. Podcast: Do you have really outspoken or, may I say, opinionated children? Encourage them to express themselves on their own podcast! Have them share their passions with others. This is something that could occupy your kids for hours. There is so much into making a good podcast. Let them pick out their own topic, have their friends call in as special speakers and even give advice to other kids going through this quarantine.
9. Rube Goldberg Machine: Do you think your kids may have a knack for engineering? How about making a Rube Goldberg Machine then! The first thing you will want to do is get inspired. Have the kids watch a couple of videos of these machines on YouTube to see how it works then collect things around the house that would work in their rendition. Then give your machine purpose, what will it do? Close a window, pop a balloon, put out a candle or just last longer than their siblings!
10. Baking: Who doesn’t love a good dessert? Get your children involved in the kitchen! Tasty Junior on Facebook has plenty of kid-friendly recipes that will allow them to take pride in their creations. Here’s a link to Tasty Junior on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/tastyjunior/
This time can be challenging, but also provides time to spend with our children that we might not have had otherwise. If your baking activity doesn’t go too well and you’d like a hand cleaning up, reach out to Kathleen’s to schedule an appointment! See how we’re taking precautions while still providing our services here.