Being on lockdown is hard enough if you’re flying solo, but it’s arguably harder when you’ve got kids to take care of.
Parents are feeling the sting of lockdown, especially if their kids are taking virtual classes. And if you’re working from home, now you have to juggle being a teacher as well.
But when class is over, your kids are looking at you to keep them occupied and entertained. Let’s be real, most times; you don’t want them to figure this out for themselves because most times it means a huge mess to clean up.
So, in light of keeping the kids physically active and mentally-stimulated, we’ve come up with ten activities that’ll keep their brains active and imaginative.
1. Scavenger Hunt
This is a great activity because you can switch it up in a variety of ways. You can connect it to any theme you want to—mermaids, cars, colors, shapes—depending on what items you have on hand to hide for them.
Using this activity works great for educational purposes because it breaks up the monotony of just sitting and doing worksheets.
2. Painting
If you want to create a sensory experience for younger children, you can offer finger painting. Sensory activities are vital for the development of fine motor skills, and it’s fun for children.
If you have older children, you can grab a painting set from Amazon and add this to the list of activities they can do throughout the week. Most sets come with an easel, a few canvases, brushes, and paint.
Painting with their favorite tunes in the background will be one of their favorite things to do.
3. Moving and Shaking
The downside to being indoors all day is that you don’t get the same amount of exercise you usually would. You may not realize how many steps you’re getting in just with your usual routine of going to work, school, etc.
But there are more than a few solutions to this problem. One of them is Go Noodle. Sites like Go Noodle have plenty of movement videos for kids—yoga, dancing, as well as craft activities.
4. Dress Up Play
What kid doesn’t like to break out princess and superhero costumes?
Sometimes it’s hard to find the time, with everything else going on, but taking 15-20 minutes to dress up and play with your kids will mean the world to them. It builds stronger connections, and it allows them to use their imagination.
Besides, you may benefit from using your imagination a little bit more too!
5. Hide and Seek
This is an oldie, but a goodie.
Hide and seek never gets old. You played it when you were a kid, and your parents before you. However, you can put an educational twist on this old favorite by hiding numbers or letters around the house.
If you don’t have wooden blocks or letters to hide, you can use sticky notes. If you choose to do numbers, write them on the papers, tell them to cover their eyes and hide them around the house.
Each time they bring one back, they have to tell you what number they found. It’s great for number recognition.
6. Build a Pillow Fort
This is the perfect way to enhance movie night for your kids. It takes some creativity and imagination, but building a pillow fort makes them screech with excitement, especially if it’s their first time doing so.
Forts are also great for indoor camping. Make some oven smores, bust out the flashlights, and tell ghost stories under the fort.
All you’ll need is some sheets, pillows, and maybe a few chairs, depending on your living room set up. But be warned, you’ll have a hard time taking it down because they’ll love it so much.
7. Cooking & Baking
It’s funny how kids are more inclined to try foods they helped create. If you want to let your kids help cook some healthy snacks, they can help make kale chips. All they have to do is wash, peel, toss in olive oil, bake, and eat!
Since they helped make it and they’re called chips, it’s pretty much a win. You can sprinkle sea salt or popcorn seasoning to jazz the flavor up a bit to ease them into the taste.
As far as baking goes, grab some pre-made cookies and let them pop them on the cookie sheet. But, if you want to do some real baking, that’s cool too. Let them pour the ingredients into the bowl and stir them up for you!
Main Takeaway
When it’s all said and done, you want your children to grow up happy, healthy, and strong. We’re in a moment in time that’s challenging, stressful, and chaotic all at the same time. It’s understandable to be overwhelmed and stressed out occasionally.
Many parents report using CBD to relax the nerves and stay focused on what’s important. CBD gummies are a popular choice for parents since they provide great convenience regarding taste, stackable concentrations, and easy-to-manage servings.
Sure, you’ve got a family to take care of, but you can’t pour from an empty cup—you’ve got to take care of yourself too.
Take it one day at a time, and use these tips to keep your kids smiling and full of joy.
