By now, you’re probably running out of fun ways to keep kids entertained during COVID-19, and with no end in sight, it’s time to get creative. Keeping kids entertained when they’re home from school is challenging in small doses, but stretch that out over many weeks, and you’re going to need to shake it up – a lot. Everyone needs a break from work and learning at various times throughout the day. Here are some ways you can keep your kids smiling and happy while you wait out the coronavirus.
1. Build a Fort:
If there’s one thing that everyone can enjoy, it’s building a fort indoors. Not only is the construction process a fun activity, but if you build it in a place where it can stay up for an extended period of time, then you have a venue for quiet activities such as reading and writing. Building your fort can be as simple or complex as you want. Pull together a few dining room chairs and toss a blanket or sheet over the top for a quick, short-term shelter. If you’re looking for something a little more exciting, try one of these blanket fort designs by PrettyProvidence.com.
2. Make Your Own Sensory Gym:
If you’re the parent of a little one who can no longer go to daycare, then you know it’s a full-time job keeping them entertained. Your local sensory gym has likely been closed for weeks, so it’s time to put on your thinking cap and build your own. Water stations, rice bins, and scent jars can all be created in minutes and keep your little ones busy and engaged for hours. MommyPoppins.com has created a list of easy-to-build activities to stimulate your child’s senses.
3. Bring Back Family Movie Night:
Not so long ago, families would sit down together on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and enjoy a movie together. With mobile devices in every hand, that’s been replaced with a disconnected family experience. Choose a night (or two, or five) each week to watch a classic movie, an adventure movie, a funny movie, or whatever your family enjoys. Put away other electronic distractions and give the activity your full focus. You could even watch it from your blanket fort!
4. Reading Can Take You Anywhere:
When it feels like the walls are creeping in, escaping with a good book can get your mind out of the house, to anywhere in the world and beyond. Audible is making kids’ books free to listen to while schools are closed. The books available include classics for young children like Winnie the Pooh and Timeless Tales of Beatrix Potter, and elementary school children can listen to stories like Anne of Green Gables and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Tweens will enjoy listening to novels including The Jungle Book and The Return of Sherlock Holmes, while teens can listen to Frankenstein, The Metamorphosis, The Picture of Dorian Gray and more.
5. Plan a Family Adventure for Once This Is Over:
You and family have likely thought about somewhere you wish you could escape to. A vacation home, a campground, a resort, whatever it may be, you can still plan a trip. Sit down as a family and brainstorm ideas for the perfect family vacation. Does someone want to visit a museum? A beach? A national park? Chances are you can plan to visit them all in one trip and you’ll enjoy the mental vacation of planning together.
What types of activities have you and your family enjoyed during this time inside? Have you rediscovered an old hobby? Let us know!
