A list of lockdown activities to keep your kids constructively engaged

Nobody likes to sit at home 24x7, that’s a given. But when kids are forced to stay in during the summer holidays, thanks to the Coronavirus, it can be even more challenging for WFH parents to find new ways to keep boredom at bay. Here are a few things you can do to keep your kids constructively occupied during the holidays, right inside your home.

1. Help Them Develop A New Hobby

Children who are exposed to diverse range of arts, crafts and other creative skills are more likely to develop into well-balanced youth and adults. Origami is an excellent skill to keep children mentally challenged, while helping them develop eye-hand coordination and improving fine motor skills. Another great choice is calligraphy, or the art of beautiful writing. It is the perfect way for kids to learn attention to detail and concentration. With so many different arts & crafts options to pick from, you kids will learn new skills that will keep them totally engrossed all summer! Check out some tutorials on YouTube, and you will be good to go. Here’s a link to get your kids started with Origami and Calligraphy.

2. Challenge them to modify their Favourite Board Games

Everybody loves board games. This summer holiday, make the most of the lockdown and challenge your children to modify their favourite own board game and make a new customised game. Are they learning a foreign language in school? Ask them to make a French version of Monopoly, complete with French landmarks. Or help them create a Spanish version of Cluedo. Find new ways of sneakily integrating what they have learned in school in play-time. Vacation is not always about just having fun, it can be about learning things in a fun way too.

3. Encourage Your Children to Read

Long before movies and television, story books have been the original gateway to a magical wonderland. As far as vacation activities go, nothing beats sitting comfortably in your favourite spot at home with a great book and a cold lemonade. Reading can be the most productive use of the summer vacations, as books help children improve their vocabulary and comprehension skills. Find out the latest age-appropriate books on ebook reading apps, for your children and get your kids to start reading. Encourage them to summarise what they have read, by asking them questions and discussing it around the dinner table. To make thing more interesting, ask them to enact out their favourite parts of the books. If you are looking for a good list of children’s books for your children, you can start off here.

4. Arrange Virtual Play Dates

Video calls and conferencing are not great for business meetings and WFH parents only, but can also be a great way for kids to connect with their friends online. Set up a virtual play date for your children with their friends, use group video chatting apps like Zoom, Whatsapp or Skype. You can set up specific activities, such as drawing or story-telling on these virtual play dates, or just keep them for free-play. Make sure that you and other sets of parents set up some ground rules of what’s acceptable and unacceptable online behaviour, so that there are any issues later. And do remember to respect your kids’ privacy as well. After all, just because you can’t meet your friends in the holidays, doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with them.

5. Exercise Together

Being stuck indoors is no excuse for not getting enough exercise and staying fit. This summer vacation encourage your children to stay physically active by joining you in your daily workouts and mindfulness sessions. These can keep you and your children in a positive frame of mind, which is crucial in these difficult times. You can look up several YouTube videos for ideas on how you can include children in your exercise plans. Here’s a link to get you started on some simple Cardio Workouts, family-fun style.

There are tons of more activities you can do to ensure that your kids get the most benefit out of this in-home summer vacation, and these are just a few of them. Make sure that you plan activities with them, keeping their interests in mind and also given them a choice of things to do. This will give them a sense of being somewhat in control, which is very important for children stuck indoors.