Not sure how you will keep the kids entertained during the lockdown? Don’t worry we have your covered.
Here are 21 activities that you can plan with your children and the perfect opportunity to spend some quality time together.
Day One
Have an indoor treasure hunt!
Grab your cell phone and make sure you have paper in your printer for this one.
How to:
When your kiddos are sleeping, snap some pictures of things and create your indoor treasure hunt clues.
If your kids are a little older, be sure to make the clues harder.
Print your photos, then create your treasure hunt by hiding the photos around the house, leaving clips tips for them at the previous item
The treasure should be found at the last clue. This could be anything from a bag of crisps to a bar of chocolate to a little note saying ‘don’t worry I’ll make your bed for you tomorrow’ or ‘I’ll do your morning chores tomorrow.”
And if you don’t have a printer, you can make a variation of this with hand written clues.
Day Two
Play Cards
A good old fashioned card game can keep your kids entertained for hours. Anything from Uno, Monopoly and Go Fish will have your kids laughing in no time. It is also a great stress reliever for parents.
Day Three
Have your kids plan a show for after dinner
Kids love to be the centre of attention. Ask them to prepare a show for you to watch after dinner tonight. Encourage them to make up silly costumes using their clothing or even some carefully selected items from your closet, and to practice practice practice.
Your kids will love the idea!
Day 4
Have a lego building contest
Everyone has lego lying around that we constantly step on 🙂 why not hold a lego building contest between the kiddies? Get their creative juices flowing and choose a theme. There are loads of tutorials online to provide instructions and help them along.
Day 5
Plan a music evening
Ask each person to pick 5 songs and get a family playlist going. Remember how you used to dance with your parents and bring a little old world charm to the house. Music is so beneficial during stressful times so it will be a great distraction for all.
Day 6
Go down memory lane
Our kids love hearing stories about when we grew up. Pull out those dusty photo albums tonight and page through them. Your kids will love hearing about the day they were born or the day you got married.
Day 7
Make a town in a box
Convert an old box into a little town. Make bridges, roads and buildings and bring out those dinky cars. Use lego men for the people in the village and this will surely delight everyone!
Day 8
Google “How to draw…”
Google “How to draw…”, selecting whatever your kid wants, such as dinosaur, racing car, fairies, princess, animals, etc or Get some blank sheets and let them loose to get creative.
Day 9
Make Paper Airplanes
All you need to make paper airplanes is paper – and pens if you want to decorate it.
Have your kids draw the pilot at the front and passengers looking out of the windows.
Get them racing!
Day 10
Throw an Indoor Picnic
Spread out the picnic blanket and set out little plates with snacks and drinks and napkins, then enjoy an indoor picnic! Cuddly toys and dolls also make great guests. If your kids are big enough, they can make their own snacks.
Day 11
Play Shop
Set up a little grocery/mini supermarket using the items in your home. Use your monopoly money as cash.
Day 12
Play Balloon Ping-Pong
All you need for this are some blown up balloons and off they go
Day 13
Start a Garden
Use some old pots and save some seeds from all the veggies you bought. Be sure to dry your seeds out. Get the kids to water them! You could do flowers or vegetables or both!
Day 14
Play hide-and-seek
We often forget that the most simple games can occupy kids for hours and don’t be scared to get in on the action.
Day 15
Collect rocks and paint them
Have your child search the garden for the best rocks they can find. Pull that paint out and get creative!
Day 16
Create a ‘When I grow up’ poster
Ask your child to think about what they want to be when they grow up. Once they have an idea in mind, get them to make up a poster. They can do some research online, print images or draw them. This is where old magazines can come in handy too, if you have any lying around. Encourage them to write facts about this particular career.
Day 17
Create a time capsule
There is no doubt that your child will remember the Covid-19 virus when they are older. Get them to write letters to themselves to read later on. To put facts down, how they feel, items they want to preserve. This will go down in history and it is a great way for young children in particular to work through their feelings about being so isolated.
Day 18
Play “Simon Says”
Another oldie but a goodie for sure!
Day 19
Pay extra attention to your dogs
Why not take the time to pamper your fury friend. On a warm day, the whole family can bath the dog.
Day 20
Have a marble race
The kids always seem to have marbles laying around the house. Funnel out a little race track and let the fun begin!
Day 21
Take time to teach your child one new skill
We often take for granted that our kids will just learn new skills on their own. If your teen is about to learn how to drive, teach them how to change a tyre. If your child is old enough to cook (supervised of course) teach them how to make their favourite meal.
This time with our families can be used to spend some time together. Our lives are so busy so if at all possible, utilise this time to just have fun together.
