As we all battle the effects of COVID-19 and we practice social distancing, parents are starting to work from home meaning we’re more home-bound than ever before. To add to this, school holiday programs on the Gold Coast are just around the corner, and every parent is asking, “How will I occupy my kid?”
The answer, heaps of fun indoor activities!
To make the next few weeks easier for parents as children transition into an at-home-all-day life, we have come up with a list of fun and interactive indoor activities. Hopefully, these can keep (you) and your ever-curious and energetic little ones entertained and occupied.
Try These 10 Fun Indoor Activities With Your Children
1. Build the Perfect Fort
Use materials that you have in your home such as light blankets, throw pillows, soft rugs, hooks, chairs and tables. The key is creativity, resourcefulness and teamwork. Your children will be filled with excitement as they build their own perfect fort with you. As a bonus, let them ditch their bedroom for a night and sleep in their makeshift fort.
2. Craft Handwritten Cards / Letters to Relatives
Who says handwriting is a lost art? Show your relatives that you’re thinking about them and get your children to craft handwritten greeting cards and letters for grandparents, aunties and uncles and cousins. Handwritten notes will help your children practice their penmanship, and they are a lovely personal touch!
You can take a snap of the cards and notes and send it to your relatives via email or SMS, so you don’t have to go out to the post office.
3. Get Cooking
The kitchen is the perfect place where children can have loads of fun. Sit down together with recipe books and let them choose easy to make recipes to cook. With your supervision, they can bake their favourite cookies, or create a simple pasta dish for dinner. Have fun and get creative in the kitchen.
4. Movie Day/Night
Close the curtains, dim the lights, make a big bowl of popcorn and lay down in the family room (or your new fort) for movie time. From all the Marvel movies to Disney’s films, there are so many age-appropriate movies to choose from.
5. Plan a Scavenger Hunt
A little bit of preparation on your part will provide hours of entertainment for your children. Hide some fun treasures (toys, treats, coins, etc.) around the house, preferably when the children are sleeping. Give them some clues about what and where the hidden treasures are and let them find each one. Turn it into an orienteering exercise for teamwork or let them solve the clues themselves. This will definitely keep them busy.
6. Clean-Your-Toys day
Have you ever wondered when you’d get around to cleaning your children’s toys? Well, now is a good time to do so. The best part is, you don’t have to do it alone because your children will love doing it with you. Fill a bucket with water and mild liquid soap and give them sponges so they can make their toys sparkly and squeaky clean. Children love water play so this is fool-proof entertainment!
7. Decorate Cardboard Boxes
Don’t throw old cardboard boxes into the recycling. Give your children colouring materials like crayons, paint and glitter and get them to decorate the boxes. Turn boxes into cars, trains and fun artworks. For smaller boxes, your children will love to make them as a place where they can keep their trinkets, photos and souvenirs.
8. Learn a Dance on YouTube
The wonderful thing about technology is that people are sharing their skills and talents online, and you can learn them in a click of a button. Your children can practice the steps to a popular dance craze. Even if you feel silly dancing with two left feet, your children will surely have a good laugh.
9. Do a Science Experiment
Every kid loves to see something flash, bubble up, evaporate and light up. What better way to give in to their curiosity than doing a science experiment. Pop on some safety goggles and a small science lab coat (if they have one) and start experimenting. You’ll find lots of home experiments on YouTube and Pinterest.
10. Have A Picnic
Change things up by having an indoor picnic instead of serving lunch at the dinner table. Involve your children in packing picnicky foods and drinks like cheese, apples, sandwiches, small juice boxes, etc. Pack your food in containers and put them in a picnic basket. Spread a picnic blanket somewhere around the house and watch lunch disappear in no time.
During the current health crisis, your family’s safety and health, especially your children’s, is of paramount importance. Staying at home is necessary to stop the spread of coronavirus. Take this period as an opportunity to bond with your children and create memories that they will treasure forever.
Related Tag: Childcare Mudgeeraba
