Activities to do with kids during the lock down period.

The world is recuperating. Recuperating from something that they did not anticipate for. Most of us are happy with the time we are getting to spend with our families in these times of complete lockdown. One of the few challenges we see as parents is to be able to spend quality time with our kids. The chores of the house have definitely multiplied with us being in a lock down situation to safe guard ourselves. The increased chores may not really leave enough time to indulge in activities. In my previous blog, I have listed down activities that you could do to ensure you are having a productive day.

I am a mom of a super energetic six year old who likes to be on the go always. There are a few activities that I slip into his everyday schedule to keep him engaged and have fun. Here are a few activities you could try with you kids too.

Sorting out beans – Considering we are all stocked up with additional groceries, you could put out mixed beans in a big bowl and ask your child to sort them. You can give different bowls, plates or bottles to your child for her/him to sort the beans into. This helps with the gross motor skills too. For older kids, you could place the bottles or bowls at a distance from each other and then fill them with the sorted beans.

Setting up a bank – You could use coins for this activity and it’s a hit with older kids. You will need coins of different denominations and a small piggy bank. Set up a savings account with the piggy bank for kids. Teach them how they could borrow money from the bank when needed. You could even do basic math while teaching your child to add coin denominations.

Set up a grocery store or a super market – You could use pretend play toys or use items from your kitchen for this. You could even involve clothes and toys that could be kept for sale. The kids could be in charge of the store and family members could be customers. You can teach them about buying and selling. Also a great way to help them keep their store (house) clean. Another great activity to teach them about finances.

Jumping hoops – For this you would need stoles or dupattas. You could make small hoops out of the clothes and get your little one to hop from one hoop to another. You can hop with them too to ensure they do not get hurt.

Science experiments – You could do basic science experiments, such as floating and sinking or light and heavy. You could make a volcano eruption using baking soda or fruit soda. You could show kids about liquid, solid and gases using ice cubes. Show them about oxidization of food when it changes color. You will find some really wonderful ideas here

Play missing words or guess the words – Remember how we played missing words as kids. For kids who can read or know basic names. You could play missing words or guessing the words with them. You could even play spell the word and see who gets the maximum words right.

Treasure hunt or scavenger hunt – You could set up a scavenger hunt using their toys and books and leave them clues as to where to find them. For older kids you could make this time bound so that they learn about finishing a task within time.

Story Weaving.– You could cut our random pictures from old story books and turn them into flash cards. Let your little ones weave a story out of it. This helps improve their creativity and imagination.

In case the kids miss being outdoors, you can do simple activities like jogging, jumping jacks, stretching etc. with them. You indeed can play football or cricket indoors too. You could play catch as well. You have to just involve the kids in activities that makes them move around or think. Do not always focus on the learning part, sometimes you just have to let them have fun. These times are meant for keeping yourself safe and also investing some time in yourselves and your family, make the most of it.