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As the government announces lockdowns and quarantine measures, parents may be concerned about how to keep young children engaged and active at home. The Australian government has asked childcare centres to remain open to continue providing support to the workforce – even those who are working from home. However, in these circumstances, you may find that your child is at home for more time than usual.
Fortunately, there is no shortage of fun and activities for children that you can try to keep them busy. By forming a routine around these activities and making children follow it, you can ensure that children can stay engaged, connected and learning.
Here are a few you can try:
Start Off With Indoor Games
Whether it’s an old set of indoor board games gathering dust or a new one you recently picked up for your children, now is the time to let them see the light of the day.
Games like Candy Land, Charades for Kids, or Carcassonne are great options, and are fun for children.
Finding games like Scavenger Hunt or Treasure Hunt can also add a bit of fun and adventure for your children. For the list of items, you can either hand-write them or find ready-made lists online.
Domino toppling is another fun indoor game you can play with children that helps build on motor skills. Simply set them up in various formations and ask children to tip them over and see them fall. You can also watch different YouTube videos for some Dominoe Art inspiration.
Try Gardening
Since children are curious and learn quickly through practical experiences, what could be a better way to teach them a vital life skill than by gardening?
Engaging children in gardening activities has plenty of benefits. It helps grow your child’s interest in nature and also boosts self-esteem.
If you have some soil, seeds, and some outdoor space, let your children get their hands muddy. You can pick some easy-to-grow crops like radish, cherry tomatoes, pumpkins, and carrots.
Caring for these crops and watching them grow can give your children immense satisfaction. It will give them an understanding of the life cycle and also make them aware of the environment.
Build a Reading Habit
Research has found that reading to young children on a daily basis positively impacts their reading and cognitive skills later on.
Being home the entire day you can utilize that time to read out to your children and let them reap those benefits.
Try to allocate reading blocks for each day. You can start with 15-20 minutes and then increase the duration to your liking.
Make sure you read aloud so that your child recites after you in the same manner.
You can also mix-and-match different reading material like stories, poetry, and even encyclopedias to make reading more fun and engaging.
If you don’t have too many books at home, you can check if your local library has resources online. YourLibrary has a collection of resources and online books you can use if you have a public library card.
Experiment with Arts and Craft
Creativity is an essential skill and the best way to boost it is through arts and crafts.
For instance, you can find simple cardboard boxes and let your children color or paint them. Or can use recycled materials and let children turn them into trash art.
Getting children to doodle on activity or coloring books is another way to fuel their creativity and will keep them engaged for a good time.
If you have other supplies lying around the house you can use them to try activities like playdough modeling and marble painting.
Make Some Tasty Recipes
This is arguably one of the best ways to spend time with your children.
Making your children’s favorite recipes and teaching them how to make it can instantly elevate their mood and can be a whole lot of fun. Learning vital cooking skills is also a crucial life skill in itself.
Try to teach children simple, easy-to-make, and delicious recipes.
Try focusing on healthy, but fun to eat dishes to encourage your little one to eat healthier and build on their immunity! Get some recipe inspiration here.
Go on a Virtual Tour
We all know how much kids love to travel. You can help drive their curiosity by taking them on a virtual tour on your smartphone or tablet.
Virtual tours are nothing but simulations of real locations made up of images and videos. They offer an immersive and almost real-life experience of the place and can enable children to discover the beauty of places in and around Australia or the world.
From iconic museums to the wonders of the world there are plenty of virtual tours available online on platforms such as Google Arts & Culture.
All you have to do is pick a spot in your home (like the living room) and, with your child, experience fascinating new places right from the comfort of the sofa.
Final Thoughts
Keeping up with the children and keeping them engaged can be daunting at times, especially during quarantine where you’re stuck at home and out of options.
However, with a bunch of fun activities and games, you can easily keep your children busy and easily make it through the day without feeling tired.
We hope you use the above-mentioned activities and make the most of them for a relaxed and fun time with your children.
Aurora Early Education is working on creating online learning modules for your young children; stay tuned for more!
For more information regarding Covid-19, you can learn more by referring to this article.
Or, if you have any concerns, you can always feel to contact our centers.
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