Being stuck in quarantine is irritating for everyone, but it’s likely to take an even more substantial toll on families with young kids, than on others.
Firstly, parents might worry that their kids’ education is being interrupted. And uncertainty about the future might cause general concerns about the potential issues that could face the family as a consequence of the pandemic. Then, there’s the simple fact that a lot of kids will obviously be pretty bored during this time period.
There are all sorts of things you could do to keep yourself and your kids occupied and entertained during this period. For example, you could look at these cute baby shoes and take the opportunity to upgrade your child’s wardrobe – which is something that a good number of parents seem to be doing at the moment.
Here are a few suggestions for fun things to do with your kids at home during quarantine, that can keep both you, and them, entertained and positive.
- Watch documentary series’ together
One of the great things about the various digital streaming services available today, is that there are a large number of really good and entertaining documentaries being made on a regular basis, that can be accessed on demand, and many of which are suitable for even very young children.
Why not spend a bit of time educating your kids, as well as yourself, or experiencing a bit of wonder and appreciation for the natural world, courtesy of a David Attenborough documentary? Or if nature documentaries aren’t exactly what you’re in the mood for, you could certainly find something interesting about another topic – such as history, or how products are made in factories, or the origin of different famous fictional characters.
As long as the documentary has good visuals and is age-appropriate in general, don’t worry too much about whether or not your child will understand every description and turn of phrase that gets used in the documentary. They will likely expand their understanding and appreciate the scenery, all the same.
- Work on an arts and crafts projects in the home or garden
It’s easy to spend a huge amount of time purely online, as a general rule. And during quarantine, the Internet is certainly a blessing that allows us all to stay entertained, informed, and even productive, while stuck at home.
But beyond the Internet, the quarantine period can also be an excellent opportunity for working on different arts and crafts projects in the home or garden, with the whole family.
Maybe there’s some small project like building a birdhouse that you could get the kids involved in directly. Or, maybe there’s a bigger project that you need to work on yourself, but that your kids could still enjoy watching – and that they may be able to help with in terms of handing over specific tools, for example.
- Set up a regular family board game night
There’s been a boardgame renaissance happening quietly over the last few years, with plenty of games of all different types coming out, tailored to every taste you can imagine.
Maybe you want some game that’s fun, energetic, and intense – in which case you might want to pick up a copy of “Exploding Kittens,” which is fast-paced and will likely get some laughs from the kids.
Or, maybe there’s a more complex and long term game that you’d like to try out – such as Settlers of Catan.
In any case, setting up a regular family board game night – or maybe even playing a board game each and every night – could help the family to come together, release steam, share a few laughs, and stay entertained instead of being too distracted and becoming too high strung.
Simply do a bit of your own research online about the different board game options available, and you will quickly see that the choice is just about unlimited.
- Read to them
Statistically, not very many people actually read – never mind reading on a regular basis. But there is good evidence that people who do read books more often are less stressed, have a better ability to focus, and have more active imaginations, than those who don’t read.
There’s also good evidence that getting your kids into reading from an early age can help their development in all kinds of ways.
Although audiobooks are now easily available to everyone, spending a bit of time during this quarantine period reading bedtime stories to your kids could be a great idea – both in terms of helping you to bond with them, and also in terms of enjoying some good stories together.
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