10 Fun Things To Do With Kids at Home!

 Nowadays, many parents are opting to keep their kids home and safe, for, well. pandemic reasons, of course. Kids will understand, but for some, staying at home can be dull and boring. We can change their perspective by organizing some fun things to do with the family at home. As a parent, we want them to learn and be productive even when staying indoors. The key is to be resourceful and creative about the activities you think your family and kids will enjoy. Here is a list of fun-filled family projects that you can do at home.

 

1. Work of Art

Allow kids to express themselves freely through paintings and let them enjoy the process. Painting, coloring, or doodling can start early as three. Being creative helps them to develop their mental, emotional, and social wellness. They can improve their fine motor skills by moving the brush or holding a pencil. Letting them experiment with colors allows them to think freely and boosts their creativity. Most importantly, the arts help them build up their self-confidence, especially when they are happy with what they do. You can search for some arts and crafts to do at home or purchase art sets for your little ones on Amazon. Allow them to draw freely, and you would be surprised by what they can do. Do not forget to take a photo and display their artwork. And most of all, appreciate their masterpiece!

 

 

 

2. Expressing Gratitude

Teaching your kids to be grateful at an early age will come a long way and will have an impact on their well-being. Appreciating what they have will make them happier, contented, and have a positive outlook on life. Apart from reminding them of saying please and thank you every day, you may be wondering how you can instill gratitude through fun-filled family activities? Here are a few ideas.

• Take turns in saying a thank you prayer before every meal. At dinner, ask them to share the most awesome thing that happened to them that day.

• Play a game using categories. Ask each of your kids about the things that they love and why. (songs, movies, foods, places, people, class subjects, colors, sports, etc.) This will make them appreciate what they have, and the things they experienced in their lives.

• Read Gratitude Books. Talk about the stories or characters and the moral of being thankful.

• Make a thank-you note. Give your kids some post-it notes and encourage them to post thank you notes for mom, dad, or their siblings on the fridge. Make them think about how the person will feel reading their notes.

• Make a Gratitude box or jar. Each day, ask them to write what they are thankful for and put it in the box or jar. It can be their favorite plush toy or just by being with their mom and dad.

 

 

3. Fun in Chores

They sure have a lot of time indoors, and it will be good for them to learn some chores. Instead of spending their time on gadgets and consoles, why not teach them to help mom and dad around the house?  Let them know that everything they do to help matters and appreciate them for helping out. But how can you encourage them to do the chores?

• Helper of the Week Award. Create a list of tasks for each child. Ask them to put a sticker on the completed task. The kid with the most stickers earned will have the Helper of the Week Award.

• Task and Reward List. List different chores and the equivalent reward they can get for doing that specific chore. For example, making the bed means 30 minutes of video games/tablet time, or they can get another 30 minutes of screen time for sweeping the floor. It is a good way of controlling their screen hours and helps them learn more about house chores.

• Hide Treats or a Quarter. You can hide snacks, biscuits, chocolate bars, or even a quarter on the areas they will clean. Ask your child to dust the room and find them. Once done, they can enjoy the yummy treats, or they save the quarter in their coin banks.

• Do a Scavenger Hunt. Hunt the mess one room at a time and set a timer. Let your kids find the clutters, and they must be put in their proper places. (eg. dirty laundry on the hamper, toys on the box, shoes on the rack.) The kid who has the most removed clutters wins!

 

 

4. Building Skills

• Construct a Lego City. It is a fun way to enhance your child’s cognitive and fine motor skills. Help them build houses using Lego bricks, mega blocks, magnetic tiles, or other related toys they may have. It will help them identify colors and shapes. They will also learn more about balance, gravity, and geometry. Building structure blocks is a good way of spending time wisely rather than being hooked up on TV and gadgets.

• Build a Fort, a Tepee, or a Tent. These little forts are always part of every childhood, and we want our kids to experience them too. We want them to be creative and imaginative in building their own little spaces. It will add additional comfort to them as they have this little spot in a room. They can crash in this tiny cozy place to rest and play. You can put a flashlight or snacks if they want to play camping, or add lights and pillows for your little princess’ pretend castle.

 

 

5. Science Experiments

Doing easy science experiments at home encourages your child to be resourceful, increases their intellectual curiosity, and makes them want to ask more questions and discover the world. It is a great activity for your family, as your kids are free to discover new things. They may develop interests, explore new hobbies, and go on educational ventures. Let them choose which experiment they wish to do. With your supervision, make them involved in preparing, decision-making, and experimenting. 

Whether or not the experiment succeeds, admire them for their participation, skills, and ability to follow the steps. Remember that it is not about the result. It's about them learning through experience, developing skills, and discovering new interests. You can get science experiments that you can do at home, through books, and searching online.

 

 

6. Games

Family games are super fun and intend to unite the members. It also helps develop your kids’ competitiveness, determination, and problem-solving skills, which can be useful in real life. It teaches them to have patience, improve their social skills, and critical thinking. There are many games you can play at home. It can be a board game, an indoor relay game (if you have extra space at home), or card games. The best part of playing games is you get to spend your time together. Nothing is more meaningful than a time well spent with your family. 

 

 

7. Enjoyable Trivia

Learning trivia can be awesome and super fun! It helps your kids exercise their brain health and increase their cognitive function. Your kids can get fascinated, amazed, and discover more about the wonders of the world, space, animals, and history. 

You can organize a trivia game wherein your kids will stand in front of you from a distance. You can ask them to choose a category, ask a trivia question, and whoever answers it correctly can advance one step forward. The kid who reaches you first wins! You can prepare a prize for the winner and small prizes for your other kids who participated. It can be snacks, treats, etc. You can get trivia questions or printables from free sites or Pinterest.

 

 

 

8. Read Books

Your kids might choose to play with toys, watch TV or run around the house over reading books. But how can you encourage them to read and make it look more fun? 

• Create a reading spot in your home. Put on a cozy chair, pillows, and blanket.

• Set a reading hour per day. You can make this a routine, which will encourage them to spend more time reading.

• Choose books or stories that interest them. You can read aloud with them or act out the stories. Be creative, like making funny voices of the characters to make it more interesting.

• Talk about what they have read. Discuss what they have learned from the book each day, what their favorite part is, or what they think will happen next. You can also ask them to write down the things they have learned so they can practice their writing skills.

• Listen to audiobooks. If you have a toddler that cannot read yet, you can listen to audiobooks. They will find it more fun, and it will help develop their vocabulary and comprehension skills.

 

 

9. Bake some Treats

Activities like baking cookies, or cooking meals can help your child build healthy eating habits. It will also help them develop their social and math skills by counting or measuring ingredients. Your kids can also learn new vocabulary and hone their listening skills by following instructions. You can delegate small tasks like, putting the ingredients together, mixing a batter, sprinkling cheese, or cutting cookies. For picky eaters, children will be more likely to eat what they prepared compared to the food that they were served. Guide them at all times when in the kitchen. Who knows? Your kid may become more interested in cooking, which is useful in life or best, they can pursue becoming a chef!

 

 

10. Gardening

With lots of time at home, you can introduce gardening to your children. Children love going outdoors and gardening can help them explore nature and appreciate where fruits and veggies come from. They can learn the science about how plants grow or how insects can contribute to it. It will also help develop their fine motor skills by planting seeds and watering the plants. Your kids will learn organization, patience, and responsibility. They can also learn the importance of food, not to waste them, and can influence healthy eating habits.

 

If you wish to be fit and find some time to exercise at home with your kids, you may visit our previous blog about "5 Ways To Exercise As a Parent With Young Kids."

At MEMEENO, we always look out for you and support you in your mom journey. We want to help you take care of yourself, so you can give the best care to your little ones. Pamper yourself with our MEMEENO Spa! Visit MEMEENO SPA Now!