Despite the easing of lockdown restrictions, schools, daycare centers, and public playgrounds are still closed. After all, maintaining the required social distance in these areas would be particularly hard. Also, children do not have enough self-control to refrain from touching their faces. This leaves little children at home with their parents, who might be busy working remotely while keeping the house organized, clean, healthy, and calm for everyone.
So, the perennial question of many working parents at the moment is: “What else can I do to keep my children busy?” If you find yourself asking the same question, here are some activities that you can do with your kids (or they can do alone) today:
Do a Puppet Show
On a Saturday afternoon, bust out your old socks and some craft materials because it’s time to do some puppet theater. Add a visual and sound aspect to your usual storytelling. Whether it’s an adaptation of an original Disney storybook or your own bedtime story, your kids will likely enjoy the additional thrill of a puppet show.
Make a day with this. Build your puppet production with your kids. Allow them to unleash their creativity in coloring the characters and designing the stage. It will allow them to tap their artistic side and make simple decisions. You can also help them build their confidence by allowing them to tell the story themselves.
Ride the Potty Train
It has been quite a trend for parents to potty train during the quarantine. According to some, since they are not doing anything right now, they might as well get on with it. The prolonged time that you are with your kids would ensure training without interruption. However, the real test of potty training is when you go out, and your kid does not encounter an accident. So, doing that part of your potty training curriculum maybe a bit of a problem.
Introduce Household Chores
Children under the age of three would benefit from doing household chores added to their routine. They definitely won’t do a good job, but involving them with tasks like putting away their toys, cleaning the floor with a hand vacuum, or folding laundry would give them a sense of accomplishment and pride.
Do Backyard Activities
If you have a large backyard, you can take some time to build a playground where your kids can roleplay and engage their imagination. You can buy them some flashlights and magnifying glass and encourage them to pretend like a detective or purchase building materials for kids so that they can act like architects, engineers, or new-build contractors while playing. Allowing your children to tire themselves out while they talk and jump around can help them burn their excess energy and maybe bring them to sleep at an earlier time.
You might be having a hard time right now with work, household chores, and childcare, and so is everyone else. So, don’t be too hard on yourself. The pandemic brought us many problems, but it gave us opportunities to be with our families. Engage with your kids a bit more. Learn their hobbies and eat your meals with them. Embrace these new circumstances as you try to keep a healthy, organized, and calm home amid a pandemic.
