Living in isolation and keeping your social life at bay is the most struggling phase to deal with in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak. From being lonely to unable to interact with people, home quarantine is really a thing.
And it would be even more challenging if you have kids at home, especially since they can't be allowed to go outside. Also, in order to prevent virus infection, most of the parents are now working from home apart from dealing with their kids. As a result, many of them are tempted to hand over their mobile phones or iPads to keep the kids engaged with some video games, which of course, is not the right thing to do.
Since, it's a challenge to keep your children occupied at home the whole day, and as none of us knows how long this quarantine period will last, here are some simple ideas to keep them engaged.
Let them decide
It is important to know what your kids are actually interested to do during their free time. Ask them to make a daily schedule for themselves. As long as they don't include anything bad, it would be better to accept as it is. They can split the time for art and crafts, reading, writing, online classes, indoor games, science experiments, watching cartoons/movies, cooking and many others.
Art and craft from the trash
Engaging kids with art and craft activities have always been the first choice for parents for years. This is the best way to develop their hidden talents, and for a change, from the usual 'draw whatever you want' or 'paint something', you can ask them to create interesting things mostly from the trash like bottles, paper towel rolls, egg cartons, stones, cardboard, paper bags, plastic bottle caps, old CDs, shoe boxes or even a Pringles can, to name a few.
Learning a new language
This would be an apt period for the kids and even adults, to learn a new language. Multiple free mobile applications are available to help you and they even have tests to see if you have become a pro in the language.
Innovative games
Browse online to find out some innovative and funny indoor games that you can also play with your young ones. You can also utilise this time to re-play the old games you enjoyed during your childhood days.
Science experiments/ fun learning activities
Thousands of videos showing simple kid-friendly science experiments and fun learning activities are available online. You can try to encourage your kids to try out at least one of them each day. Apart from keeping them occupied, these experiments are also informative.
Quiet time
Especially for working parents, it would be really a tough task to handle kids during this home quarantine time. It is impossible to attend a video conference with the kids around. Therefore, it would be a better idea if there is a 'quiet time' in the kids' schedule - a time when they can read some books, listen to music, do puzzles, chess, scrabble, board games, meditation or maybe just sleep.
Household chores
In an attempt to stop spreading Coronavirus infection, health experts have asked the public to maintain personal hygiene. At the same time, it is important to keep your house germ-free and your kids can utilise their free time to clean the common areas, tables, chairs, doorknobs, remotes, sinks, toilets and many other places that you feel might be the breeding grounds for bacteria.
These ideas might also help you!
Browse online to see more interesting ideas so that your kids enjoy and remain safe during this coronavirus quarantine period!