Hello to The Rabbit’s 1st edition of ‘Kids at home! What to do?’
The thought of being stuck at home for several weeks with your kids can be somewhat daunting. But don’t despair. No matter how old your children are, all you need is a routine which guides you through the day, and plenty of age-appropriate activities. Well it may not be that easy, but let’s try and make the best of this situation!
Before you start to wonder what activities might be best, check out which materials and things you have at home and can utilize. Kids are masters in making use of the simplest of things and take great joy in the most basic activities, particularly when sharing these moments with their family. Or perhaps you have some activities you have wanted to do for some time!
To get started, let’s look at the following activities, taken from a vast pool. Of course, not all will be applicable as it depends on your kids’ and your preference and set up. But why not also trying something new! In the coming days and weeks we will go into individuals activities with actual examples so to trigger ones imagination and ultimately have a fun time!
Drawing: Easter is coming, flowers are already blossoming, so plenty to spur the imagination. If you want some guidance as to what to draw, there are plenty of drawing templates available on the internet. Drawing is one way for kids to express their emotions, so it should be given sufficient room to develop.
Arts & Crafts: this really is an entire universe of options. Let’s start with the most obvious: what can one do with a cardboard delivery box and sticky tape? You will be amazed and you may even have to sit in it! In the following days we will share a couple of simple but fun arts & crafts ideas.
Cooking: there are plenty of easy recipes you can prepare with your kids even when at pre-school age. Topping one’s pizza and eating it is a magical thing and if you want to be daring, let your kid roll the pastry for you! Also what is more fun than making pancakes and checking out whether parents can flip pancakes (I am not suggesting that children do the flipping)!
Reading: in case you still have your own books from childhood, why not share them with the next generation? Depending on the age, reading in turns is probably one of the most special family bonding activities. Additionally, and I normally do not recommend internet pages, as there are plenty and everyone is already set up with their preferences, I am a fan of www.antolin.de for elementary school kids. Not because of the reading points one can collect, but because of the interactive nature of the set up. Read a book, go online, search for the book, read aloud the questions relevant to the text (also great for children who are multi-lingual and need to practice) and answer them. Doing the whole exercise together also means sharing the reading experience with your kid.
Interactive games: watching children when at play, be it in a group or by themselves, busy with their projects, gives great insights into what they are currently concerned with, and how there are growing up. Hence playing with one’s kid becomes more than just an entertainment activity. Also here we have a vast range of options and we will highlight some, with the focus on ‘back to basics’.
Music: I am not saying you do not have to be musical to make music, but one can even make decent rhythms with the most basic percussion instruments and of course, putting some rice in a sealed kitchen paper cardboard tube is just perfect for that! Singing a known and catchy melody in parallel adds to the spirit! Yes it does!
Audio books: after you have spent much of the day preparing various meals, cleaning, playing with your kids and let’s not forget working, perhaps it is time to introduce audio books so everyone gets some ‘down time’. Easy to download from the internet, of which plenty are free of charge. Just make sure that the device it is played from does not become the centre of attention – so ideally no visuals – and that the stories suit your kid’s age and imagination.
Physical exercise: very elementary but often underestimated. Physical exercise is also a good remedy when the mood hits rock bottom. Putting on music and dancing to it does wonders and does not need much space! Also here we will share a couple of simple but fun games!
