Physical activity is a very crucial aspect of a child’s development and growth. However, disruptions over the past year have made it difficult for them to move around freely outdoors.
This is cutting into their playtime and affecting their physical and mental health, as homeschooling has become the new normal. For parents the challenge of managing their home chores, work from home or go to work, while the children stay at home all day, adds to the stress.
At our recent virtual Parenting Masterclass, expert Mansi, in an interactive exchange with parents, guided them through how to homeschool kids and prepare them for a post-COVID world. As an extension, we’re sharing a few expert tips on how to ensure children are engaged and kept active within the confines of one’s home.
Here’s a look at 10 expert tips:
1. DIY sessions
Do-It-Yourself crafts have become very popular today and the things you need to indulge in making DIY artwork is mostly basic stationery items.
Making DIY art and craft is very engaging for kids. It focuses on their creative abilities and gives them a sense of achievement every time they are successfully able to make something new.
There are many DIY artwork channels on YouTube and you can visit any of them to start getting better with your little ones. Check out some of the best DIY artwork in the link below.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_Z0lHvBRQ9AGfb1Ti2ZOHw/videos
2. Journal Writing
Journal writing is being widely accepted as a healthy habit for individuals of all ages.
Teaching your children to write about their day could help you know them more intimately and actively communicate about their problems from a very early age.
3. Encourage them to read
Reading is becoming an increasingly lost entertainment medium. However, there is no argument that it is definitely one of the most engaging. Reading improves diction, triggers imagination, and escalates knowledge.
All of these qualities are very important in your child’s overall development. So, don’t forget to encourage your children to start with small bedtime stories and develop a reading habit.
4. Cooking
Cooking can be an interesting hobby for kids to develop at a young age. Not only is it a valuable life skill that readies them for adulthood, but also encourages them to get creative and experiment with different flavours, colours, and taste palates.
You can start easy with cookie dough making or salad dressing and build it up from there.
Here’s an easy recipe you can draw some inspiration from:
|| 3 Breakfast Recipes Kids Can Make On Their Own ||
5. Board Games and Puzzles
Instead of succumbing to extended periods of screen-time all day, encouraging them to solve problems by playing board games and puzzles can be pivotal in their cognitive growth.
There are a thousand options for you to pick from including legos, abacus, and graphic puzzles. Even if your children like playing mobile games, make sure they download age-appropriate applications that develop cognitive skills (eg. Chess, monopoly).
6. Story Narration
If you ever pay attention to your children when they are playing alone, you might notice how wondrous their imagination is. Children often use their toys and imaginary settings to develop rich stories that remain untold.
Encourage your children to put these stories down or help them learn how to narrate it successfully to capture the audience. This will not only help develop their communication skills but also, teach them to structure their thoughts and create compelling narratives.
7. Gardening or Pet Care
Every parent wants their children to grow up into responsible and caring adults. To start this process early on in their lives, teaching them how to plant seeds and grow them could be the stimulus they need.
Alternatively, you could also ask them to take care of the home pets and contribute to their well-being by being responsible.
8. Exercise
An active body is a fit body and the formative years are very important to develop physically.
Teaching children how to take care of their bodies by picking up yoga, calisthenics, or aerobic exercises can make a huge difference in their overall development and well-being at home. Even something as simple as stretches that you could do with your child, will encourage this healthy lifestyle habit.
9. Get closer to nature
Sometimes spend time with them close to nature. The spot could be inside your housing complex, the small balcony garden, or even the breezy building terrace.
This exposure outside will give them the much necessary Vitamin D even while staying at home. It will also give them the much needed disconnect from modern appliances and develop a connection with the natural world.
10. Recycle art
From used markers to ice-cream sticks, recycle art can be made with anything that has outlived its usefulness. Whether you want to create painted glass bottle lanterns or use old CDs to add some panache to new creations, recycle art can be very engaging.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC57XAjJ04TY8gNxOWf-Sy0Q
Check out amazing recycle art ideas on this YouTube channel.
These are our 10 tips to keep your children occupied at home. Encourage them to pick up any of these activities at home and make their homeschooling more fruitful and active.
You could also watch the live recording of the Club Outdo Parenting Masterclass in the link here and find out what expert Mansi Sanghvi Bhayani has to say about keeping children happy indoors during the pandemic.
Got a few tried and tested tips of your own? Post them in the comments here so the entire Club Outdo community can benefit.
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