Planning a fun day with your kids can be so exciting. Not only do you get more time to bond with your little ones, but they also learn new things. After the pandemic especially, parents have started working from home and spending time with their kids.
More than 40% of parents worked from home during the first half of August. But many didn’t know how to incorporate fun and work together. So if you’re staying indoors and need a break with your babies, here are seven fun things you can do to make time fly!
1. Make sculptures
No, we don’t mean professional-level art; just a few 3D figures and shapes. Buy some no-mess papier-mache and plaster cloth to make toys with your kids. Simply wet the strips and wrap them around a balloon, keeping the top half bare.
Wait for half an hour till the strips harden and then pop the top with a pin or needle. Add some squiggly shapes with colored markers, and you’re done! You can also work with cardboard or styrofoam to make dolls.
2. Plant trees
In order to instill values in your children from a very age, try to get them as close to Mother Nature as possible. Encourage them to try out gardening and plant saplings in your backyard. Even if you don’t have a backyard, you can plant a little shrub or two indoors. But make sure your kids are properly dressed to play around in the dirt and mud.
Awardsafety.com.au specializes in kids’ workwear and makes shirts that are durable and comfortable for them. So now, you don’t have to worry about their tees getting all muddy and stained!
3. Uncover secret messages
Ever wondered what exactly a white crayon does? Well, now you can use it to create secret messages with your little ones! Ask your kids to write something on a white sheet of paper with white crayons and then color all over the paper with watercolors. The wax will push away the paints and reveal the message beneath! This form of art is also known as resist art.
4. Play restaurant
Does your little one love to play the chef? If yes, then nurture this love and make a pretend restaurant. You can easily buy a restaurant-themed dollhouse or toy utensils from a play store. You can pretend to be the customer and ask your kid to whip up an omelet or make some yummy pasta!
If your child is slightly older, say a teenager, you can even get together and make some real food using real tools. Check out any basic recipe on Youtube and try to recreate that together for brunch!
5. Appoint them as an intern
Your kid will often love to annoy you when you’re trying to work peacefully at home. To make their boredom go away and to ensure your work isn’t hampered, appoint your little one as your make-believe intern or assistant. Give them a few sheets of paper, pens, pencils, or any other item that you think might be needed.
Tell them (in a very grave voice) that you need them to do a few menial jobs. For example, you can say, “My boss asked me to draw an elephant and I was wondering if you could hand me that drawing within the next 30 minutes?”
6. Do yoga
Trying out yoga together can be really fun and keep you both healthy and happy. You can try out any basic postures and teach them to your kids. If you don’t know any, there are many apps out there to guide you. Try doing this in the early morning or afternoon to ensure peace of mind and happiness.
7. Make a race car track
This requires little effort but is a very exciting game. All you need is painter’s tape to construct a twisted roadway and a few shoeboxes that will act as obstacles. Take any two toy cars and have a race with your kid to see whose car zooms the fastest!
Over to you…
When you’re working with kids, there are endless ways to keep them engaged. You can make anything up instantly or try out an activity from this list. The important thing is to teach your kids new things every day and have lots of fun!
