I know everyone has been sharing amazing ideas for ways to get creative and keep children learning and engaged at home, but I wanted to share my favorite ways to keep your kiddos busy when they’re taking brain breaks and just being kids! We have been out of school for about three weeks now and are currently on shelter-in-place so the kids are definitely getting stir crazy! We’ve been doing our best to keep them active and spend lots of time outside, so I wanted to share a list of some ideas for keeping kids busy and getting energy out too!
-Chalk Sensory Course!
I’m sure you’ve seen these floating around Facebook, it’s a fun little “obstacle course” type path made with chalk. My Sister-in-law did one with her kids and my boys loved taking a ride to go try it out! You could do one on the sidewalk for people walking by or on your own backporch or somewhere self-isolated! From a sensory standpoint, make sure it includes lots of squatting, spinning, and jumping if you really want to make sure your kids are getting as much sensory input as possible! (photo is from Kids Activity Blog) These are so great for kids who need to get out some energy!
–Plant a Garden
While it’s nice if you have some room, even a little pot in the window bring a little happiness and it’s fun to get dirty! You can start seeds from many grocery store vegetables so grab some dirt and get to planting! My Mom always made us help with our family garden growing up and I have great memories of being so proud of the things we grew. Sawyer has really taken an interest in gardening so he helped me plant our garden last week and the other three helped water it. It’s been a fun distraction!
-Dance Parties! Crank up the music and jam! Close your windows if you don’t want the neighbors to see or take it outside and see if your neighbors very distantly want to join in! I don’t think anyone loves to dance as much as kids! If you’re kiddos have trouble finding their groove, check out sites like GoNoodle to get moving! Costumes are always a bonus for dance parties!
-Build a fort! Yes, you’ll probably be the one cleaning it up, but my kids love building forts. Lately they’ve figured out how to make 2-level forts using the couch and our Nugget and they’ll take the legos in their and play for so long until it finally collapses. Forts are just one of those magical things you remember fondly from your childhood! If the fun starts to run out, just change the game a little and encourage them to use their imagination- maybe it’s a pirate ship or a rocketship about to blast off to space!
–Coronavirus Memory Pages for Kids–
I’m literally printing these right now. We’re living through history and I want my kids to be able to look back and see what it was like to be kids during this. I think my older two will have fun looking around the realizing what is different right and now and writing it down and then looking back on this someday. This is definitely a time like no other! These printables are free from: https://www.facebook.com/LongCreations/. She is offering them completely free and asking that people who use them consider making a donation to a cause of their choice!
-Make something! It really doesn’t matter what, as long as everyone gets involved! I have a box in our kitchen that I throw all of our scrap craft supplies in- extra buttons, pipe cleaners, leftover stickers, fun ads with Disney characters, etc. Just opening it gets the creative juices rolling, so many supplies! My kids will sit down with a pair of scissors, the box, and glue and just collage to their hearts content. Sometimes they’re building 3-D art and sometimes it’s just drawing on old ads but they love it! Bonus points if you take the fun outside for a little sunshine while you work!
-A “What If” or “Imagination” jar
Some kiddos can play on their own for hours while others need a little direction. We made a “what-if?” or “imagination jar” once that is full of little paper slips that have easy prompts to keep the play going or give ideas for kiddos who aren’t sure how to use their imagination. This is a great idea for kids from trauma backgrounds who need a little more direction in playtime as well. Anytime they don’t know what to do next, they can just pull out another prompt and it will help them have ideas for what to play! Some of the prompts in our jar are: “What if a giant T-rex showed up?” “What if everyone had to move in slow motion?” “What if everyone turned into Chickens?” We like to keep them silly and light=hearted for our little guys. I shared more info on our jar here.
– Rock Hunting!
Sounds silly, but even I love looking through rocks for that special one. We are lucky to have some rocks in our yard, but most shelter-in=place orders allow some outdoor exercise each day. Make the most of it by hunting for some fun rocks, maybe you can even take a few home to paint!
-Play Spies! Sometimes when I really need to make a phone call or get something done, I challenge my boys to try to sneak from one end of our house to the other without me seeing them. It keeps them busy and buys me 10 minutes of quiet time! They love playing it in the backyard too, trying to make it from one end of the yard to the other without getting tagged (you can only get tagged while you’re running from one hiding spot to another). It’s a great game!
I would love to know how you guys are keeping your kiddos busy during this time and hope these ideas help a little! Much love out to all of the super-parents out there holding down the fort! Whether you’re hiding in your room eating chocolate or navigating the dozens of school emails you get everyday (both of which are things I do everyday), you got this!
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