10 Fun Activities To Do During Quarantine

With most of the world observing social distancing in the form of school and work closures, you’re probably at home with children who are bored and scared about what is going on.

I’ve already shared a blog on how to talk to children in ways that reassure and empower them. In this blog, I’ll share 10 fun and engaging activities you can do with your children to strengthen your bonds, develop their creativity and, have fun as a family.

I deliberately chose activities you can do with things you’d normally have at home. Remember, the more fun you have, the less stressed you’ll be and the less likely you’ll be to get sick.

1. Sing together. 

Sing songs you know and think about changing the words, or translating them to another language, or, pretend to be your favorite performer. Singing relieves stress because it’s fun and, when you take deep breaths in order to sing you slow down the fight or flight stress response.

2. Draw with your children. 

Use finger-paint water colors, or, simply a pen and paper. When your child is done, ask them to tell you about their drawing. You may be surprised to find out that they’re worried or scared giving you an opportunity to answer their questions, reassure them and teach them healthy ways to manage their stress.

3. Go to an outside space where you won’t be exposed to others and ‘hunt’ certain animals, insects, shapes or colors.

4. Make a maze or a broad jumping course with tape on the floor and challenge your children to jump over the tape without touching it or go through the maze as fast as they can without touching the tape.

5. Pretend to be an exotic animal.

How does it behave? What does it sound like?  What does it like to eat? If your child is young, looking all these things up on the internet with them is a good use of screen time.

6. Have a treasure hunt. 

Hide things around the house and ask your kids to find them. If your kids are older, give them a ‘treasure map’ made up of clues or riddles which will lead them to the ‘treasure’.

7. Fill a Ziploc bag with rice and hide some small objects in it. 

Have your kids close their eyes, reach in and feel for the objects you put in there such as a spool of thread, a coin, a small plastic toy, etc. Have them describe what they find without looking at it.

8. Have races with your kids and make them more challenging by placing boiled eggs on spoons you hold in your mouths.

9. Do housework together and make it fun. 

Make up songs as you do it or make it into a game. Kids love to help, especially the younger ones. For the older ones make it fun: pretend the laundry basket is a basketball net and pretend the broom handle is a microphone.

Make homemade playdough:

• Take 8 tbsp of plain flour and mix them with 2 tbsp table salt. Make a crater in the center of the mixture
• In a separate bowl mix together: 60ml warm water, 1 tbsp vegetable oil  and food coloring.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the flour and salt and mix well.
• Take the mixture out of the bowl and knead it until it is smooth.

I’d love to hear from you. What fun indoor activities do you and your children enjoy?

Source: 360Moms