Fun Activities for Kids Spending a LOT of Time at Home
Whether you're on school break or it's just the weekend, your family is probably spending more time at home than ever. If you've had enough movie nights to program an entire film festival and are hungry for something (anything!) different, we hear you.
There are lots of tips out there about how to get through all this extra time at home unscathed, but we’d rather you get through it smiling with a ton of fun new memories and experiences under your belt. Here’s how to make it work.
Create a Go-To Fun Kit
If you’re working and need to concentrate on deadlines and
meetings, you’ll need your girl to take initiative and create her own
fun from time to time. Make it easy for her by putting together a box
or large tote bag full of supplies that can spark her imagination or
that she can use for specific projects on her own. For instance, you
might include individual items, like sidewalk chalk, bubbles, a jump
rope, and a magnifying glass, but then also include a DIY sock puppet
kit (markers, yarn, glue, spare buttons if you have them, and a
few old white socks) in its own bag.
Start a Book Club
If your girl and her friends love reading, coordinate with
other parents and have the girls all read the same book.
When they’re finished, host a special playdate over video chat where
the girls dress up like their favorite characters and share art
they’ve made inspired by their favorite scenes. It’s worth reaching
out to the book’s author as well to see if she’d be interested in
popping into the girls’ meeting to say hi and answer any questions.
You might not get a yes, but you definitely won’t if you don’t try!
Pick a Theme for Each Week
Have your kids help choose fun themes for each week, and
then ask her to suggest ways to incorporate the themes into meals,
activities, and even the movies you might watch in the evenings.
The most important thing about this idea is to let your girl take the
lead. If she’s busy making posters to hang around your home or
decorating sugar cookies with icing whiskers for “cat week,”
she’ll feel more ownership and excitement over these projects and
she’ll be less likely to complain that she’s bored while you’re on an
important conference call.
See Nature Through Her Eyes
Whether you have access to a local park, your backyard, or even
just a tree or two on your street, give her a small notebook and have
her fill it with drawings, notes, or even poems about what she sees
outside. What colors does she notice? Are there birds or
squirrels around? What about people and pets? Does she notice any
bugs? What does the air smell like? How do things look close up versus
far away?
Learn a Whole Dance Routine Together
Have your girl pick a music video she loves and then learn the
dance routine together as a family. Who cares if you look a little
silly or can’t do every move perfectly—that’s not the point. This
activity will get everyone moving, which can boost your mood and
improve sleep, and probably get you laughing, which is never a bad
thing. When you’ve finally got the whole routine memorized and can do
it from start to finish, record yourselves doing the dance. There’s no
need to share on social media unless everyone agrees that’s a good
idea (and definitely don’t share if anyone doesn’t feel good
about it!), but you’ll be so glad to have it as a sweet family memory
to look back on in years to come.
Swap Screens for Sundaes
If you’re like many families,
you’ve been spending more time on screens than ever. Give your eyes a
break by trading your phones, tablets, laptops, and even the TV for a
yummy sundae bar once a week. You might hear a grumble or two at first
when your kids (or even your partner!) hear that you’re setting aside
some screen-free time, but once they realize it comes with the benefit
of a big scoop of ice cream and DIY toppings, we doubt you’ll hear
many complaints.
There’s no doubt the world has thrown us a few lemons this year. For our kids’ sake and our own sanity, though, it’s time we start making some lemonade. You might be surprised by how sweet it is.
