The coronavirus pandemic has greatly changed the world we live in. With the social distancing precautions in place, families are now forced to stay home together, which can be challenging as our daily routines are disrupted and kids become restless.

Here are some suggested activities to keep kids entertained during this isolation period.

Arts and Crafts

• Watch art lessons online – transform your kids’ YouTube screen time to art time
• Make hand-drawn cards and letters for family and friends
• Create your family tree on the wall
• Origami paper animals and flowers
• Make puppets and put on a puppet show
• Write a time capsule letter to be opened in 10 years
• Download free activity sheets online and print them out here

Educational

• Watch science or history documentaries
• Listen to kids’ audiobooks or podcasts
• Learn to play a new musical instrument
• Read books
• Write a journal
• Write stories

Indoor activities

• Board games, play cards and complete puzzles together
• Indoor camping
• Play charades
• Bake yummy treats together
• Make homemade pizza
• Make a home cinema – complete with popcorns, cushions and movie tickets
• Lego building
• Online fitness sessions – burn off that extra energy

Outdoor activities

• Backyard scavenger or Easter egg hunt
• Set up camp in the garden
• Have a picnic lunch in your backyard

Social

• FaceTime with grandparents or other family members or with their friends
• Remote book read-aloud sessions –Facetime with friends or family and hold an online book club. Not only do they get to socialise, they also get to practice reading.
• Pretend-play –a fun activity for all ages that lets your kids’ imagination work. One cool idea is to include them in your work from home schedule and ask them to “work” quietly at their makeshift office.

Kid friendly chores

• Sort and categorise books on your shelf based on colour or height
• Gardening – start your own vegetable garden
• Organise toys
• Let them wash their plastic toys – there’s never been a better time to sanitise them!
• Check out more age-appropriate chore ideas in this link.

There are still plenty of ways to keep your kids entertained. However, it is vital that we don’t put too much pressure on ourselves to come up with all the ideas. Ask your kids to think of a few things to do too and find a balance of activities that works for the family.