Many parents, when staying home with their children for more than just a weekend, wonder how to spend time together in a meaningful and productive way. This question often comes up during summer break, winter holidays, or when a child is sick. But when schools close, it becomes an even more pressing concern. Here are a few creative and constructive ways to enjoy time with kids in the comfort of your own home!
Cooking with Your Child
Cooking together offers kids a chance to have fun while learning valuable skills. They practice following a recipe or instructions from a parent, learn to be cautious, and develop an understanding of culinary intuition, patience, and entirely new skills. Start with a simple dish or treat that your child enjoys, and prepare it together from scratch. This helps children understand that not everything comes easily and that creating certain things is a time-consuming and effortful process. Let them get messy, and don’t forbid tasks that are safe for them. Decorating cupcakes or a cake is just the icing on the cake of the whole experience. Make sure your child stays engaged throughout the process. And if you’re not a culinary whiz, you can have fun making colorful sandwiches or small snacks together.
Board and Card Games
In the digital age, it’s refreshing to turn to a different kind of shared entertainment: classic board games. If you still have some of the old favorites from years past, it’s almost a duty to show your kids what you played before online entertainment was everywhere. The current board game market is also filled with impressive, new options. Choose a specific game based on your child’s age and interests. For older children, classic games like Scrabble or Monopoly, as well as strategy games, can be great fun. With younger ones, skill-based games like Jenga can be engaging, as well as games that include toys. Some games also help develop fine motor skills, adding an educational bonus. For a more grown-up option, try RPGs, which require imagination and commitment and are often so engaging that electronic devices quickly lose their appeal.
DIY with Your Child
The internet is full of tutorials that show how to create something entirely new using everyday items. We live in a time where access to information is incredible and limitless; we just need to know how to make the most of it. Together, we can make toys or gadgets, like a cardboard dollhouse, furniture from boxes, or clothing from unused fabrics lying around the house. We can also tidy up tools and prepare a small box for a child’s first essential workshop items, ensuring that everything is safe.
Additionally, we can create decorations for your child’s room, enhancing or starting from scratch with elements of their decor, such as interesting lighting that can be made easily and cheaply. Making musical instruments can also be a fun idea, leading to a mini concert or the chance to compose a simple song together. This is also a great opportunity to prepare a handmade gift for an upcoming occasion.
Teaching Proper Teeth Brushing
This is a perfect opportunity to teach younger children good hygiene habits, including oral hygiene. By doing this, we can use our time together not only for fun but also to instill beneficial practices that will last a lifetime. However, learning how to brush teeth properly can also be a very engaging activity.
One way to make it fun is by using the Oral-B Disney Timer app, which rewards children with virtual prizes for proper brushing. This takes place on a mobile phone screen, where the goal is to reveal a hidden image by brushing for the right amount of time. At the same time, it's important to ensure that the child is brushing correctly, following our instructions, and to continuously correct any mistakes. The app is free and compatible with Oral-B Kids products. However, it’s crucial to remember that it’s not just about having fun; we need to cover all aspects of teaching proper teeth brushing.
Joint Exercises or Dancing
Another important aspect of self-care is physical activity. During the time spent at home, especially when our child is not sick, it’s essential to suggest a dance party or some home fitness together. From a young age, we should instill values related to maintaining fitness and health. We should emphasize the benefits of an active lifestyle at every turn, keeping it ideologically far from being viewed as a chore.
For younger children, dancing is an excellent option. We’re not talking about grueling workouts, but rather about having fun together that also engages our bodies. What are the benefits beyond just boosting mood? Endorphins, a sense of well-being, healthy development, and... deeper sleep for the child, which we will surely be grateful for come evening time.
Coloring, Cutting, and Sculpting
We should nurture our brains in various directions. Just because we feel we might not be suited for a particular area doesn’t mean we should avoid it altogether. On the contrary, let’s stimulate ourselves and our children in multiple ways. Beyond dancing, movement, hygiene, entertainment, and cooking, it’s also worth considering arts and crafts. These activities enhance abstract thinking, imagination, and manual skills. Additionally, passive engagement with art helps shape taste and broaden horizons.
If you have albums featuring valuable classical artwork, it can be beneficial to browse through them with your child. You can play a game of copying and reproducing famous pieces. Even if the results aren’t particularly impressive, it often leads to lots of fun. If you lack inspiration, there are plenty of coloring books available, ranging from simple designs to complex large images, including stress-relief coloring books for various age groups. You can also suggest drawing themes, organize an art competition based on a specific style or theme, or for those who enjoy more hands-on activities, recommend sculpting with modeling clay or making salt dough.
Knowledge Quiz with Prizes
This is not only an excellent way to review school material but also a fun opportunity to organize a general knowledge quiz reminiscent of the ones on television. You can set up a station, involve other family members, and create questions that link knowledge gained in school with pop culture, fairy tales, and movie characters.
You can base the scoring system on that of a well-known quiz show. It’s also a good idea to establish an appropriate prize, which doesn’t have to be material; it could represent a specific privilege. For example, the winner could enjoy three days of not having to clean up after themselves.
Collaborative DIY Projects
This is a fantastic way to spend time with both boys and girls. In the previous section, we talked about creating a first toolset. Now it’s time to learn what those tools can be used for. What can we do? Disassemble broken items, toys, or appliances. Sometimes, the reason for a malfunction can be trivial, and the item can easily be given a new lease on life.
However, we must exercise caution and remember that this also teaches young people to follow safety regulations. Working together on repairs fosters a sense of responsibility for belongings. Additionally, collaboratively constructing something simple teaches patience, planning, and execution.
Conclusion
Spending time with children at home can be both valuable and fun. The article presents a variety of ideas for shared activities, such as cooking, board games, DIY projects, and quizzes. These creative pursuits help develop children's skills, strengthen family bonds, and teach valuable life lessons.