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Whether its summer break, a rainy weekend, or a global pandemic, kids are bound to get bored and restless when theyre stuck inside for too long. Keeping kids active and engaged at home is a common problem for parents. And if youre learning how to balance child care demands with remote work, youre in for a major challenge. Fortunately, there are tons of fun and educational indoor activities that will keep your kids engaged for hours on end. Here are some simple ideas to spark your imagination!
Science Experiments
At-home science experiments are great for bonding with your kids and expanding on the lessons they learn in school. Through hands-on science activities, your kids will learn how their academic studies apply to the world around them. This can help instill a passion or science in young minds. Try classic experiences like making a lava lamp, a storm in a glass, playdough, or a baking soda and vinegar volcano. You might just learn something new yourself!
Explore Your Backyard
If the weather is in your favor and even if its not consider getting outside and exploring your backyard with your kids. Help your kids identify different types of plants and flowers using a local guidebook or smartphone app. Make art out of leaves, sticks, pinecones, and other items you can find on the ground. Observe the clouds and how they change with the weather. Talk about the shadows in your yard and how they move around throughout the day. Theres a whole world of educational activities waiting for your kids outside!
Get Moving
It can be hard for kids to get all the physical activity they need indoors. With a little help from you, however, your kids can enjoy all of the wonderful benefits of exercise in a space of any size. Your kids could play a game of freeze dance or hallway soccer, enjoy a classic hula hoop or jump rope session, set up an indoor obstacle course, or follow along with kid-friendly exercise videos on YouTube. You could also invite your kids to join your workout routine!
Encourage Pretend Play
Tapping into your childrens imagination is the ultimate way to get them thinking, keep them busy for hours, and help them burn off energy. Its easy for kids to get lost in imaginary worlds of their own creation. If your children could use a little guidance to get started with pretend play, put together a dress-up box of your unwanted clothes, encourage your kids to build forts out of old cardboard boxes lying around in storage, ask them to put on a puppet show, or let them use your phone to direct and shoot imaginative movies.
Online Activities
You can find all kinds of educational activities for kids online. For example, Common Sense Media recommends content-rich websites like PBS Kids, Storybird, and MathGames for children between pre-kindergarten and fifth grade. The internet is also a great source of ideas for hands-on learning activities. You can find online guides to walk you through all kinds of creative projects and kid-friendly fun.
Whatever is keeping your family inside, dont let cabin fever get the better of you and your kids. From science activities to screen-free pretend play, there are so many great ways to keep your kids educated and entertained when you cant leave the house. Using these ideas as a springboard, see what other fun activities you can come up with!
For more great ideas, check out these helpful resources:
- K-12 Science Experiments That Parents and Kids Can Do At Home
- How to Build the Ultimate Pillow Fort + Printable Fort Kit
- 12 Home Workouts for Kids and Parents
- 10 Active Indoor Games for Kids
- 10 Fun and Kid-Friendly Knitting Projects
- Over 50 Fun Recipes for Kids to Make and Eat
- Easy, 10-Minute Crafts for Kids
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