34 Things To Do When Bored And Stuck At Home With Kids
There are times when our kids are stuck at home, might be because they are ill, on holidays or for reasons beyond our control. But who said this time has to be the end of our lives. There are a lot of fun things we can do as a family when we feel stuck at home with our kids. Some of which are:
1. Singing
Singing is a fun way to relax. My kids have a great love for songs like ‘Down to Earth’ by Justin Beiber and ‘Never grow old’ by Taylor Swift. We enjoy jamming to these songs when we are at home and trust me there is never a dull moment doing this.
2. Dancing
Outside of being a good way to exercise, dancing is also a good way to cool off and enjoy the moment.
3. Cleaning The House
Time spent at home is a good opportunity for us to teach our kids basic skills so they can be more efficient and self-reliant rather than being overly dependent on others. I emphasized on this subject in one of my blog posts titled Life Skills Kids Need To Learn Before Leaving Home.
4. Cooking
Cooking just like cleaning is an important life skill kids should learn early on because it is wise for people to be able to nourish themselves when they want rather than rely solely on others to help them.
5. Play Imagination Games
Playing games is a good way to pass time when at home and imagination games are one of such games kids can engage in. As a child, I used to play them a lot and now that I am a mom, I find it interesting to play this game with my kids. We could for instance imagine we were with our loved ones, ask possible questions they would have asked us and answer back all the while mimicking their voices. The purpose of this game is basically to have fun and still stay connected to our world.
6. Take Turns To Read Stories
Reading stories is a very fun way to encourage our kids to be good readers. So when you are indoors with your kids, you can engage their minds with this activity that is both educative and fun.
7. Watch Cartoons
I Love Cartoons, my son does too. So if we are indoors together, cartoons are one of the many things we can watch to relax.
8. Do Laundry
It is wise to teach our kids to be responsible early on and learning to wash their clothes is a skill that will benefit them both now and in the future.
9. Home School Them
Educating our kids when they are stuck at home with us, is something we can do as their parents. By homeschooling them, we develop them mentally and allow them to improve in an environment they are familiar with.
10. Call Friends
Keeping in touch with friends and communing regularly with them via calls is also something good our kids can do when they are home.
11. Go Through Family Pictures
Going through your family album is a good way to spend time at home with your kids. It not only helps you relax but it also reminds you of the wonderful memories you have built over time as a family.
12. Play A Game Called “Names Of Favorite Places I Have Been To”
Games are a very good way of engaging the minds of kids, the good thing about this particular game is that adults can participate in it and it is an educative game.
13. Share Thoughts On What You Will Do After The Indoor Period
It is good to encourage our kids to plan for the time after the Indoor period, so they can be better prepared for this time.
14. Watch Your Favourite Movies Together
This is a beautiful way to enjoy the moment and explore those collections of movies that you haven’t had time to watch.
15. Play Video Games Together
One way to engage the family in times of boredom is to play interesting video games. Playing video games could help stimulate the power of imagination.
16. Do Video Calls With Family Members And Friends
Keeping in touch with family members and friends through video calls is a great way to spend time with your family.
17. Keep Up With The Latest News On Television
Tune in to your television and keep up with the latest news to keep yourself informed of the happenings around the world.
18. Have A Book Club
Organize a book club with your family members where each one of them talks about his/her favorite book/author.
19. Take Memorable Pictures Together
What seems like a dull moment might end up being a memorable one when we look at the pictures taken together in such times.
20. Plan For The Coming Month
Planning for the coming months takes your mind away from the boredom of the moment, and connects you with the future.
21. Organize The House
Teaching our kids to organize their environment during their time at home is a good way to instill orderliness and neatness in them.
22. Delete Unwanted Mails
This can be a good time to go through emails and delete those not needed.
23. Share Ideas On How To Make The World A Better Place
With the availability of internet services, our kids can communicate with the world from the comfort of their rooms, and share valuable ideas that can influence the world positively.
24. Write Letters To Friends And Loved Ones
With your kids at home, time might appear to have stopped moving and boredom is sets in most times. Thinking of how best to pass the time? Well, encouraging the kids to write letters to friends and loved ones is a good way to keep them busy.
25. Have Breakfast Together
Having breakfast together as a family can be fun. Aside from the benefit of bonding together, it is usually a happy moment to look up to.
26. Do A Family Project
This could be a perfect time to engage your family in a project. There are several projects you could decide to undertake, could be painting, re-arranging the furniture, just about anything that allows you to work together as a team.
27. Take Turns To Educate Each Other On Your Favorite Subjects
Allowing each member of the family the opportunity to discuss their favorite subjects with everyone not only creates an avenue for everyone to be educated but also helps to build the confidence that kids need and makes everyone’s voice to be heard.
28. Stage A Play/Drama
When you have your kids all around with nowhere to go, consider staging a play or a drama. It’s usually an exciting experience.
29. Exercise Together
It is good to instill the habit of exercising in our kids as early as possible, not just because of its health benefit but also because it helps them to be mentally fit.
30. Write Short Stories
Growing up as a child in a family of three, with me being the first child, my parents used to lay on me the responsibility of encouraging my siblings to write short stories during our spare time after school. Such stories were then read to them in turns after dinner. Not only did this boost our self-confidence as children, but it also encouraged us to be creative and share our ideas however silly they might have seemed.
A lot of positive transformation can happen in the life of kids when we encourage them to be creative and writing stories I think, is one of the ways to encourage this.
31. Learn A Different Language
Learning a different language is a plus to anyone in this highly globalized world of ours. kids are very much open to new ideas so it is best to teach them early enough.
32. Teach Family History
A people without knowledge of their history are forever lost. Owing to the different ideologies being churned out every day, there is a high tendency for people to lose their sense of identity, and forget who they are. Therefore, teaching your family history to your kids is priceless.
33. Gardening
Gardening is an interesting activity that can be used to engage the minds of our kids when they are stuck at home. Teach them to plant those beautiful flowers and trees that will bear their favorite fruits, and they sure will thank you for it, maybe not now but sometime in the future.
34. Draw And Say Something Special About Each Family Member
Now, this is a somewhat silly game, but it is still something fun our kids can do when they are home. Provide them with drawing boards, colors and space to show you how they see the world through their mind’s eye. Who knows, this might just be the starting point for you to produce great artists like Leonardo Da Vinci or Vincent Van Gogh.
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Excellent article. I am facing some of these issues as well..