Has the coronavirus pandemic changed your life altogether? Messed up with all your summer plans? And left you with nothing but to stay home with loved ones.

As the coronavirus pandemic is in its peak stage taking millions of lives all over the world, the government of India is leaving no stone unturned to keep its citizens safe by acting quickly and taking strict measures to flatten the curve of the spread of disease. 

The country of 1.38 Billion people is forced to stay indoors for a period of 21 days according to the lockdown imposed by the government. Although this quarantine is for our health and safety, it is challenging each one of us differently. Be it with the economy or mental health or physical fitness or unemployment or working from home scenarios with kids and family around. 

Are you a parent struggling to keep kids entertained and occupied during the coronavirus quarantine? Read through the blog for fun ideas you can try with your kids.

Can Quarantine make your kids Dull?

Yes. Quarantine is indeed a difficult and stressful time for everyone. When it comes to kids, who are more volatile and active, things seem to get harder for them. All the schools and play homes are shut giving early vacation to the kids. 

The lockdown forces them to stay indoors without going out to play or meet with their friends. This can take a toll on their mental and physical health. No physical activity can make your kid lazy and dull, which can lead to various diseases. 

Staying indoors all day long and doing nothing productive impacts on their mental well-being as their daily busy routine is hampered. Kids are used to following a routine around which their lives revolve, any changes in this are hard for the kids to adjust with.  

So, it becomes a priority for a parent to keep the kid happy and active during these difficult times.

12 ways to keep your kids Active during the Quarantine

Quarantine with kids is NO easy job. You have to keep them entertained and occupied at all times as they get bored very easily. Things get difficult if you are a working parent and continue to work from home. 

Kids when bored get restless and irritated making them difficult to manage. As a parent, one should understand their situation and try to spend much time with kids as their friends.

Here all you can do to make quarantine fun and entertaining for kids:

•  Chalk out a plan 

It can all be an easy task if you chalk out a plan for the kids to follow, more like their daily routine. Kids are used to following a timetable during the regular times which keeps them busy and disciplined. Hence it becomes a smart idea to pre-plan their day and have a to-do list. So make them prepare a planner themself, trust us that also takes a few hours, and ask them to follow it everyday. For every schedule that they follow you can reward them with a treat too. That could even be some screen time.

• Get them involved in Cooking/Baking

Kids are creative and excited to try something new. Cooking/Baking is a great way to keep them engaged, it will also help them learn a few basics. And it’s always great to have little chefs around helping you. Although parents should keep them under the strict monitor, when in the kitchen.

• Encourage Reading 

As it is rightly said, “Today’s reader is tomorrow’s leader”. Make them read short stories or small interesting articles and then ask them questions on it. This helps them to concentrate and read. You can try online websites offering storytelling/reading competitions. For example : Book Guru (bookguruonline.com). BookGuru’s Book Buddies Series is an online read-aloud with activities promoting comprehension. This not only keeps the children engaged but also further enhances the joy of reading for our avid readers and introduce the pleasure of reading for our reluctant readers.

• Play with them 

Kids love playing and they enjoy it the most when they play with their parents. As you cannot go outdoors, try playing interesting board games or video games. Games like chess, business board game, carrom help them sharpen their thinking and focusing skills.

• Make them Move & Exercise

Quarantine period can take a pause on their physical activity, as all the playgrounds are closed. But it’s necessary to keep their physical activity in check. So make them exercise and workout with you, make them do simple fun exercises. You can play games like badminton, football etc if you have a backyard. Play video games which involve physical movement.

• Assign them easy household chores

Household chores are humongous tasks when you have to do all by yourself, it almost seems like a never-ending chore. This can be one of the best bonding activities when you involve your kids along to do the cleaning. Make them responsible for a small task like cleaning windows or dusting depending on their age. Kids really enjoy these activities as they feel more responsible. 

• Try simple DIY-ideas 

This is the best activity to spend time productively. Watch simple DIY(Do it Yourself) videos on youtube and try doing them with kids. You can also try simple science experiments which will help them in a longer run. Kids enjoy activities like making slime , or even creating a volcano at home. Also, try making simple useful crafts items. Encourage them to make things from waste like tissue roll holder etc. 

• Let their inner Picasso out

What better way to bring out their creativity than ART? Art encourages children to think, develop skills and confidence. Every child is an artist. Give your child an opportunity to paint his/her creativity on the canvas. 

• Host a Story-Telling competition 

Stories and kids, what better way to spend time. Kids have their own way of looking into things and the way they describe a scenario is unique. Dedicate some time on their to-do list to tell one story day, this improves their imagination and expressing skills. Host a storytelling competition to make it more competitive and engaging.

• Engage them in their favourite hobbies

While the summer camps are shut their hobbies must not take a pause. Understand what your child takes interest in, it may be dancing or singing or reading or writing etc. Encourage them to continue doing them. Make online classes available to them. There are various online courses that have slashed their prices also. So it is the perfect time to encourage them to do all those classes that they might not be able to during school days. 

• Watch informative short films 

Take time out to watch films, news or series with them. Make your child aware of the current scenarios, watch short informative movies, general knowledge series or just watch their favourite cartoon. The idea is to give them company and spend maximum time together.

• Connect them with their friends virtually

The lockdown has restricted them to go meet and play with their friends. But you can help them stay connected, by hosting group video calling sessions. This will help them stay close to their friends and make them feel less lonely. As parents, each one can plan a fun activity to keep them engaged for a few hours. Like a quiz on monuments , or famous sports personalities, flags of countries. This can be a fun way of making them learn new things.

Activities You Must Try

1. Jewellery making (use colourful kind kinds of pasta, shells, buttons)
2. Stitching
3. Paper Crafts
4. Dancing
5. Singing (karaoke nights)
6. Potting
7. Exercising
8. Cookie/Cake Baking
9. Essay writing
10. Greeting card Making

 Conclusion

As a parent, it is necessary to stay calm and positive during these tough times. One thing that is easy to lose in this crisis time is your cool and patience. So to maintain your sanity is also important. Indulge into activities that you like. Keep some part of the day as your time and do things that you would like to do like painting or working out. This will not only make you happy but will also energise you to be with the kids. Kids have to be supported and taken care of. It is a great opportunity to use this quarantine to spend extra time with your kids and understand them better. Kids are a blessing and little bundle of endless joy, they are honest and will love you unconditionally. All they want is a little love and lots of time. We wish you to celebrate family time and have fun with your kids!