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Schools closing, businesses not open, limiting social interaction. Life as we know it is not the same right now. This is a tough time right now for everyone across the world. How to entertain your kids at home during the coronavirus lockdown is the question most parents are seeking.
It can be a challenge to get stuff done with kids at home, and sometimes you need some quiet to do so. Figuring out how to entertain kids at home can be hard. You can’t take them to school or daycare, shoot right now you can’t really take them anywhere. The coronavirus pandemic is real and scary. Many parents are forced to stay home losing wages, stressing about how they will pay their bills. Add on top of that being isolated from society is a struggle. As humans we need interaction with others.
While I’m a huge fan of doing things with your children and having them be a part of your routine and activities whenever possible, sometimes that just can’t happen. Mommas like me who already work from home can understand what your feeling, how do I entertain my kids at home all the time?
One of the best ways to create time to accomplish tasks without kids is to give time to yours kids first. Your kids want to know they are loved and enjoyed, so love on them and enjoy being with them. Spending time with them first will make it easier for them to do independent activities later.
While the country is dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, most of us are still working from home while having our kid’s home 24/7. Add on top if you have school age children you are now helping with their school work from home. It’s a tough time and not easy at all however with a little planning everyone will be ok.
Setting up a regular daily routine like when your kids were going to daycare or school is important. Just because everyone is home doesn’t mean sleep in until noon and stay up all night. Children thrive better with a routine.
In this blog I am going to give you 12 ideas for how to keep your kids entertained at home.
It can be very tricky to get stuff done with kids at home…especially if those kids are little.
After all, little kids can’t be left to their own devices for longer stretches of time like older kids can, but they can do some things to keep busy so you can buy yourself some time when you need it.
Exercise
Thank goodness for YouTube, you can setup up a kid friendly workout video and let your kids get some exercise. My oldest setup a yoga class at home bringing out little rugs for her and her sister to sit and do yoga together. You can check out these cool Yoga mats online to order.
Coloring
Pull out the Coloring books, notebooks, old bill envelopes anything your kids can color on. Give them markers, pens, crayons, colored pencils and let them create. This Markers and crayons set is amazing.
I like to keep a box with markers, crayons, pens, colored pencils and stickers for the kids to keep them busy.
Montessori Inspired Toys
Montessori toys that unleash your children’s creativity are awesome. Play kitchen gets used daily. My girls love to play restaurant they will make menus, take orders, serve the food. They really do enjoy it. Sometimes they use their little shopping cart and go shopping in the cabinets for canned food or snacks. I don’t mind that they do since they are entertained, and I am able to get something done.
Making Holiday or Birthday Cards
If you know a birthday is coming up let the kids make a homemade card that can be mailed to the individual. Construction paper or printer paper can also provide a lot of fun!
Board Games
Do you have some fun board games? Great…you just bought yourself an hour or two hours of kid free interruption. Monopoly anyone?
Dance Off
When the weather is cold, it’s tempting to sit all day and stay in the house, but that’s not healthy. Instead, why not use some of that built up energy and have a dance party?
Have them work together on a dance routine and tell them you will record them once they have it figured out. This can give you some distraction-free time while your kids are entertained. We did this on New Year’s Eve and sent the video to family members challenging them to a dance off. It was fun family time.
Painting
If mess doesn’t bother you, then let your kids have fun with paint! I give my girls their choice of paper and paint colors and let them create their masterpieces! Kids art set is a must have.
Encourage Reading
Even if your child is not old enough to read having time flipping through books with pictures can stimulate their minds. Older kids that can read are encouraged to do this daily. Reading can help entertain kids.
Paper and Scissors
If you have older children – 4 or 5-year-old – why not give them some paper and scissors? My middle daughter loves snipping away on a scrap of paper, I am always picking up her leftovers.
It dawned on me that if I gave her paper to cut with a set location to do it then less paper pieces, I find around the house to pick up. This occupies her time with this indoor activity and give me kid-free time.
Puzzles
Puzzles are a great independent activity. If you get your work done you can join your kids and have quality family time. This Solar System Puzzle is fun and educational.
Pillow Fort
I don’t know about your child, but if I lay down a whole bunch of pillows, blankets, stuffed animals in the middle of the living room, my kids would find something to do with them letting their imagination run wild.
Outside Play
Don’t be afraid to tell them to “Go play!” Outside play is so healthy for kids and a lot of times they forget how much fun it can be until you tell them they need to do it! You can even give them a picnic basket and blanket and let them have a meal in the yard. Making it fun for them will keep them entertained longer.
Final Thoughts….
You’re a busy woman, having a plan will keep your sanity.
Sometimes we can become so consumed by our “to-do lists” that we forget who we are doing these things for.
You can be a busy mom who gets things done with kids at home and still find time to be an intentional and engaged mama, it just takes some thought.
There will be days when nothing is going right.
Your little one spills her milk all over her outfit after you just got her dressed. Kids are fighting and it’s not even lunch time.
First, give yourself some grace!
None of us know how long this social isolation will last. There will be those tough days. Be a mom and remember to take time and enjoy these moments with your kids. If it gives you comfort, you are not the only one going through this situation.
Being a self-employed momma with no help I do get flustered, I’ve learned to embrace it and give myself grace.
And if all else fails, have device time. I feel it’s important to teach my kids how to use technology as I know this will be a big part of their lives when they grow up. And well, if they see mom on her laptop, I can’t discriminate, right?
I give my girls tablet time when I need time to myself so that I can be a better mama to them!
How To Entertain Kids At Home With Schools Closed During Cornavirus Pandemic.
Schools closing, businesses not open, limiting social interaction. Life as we know it is not the same right now. This is a tough time right now for everyone across the world. How to entertain your kids at home during the coronavirus lockdown is the question most parents are seeking.
It can be a challenge to get stuff done with kids at home, and sometimes you need some quiet to do so. Figuring out how to entertain kids at home can be hard. You can’t take them to school or daycare, shoot right now you can’t really take them anywhere. The cornavirus pandemic is real and scarey. Many parents are forced to stay home losing wages, stressing about how they will pay their bills. Add on top of that being isolated from society is a struggle. As humans we need interaction with others.
While I’m a huge fan of doing things with your children and having them be a part of your routine and activities whenever possible, sometimes that just can’t happen. Mommas like me who already work from home can understand what your feeling, how do I entertain my kids at home all the time?
One of the best ways to create time to accomplish tasks without kids is to give time to yours kids first. Your kids want to know they are loved and enjoyed, so love on them and enjoy being with them. Spending time with them first will make it easier for them to do independent activities later.
While the country is dealing with the cornavirus pandemic, most of us are still working from home while having our kids home 24/7. Add on top if you have school agents being your child’s teacher. It’s a tough time and not easy at all however with a little planning everyone will be ok.
Setting up a regular daily routine like when your kids were going to daycare or school is important. Just because everyone is home doesn’t mean sleep in until noon and stay up all night. Children thrive better with a routine.
In this blog I am going to give you 12 ideas for how to keep your kids entertained at home.
It can be very tricky to get stuff done with kids at home…especially if those kids are little.
After all, little kids can’t be left to their own devices for longer stretches of time like older kids can, but they can do some things to keep busy so you can buy yourself some time when you need it.
Exercise
Thank goodness for YouTube, you can setup up a kid friendly workout video and let your kids get some exercise. My oldest setup a yoga class at home bringing out little rugs for her and her sister to sit and do yoga together.
Coloring
Pull out the coloring books, notebooks, old bill envelopes anything your kids can color on. Give them markers, pens, crayons, colored pencils and let them create.
I like to keep a box with markers, crayons, pens, colored pencils and stickers for the kids to keep them busy.
Montessori Inspired Toys
Toys that unleash your children’s creativity are awesome. Play kitchen gets used on a daily basis. My girls love to play restaurant they will make menus, take orders, serve the food. They really do enjoy it. Sometimes they use their little shopping cart and go shopping in the cabinets for canned food or snacks. I don’t mind that they do since they are entertained and I am able to get something done.
Making Holiday or Birthday Cards
If you know a birthday is coming up let the kids make a homemade card that can be mailed to the individual. Construction paper or printer paper can also provide a lot of fun!
Board Games
Do you have some fun board games? Great…you just bought yourself an hour or two hours of kid free interruption.
Dance Off
When the weather is cold, it’s tempting to sit all day and stay in the house, but that’s not healthy. Instead, why not use some of that built up energy and have a dance party?
Have them work together on a dance routine and tell them you will record them once they have it figured out. This can give you some distraction-free time while your kids are entertained. We did this on new year’s eve and sent the video to family members challenging them to a dance off. It was fun family time.
Painting
If mess doesn’t bother you, then let your kids have fun with paint! I give my girls their choice of paper and paint colors and let them create their masterpieces!
Encourage Reading
Even if your child is not old enough to read having time flipping through books with pictures can stimulate their minds. Older kids that are able to read are encouraged to do this daily. Reading can help entertain kids.
Paper and Scissors
If you have older children – 4 or 5 year olds – why not give them some paper and scissors? My middle daughter loves snipping away on a scrap of paper, I am always picking up her left overs.
It dawned on me that if I gave her paper to cut with a set location to do it then less paper pieces I find around the house to pick up. This occupies her time with this indoor activity and give me kid-free time.
Puzzles
Puzzles are a great independent activity. If you get your work done you can join your kids and have quality family time.
Pillow Fort
I don’t know about your child, but if I lay down a whole bunch of pillows, blankets, stuffies in the middle of the living room, my kids would find something to do with them letting their imagination run wild.
Outside Play
Don’t be afraid to tell them to “Go play!” Outside play is so healthy for kids and a lot of times they forget how much fun it can be until you tell them they need to do it! You can even give them a picnic basket and blanket and let them have a meal in the yard. Making it fun for them will keep them entertained longer.
Final Thoughts….
You’re a busy woman, having a plan will keep your sanity.
Sometimes we can become so consumed by our “to-do lists” that we forget who we are doing these things for.
You can be a busy mom who gets things done with kids at home and still find time to be an intentional and engaged mama, it just takes some thought.
There will be days when nothing is going right.
Your little one spills her milk all over her outfit after you just got her dressed. Kids are fighting and it’s not even lunch time.
First, give yourself some grace!
None of us know how long this social isolation will last. There will be those tough days. Be a mom and remember to take time and enjoy these moments with your kids. If it gives you comfort, you are not the only one going through this situation.
Being a self employed momma with no help I do get frustrated, I’ve learned to embrace it and give myself grace.
And if all else fails, have device time. I feel it’s important to teach my kids how to use technology as I know this will be a big part of their lives when they grow up. And well, if they see mom on her laptop, I can’t discriminate, right?
I give my girls tablet time when I need time to myself so that I can be a better mama to them!