With more and more of us spending huge amounts of time indoors these days, it can present a major challenge to keep your kids busy and engaged. Many of us turn to screens like TVs and iPads to entertain our little ones, but a lot of parents have concerns about how much time is spent in front of them. Therefore, you may be on the lookout for a few ways that you can keep kids busy without falling back on screens. Here are just a few ideas that you can put into practice yourself.
Take Them Outside
Allowing your kids to interact with nature and enjoy everything that it has to offer is one of the best ways of spending your time away from the screen. Often, they will get this outdoor time if you send them to a Weston-super-Mare nursery or similar education centre, but it is nice to have your own adventures as well. This could simply be a walk around your local neighbourhood or perhaps a stroll in the park. If you go to the same place week after week, it is nice to change this up from time to time. The sense of wonder at going somewhere new is even more heightened in kids.
Let Them Help You
A lot of kids have a desire to be more grown-up and copy what adults are doing. So, the next time that you are cooking a meal or cleaning the house invite your son and daughter to help you out. The skills that they learn can be invaluable in the future, and they are also giving you a helping hand as well!
Create a Treasure Hunt
Kids love the opportunity to find things that you hide around the house. Rather than a simple game of hide and seek, you could create a treasure map that gives them directions to what they need to find. Alternatively, you could write out a series of clues that you ask them to solve along the way. The great thing about this activity is that it really encourages them to think critically. The more you do this, the more you can increase the difficulty level and really give them a good mental workout.
Built a Fort
Kids have creative minds that are totally unlike adults. This means that you can simply give them a few sofa cushions as building blocks, and in their minds, they can create a fort. Use blankets to add an extra level of privacy and safety. For an additional touch of magic, you could put up some fairy lights.
Do Something Creative
Following on from the creative theme that we just talked about, there are plenty of activities that you could do that will get this part of your kids’ brains working. It could be something as simple as drawing a picture or some painting. Alternatively, if you have your own musical instruments, you could write your own song together. If your kid has a touch of story-writing prowess about them, you can simply give them a pen and paper and let their imagination run wild. As a parent, it is important that you encourage your kid’s creative side in any way you can.
Grow a Garden
Sometimes, it is nice to give your kids an activity that they continue to enjoy over a period of weeks or even months. Growing a garden or looking after plants is one of the best ways of giving them something to look after and getting them into a routine of care and attention. Simply knowing that you have to go out to water the plants each and every day gives you something that you can enjoy together for a long time to come.
Create a Game Box
Some of the best games are not confined to the computer screen. Over time, you can build a game box that is full of puzzles, playing cards, and board games. From time to time, it is a good idea to rotate these. This way, your son or daughter will not get bored, and bringing out an old game is like rediscovering something all over again.
Read a Book
An old classic that never gets old is to read a book together. Another nice alternative is to put on an audiobook, as this takes the work out of your hands!
As you can see from the list above, there are all sorts of activities that you can do with your kids away from the screens.
