Eight ways to keep your children busy during coronavirus lockdown

Mothers are freaking out because of the unplanned closure of schools and offices –  how to do household chores peacefully when children are at home 24×7; hobby classes, malls, cinema halls, entertainment parks are all closed; and venturing out isn’t safe, esp for kids? How to keep children busy during these holidays?

Below are seven ways to keep your kids engaged without having to worry about coronavirus affecting them:

1. Play indoor games – Why are we forgetting that world of indoor games existed before the advent of digital games? While digital world has the potential to keep us engaged 24×7, not everyone wants their children to be glued to laptops or phones. So, introduce them to the world of numerous indoor activities or games like chess, carrom, cards or dice games (ludo, snakes and ladders), etc. And if you want your children to play some educational games, why not try Word building? The list is never ending, if only we think.
2. Let them direct a play – Call their friends home if they live nearby. Ask them to perform a play. Let them direct it. This will develop a sense of responsibility among children and make them feel confident about their abilities, besides improving their reading skills. And if inviting friends isn’t feasible in the time of coronavirus, take the help of technology. Let children interact with each other through video chats.
3. Arouse their curiosity – Start the mornings by giving your child a topic for the day. Ask them to find out how the topic, e.g, how many dance forms are there in India or list the museums in Delhi. Let them do their own research – be it Google, friends, encyclopedia, books, etc. Let them think. Don’t interrupt them. Give them the whole day to work on it, and then discuss the topic during evening. This will not only teach children to do their research, but also will increase their inquisitiveness, knowledge and confidence.
4. Create Stories – The above activity can also be played by giving them an unfinished story/ picture and asking them to complete that.
5. Grow your own vegetables – Utilise this time to reconnect with nature. Teach children gardening. Rather, help them build a small vegetable garden in your balcony. The joy that your children will experience once their plants bear fruits, will be worth the effort. Plus, there’s a different joy in eating vegetables grown in your own garden.
6. Evening time is family time – Spend evening watching some good entertainment programmes/ movies together with the whole family. The idea is to spend quality time together. How about making this a rule in your home, even when lockdown ends.
7. Use tech to stay connected with relatives – Catch up with friends or relatives through video-chat. Introduce your children to your extended family, those distant relatives/ cousins of yours whom you meet only on special occasions.
8. Let your children decide – Last but not the least. Let your children decide how they want to spend their time. It’s not always important that you fix their time table of the day. Even if they lie idle and do nothing, don’t worry. We learn more through observation. Let them learn to observe.

READ ALSO: Let your child get bored… It’s good for his mental development

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