With the on-going Coronavirus pandemic keeping us all at home and severely limiting travel options, keeping your kids amused has never been more challenging.
Thankfully there are several real-world and virtual-world options available to both educate and entertain your little terrors through this, the most unique of summers.
Get outside
While traveling any significant distance from home is inadvisable right now, that doesn’t mean you have to just stay indoors. If you have access to one, a garden provides a perfectly safe environment for play – whether that be for soccer, skipping games, hide and seek, tag or even building an obstacle course. There are endless options for keeping kids (old and young) engaged and interested. Walking outdoors, in parks or on trails is also good for exercise will help fill a couple of hours. So long as you keep the prescribed social distance, there’s no problem with being outside.
Make screen time active
There’s a huge range of YouTube channels dedicated to kids’ fitness, and their popularity has skyrocketed through the lockdown. These sites and channels have become invaluable as we all struggle to find ways to keep active indoors (while juggling working from home and homeschooling). Check out sites like GoNoodle which feature a library of entertaining kids games and make exercise fun and engaging.
Staycations
With travel restrictions in place, the types of trips that we can take this summer are limited and stay at home holidays (staycations) are going to be popular this year. There’s something great about bundling everything into the car and heading off for an adventure, a little closer to home.
Camping trips are a fun family holiday and offer the ultimate flexibility of being able to take everything with you. Even just setting up a tent in the garden can be a fun way for the kids to spend an evening – a big adventure in a small space. Check out The Geek for some great tips, equipment and ideas.
Play brain games
There is a huge range of online brain games for kids that can be played on a laptop or desktop and which will keep your kids mentally challenged for hours. Android and Apple apps are also a good way to keep kids amused – though they are perhaps a little less social than playing along together on a larger screen.
Go for a bike ride
Cycling has never been more popular than through lockdown. Families the world over are getting out on their bikes and rediscovering the joys of pedal power. With the collective stay-at-home adherence, the roads have also become significantly quieter, making cycling both safer and more enjoyable. Get out on the road or to the park with your family rediscover the joys
Keeping your kids active through coronavirus isn’t just a case of physical exercise – their brains need stimulation too. The best options combine a healthy mix of brain and body stimuli to keep your children engaged, active and entertained.
Using the above ideas, you should find your children are worn out come bedtime – allowing you some much-earned R&R time. Indeed, you’ll likely find it’s not just the kids that need a rest!
