The COVID-19 outbreak that swept across the world in early 2020 has forced many people to live a fairly difficult lifestyle: staying at home. Humans as social creatures certainly need socialization with other people and leave the house to carry out various kinds of activities. Not only parents have to work from home, schools are also closed and all teaching and learning activities are carried out from home. This is a challenge for fun things to do with kids in quarantine that is not easily bored.
12 Fun Things to Do with Kids in Quarantine at home
Kids miss their friends, want to play outside, and want to do things. Parents should be able to plan a variety of fun things to do with kids in quarantine each day. Providing unlimited access for children to play gadgets all day long is indeed a shortcut that will keep children entertained. However, children will be confined in their own world and less interact with their parents.
Come on, use the opportunity for quarantine due to COVID-19 to become quality moments for the whole family. Of course, children have to keep doing their schoolwork and parents have to finish their work first. After all the obligations are fulfilled, the following is a list of activities that can be done to fill free time with the children.
- Make cakes and biscuits
Baking activities are fun things to do with kids in quarantine. Let them be involved in every process, from measuring the dough to baking cookies. Look for simple biscuit recipes that can be easily practiced with your little one. Let them play with flour and butter. Put some jokes in between, like putting a little dough on a child’s cheek. This moment will be very entertaining for them. Let the children decorate their own biscuits according to their preferences.
- Compiling a scrapbook
Collect photos of children from infancy to their present age, then print them out in physical form. Invite them to make a mini album of his life, from the moment he was born until he grows up. Children need to recognize their own life history through the stories of their parents. You can also invite your children to make a family history book by compiling a scrapbook from the time you and your husband were dating, married, to having children. They will definitely be very interested in this activity.
- Tidy up the room and house
This one activity is very productive. So far, the children probably paid less attention to the tidiness of their own room because of the busy activities they had to do. This very long holiday is a great opportunity to invite them to tidy up their room, rearrange the scattered corners and give their room a new atmosphere. The good thing is this activity is not only done once, but made as a habit. Ask the child to tidy up their own room and toys after they are done. If done continuously, the child will definitely get used to it even though later he is already active like before.
- Treasure hunting
So that kids don’t feel bored at home, make fun mini adventure activities for them. Treasure hunting is one of them. This will train their winning mentality and competition, even if only with their own brothers. This activity requires careful preparation by parents. Make things the kids really want (for example, toys) a treasure they should look for. Post some clues that the kids have to solve to the place where the treasure is.
- Watch a movie togethe
Allowing children to spend time in front of the screen is not wise. But taking them to watch a movie together can be a fun activity with the whole family. Choose from family love-themed films like Moana, Coco, The Incredibles or classic family films like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Home Alone. However, their time in front of the screen must be limited. Make an agreement about the time limit allowed for each family member to play gadgets. Of course, this also applies to you as a parent.
- Make a show
Children get bored very easily. Too often playing games will make them feel very bored. You need to design something fun things to do with kids in quarantine that will make them feel busy, like when they were at school. Schedule a show night for the kids. Ask them to role-play in front of you as the audience. To further present a different atmosphere, you must prepare a small stage as a performance arena. To keep them busy for a few days, allow 2 to 3 days to prepare for their best show.
- Making finger puppets
Finger puppets or finger puppets can also be a good idea to fill in the free time during home quarantine with children. You can look for patterns on Pinterest or on other sites. To make it even more fun, make a doll face that reflects each member of the family. There are father, mother and all siblings. This can be an interesting play. Ask the child to imitate each family member. This moment will be very pleasant to remember at a later date.
- Read books
It’s no secret that children find it difficult to read books. Don’t expect them to be easily invited to read a book. But this habit must be practiced early on, and this lengthy quarantine is the perfect moment. Start with a light and thin book, telling stories about topics they are passionate about. Give the lure of gifts to fuel his spirits even more. Ask children to retell what they have read to make sure they understand it.
- Make a creativity
Involve children in a variety of activities that hone their creativity. Such as folding origami, playing lego, and playing with sand. These three activities are not only time-consuming, but also invite children to explore as well as sharpen their brains. In order for the activity to go smoothly, make sure parents prepare it well. For example, learning origami patterns that are simple and not too complicated for children to practice.
- Exercise
Too much at home can make children accustomed to lazing around. Even though the activity is minimal, body health must be maintained. Don’t just exercise alone, take your children to exercise together. Do stretching or light stretching every morning together. This moment can be used as a means of bonding to strengthen the relationship between children and parents.
- Cook a dinner
If you’ve already made cookies and cakes, now is the time to get your children involved in the process of making dinner. From mixing spices to cutting ingredients, make sure your child is involved in every step. With this activity, children are expected to be able to appreciate the food more after they understand the difficulty of preparing dinner.
- Send letters to grandparents
Long time to not seed their grandparents must make your kids miss them. Because technology is already sophisticated, all you have to do is connect them via video call. It must have been very common. Teach them how to communicate traditionally by sending letters to them. Those are fun things to do with kids in quarantine you can apply at home.
