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Routine and monotony have paved way into our lives seemingly quicker during the pandemic. It is hard, it is taxing, it is draining, and it is here to stay for a while. While you begin to make your peace and wrap your head around this phenomenon, have you ever imagined what is it like for your little ones? Their days used to be spread out between home, school, extracurricular classes, and the playground. Now, like all of us, their lives are confined to the length and breadth of their homes. There is a lot of pent-up energy which if not channelized in the right direction, can cause frustration, anxiety, and irritability in kids. Here are a few ways in which you can keep your kids productively engaged and have a great ton of fun while you are at it.
- Indoor picnic
Replace lazy Sunday lunches with a fun picnic set-up. The idea is to spend more quality time as a family and enjoy each other’s presence. Ensure you plan this a little in advance with your little ones to evenly allocate responsibilities and plan a little ahead of time. You can ask your kids to pull out some references of how they would like the setup to be and the activities they would like to organize. Play games, make some fun crafts or even paint. Keep the décor light and fun and to take things up a notch, you can do a themed brunch. If your kids like princesses, the décor can include fairy lights, soft-toned bed sheets, tablecloths, airy curtains, and scented candles to live up to the theme. Go right ahead and add some fun snacks like unicorn cupcakes, rainbow sandwiches, strawberry coolers, and some interesting DIY popsicles. This will help instil some leadership and organizational skills in your kids and teach them about food and nutrition. With a fulfilling experience on the weekend, your kids will welcome Monday with a smile. You too can give yourself a break and kick back and relax with the family!
2. Simple Sunday Cookout
While cooking with kids can seem like a fun idea, it can also get messy. One solution – plan beforehand and plan simple! You need not involve kids in the making of complex recipes which are laborious and leave you more knackered than pleased. You can give them simple and small cooking tasks like making DIY yogurt and fruit popsicles which are yummy and bring in a nutritious angle. Help your kids with an assortment of the ingredients but make sure, they are the ones getting down to assembling the recipe. You are only allowed to prompt or show them how it is done in the beginning. Some easy and simple recipes that you can recreate with your kids include a makhana bhel, tea-time sandwiches, fruit cups and simple salads. You can also try creating food art if you are up for some adventure and experimentation. Cooking is a handy life skill that everyone must be taught from a young age. This will help them become independent and the next time your kid is hungry, and you are busy, they sure know how to whip up a good roasted makhana bhel which is healthy and lip-smacking good!
3. Online family recitals
Family video calls can be made interesting and fruitful when converted into weekly recitals for kids. Grandparents, relatives, and cousins yearn to see one another especially in the lockdown. You can take these weekly video calls a notch higher by getting your kids to put together a skit, narrate a poem or story or even sing and dance. The possibilities are endless. Kids can practice for their performance through the week and can put up a show on one of the days of the weekend. It is surely a win-win arrangement for all!
Give these three simple ideas a try and let us know how you and your kids liked it!