Like most of you, during this time of chaos, I have been stuck inside. Only, I've been in the house with five siblings and three of them are thirteen years old and younger. Suffice it to say, we've had to make a few adjustments and become creative to keep the kids entertained.
Maybe you're like us, and struggling to find something to do to keep your kids busy, so in this blog, I'd like to offer some suggestions of fun (and cheap) things to keep kids moving and not repeatedly asking “Can I go out yet?”
Victory Garden
When the world started shutting down about three weeks ago, my siblings decided to plant some seedlings and let them start growing inside. Each day we have documented how much the plants have grown.
Tea party
My mom, like many moms, has fancy china that was given to her and sits in the cabinet. So one afternoon, she pulled out her teapot, my sisters got dressed up and we drank hot tea and ate cut sandwiches, scones, and cookies.
Board games
If I play Monopoly one more time, I might lose my cool. But even so, cards, board games, and even outside games like Tag or hide-and-go-seek are fun to play and can pass time.
Movie night (popcorn popper)
Growing up in the days of BlockBuster, my family had always designated Friday night for movie nights. We would rent movies, my mom would pop the popcorn, and we would watch something together. So, we have reincorporated this tradition. My dad, who is an “essential” worker at his workplace will bring home pizza one night of the week and we'll check out some movies on Amazon Prime or order on our TV.
Tie-die shirts
Mom ordered a Tie-die kit and white shirts from Amazon. The kit was $13 and the shirts were a couple of dollars apiece. This gave us hours of fun and we had enough dye to make more than 10 shirts in this kit! For sunny spring days, it is perfect to be outside and create these fun tasks!
Here are several more ideas for spending this time with the kids:
- Book reading
- Bible studies
- Nature walks
- Practice baking
- Let the kids cook a meal or two
- Write a story about days in quarantine
- Have coloring contests
Regardless of what you do with the kids during this time of being shut in, this is a perfect opportunity to grow closer together as a family.
