Things to do with kids at home

Significant changes are happening in the world right now. But amidst all the chaos, let’s focus on some positives. Like the strong connection and bond you will create with your children as you engage and facilitate their education in the comforts of home. Quality time that you would never thought possible. So let us help balance the demands of being a #stayathome working mum with the some fun activities for kids at home and lifehacks that will bring joy and entertainment into the home.

CREATE A ROUTINE

Experts and parents agree that creating some kind of daily routine or structure is important to ensure a sense of comfort. To start the day, you may choose to engage the kids in some morning exercise to get the body and mind active. For the younger ones,  Cosmic Kids Yoga offers all kinds of yoga and mindfulness activities for kids aged 3 and up, including ‘Frozen’ or ‘Trolls’ themed yoga.  For the older kids, celebrity Joe Wicks aka The Body Coach, runs a daily indoor PE lesson. The best part – you can all join in as a family! As you get moving, ensure your bust is well supported by Triumph’s range of Triaction sport bras – choose from cardio or studio styles.

EDUCATIONAL FUN

According to experts, morning is often the best time to engage children in maths or English related activities. But the question is, how can we make this fun and engaging to avoid the ‘I’m bored’ remarks. Why not engage them with a story read by a celebrity? Children’s author and TV personality David Williams is currently offering free audio stories that children can tune in and listen too daily. Story Online is another great website that features many storybook favourites read by celebrities across the globe. For the toddlers, opt for ‘quiet books’ made from fabrics with velcro, zippers and buttons. These not only help them practice fine motor skills, but will keep them busy for a surprising amount of time. Stuck on how to tackle maths? Author of The Maths Factor, Carol Vordeman is also offering free online maths lessons perfect for keeping those 4 – 11 year olds entertained and engaged. And why not inspire the next generation of designers and coders through programs such as SCRATCH, Tinkercad or code.org. Here they can make stories, games, music videos or 3D models – the options are endless.

WE’RE GOING ON A [VIRTUAL] FIELD TRIP

From zoos to museums and theme Parks, in a bid to keep children entertained, many venues are inviting kids and families to join them in an online experience like no other.

Tune in at 10am and 2pm daily to The Australian Reptile Park where they are hosting live streams and educational videos. You can also check out the Koala enclosure at Lone Pine Sanctuary by logging into their Koala Cam. Internationally, you can Take a tour of Disneyland in the US or visit the San Diego Zoo or Monterey Bay Aquarium.

For children whose interests lie in The Arts or History, they can explore some of the exhibition rooms and galleries of one of the world’s largest art museums, the Louvre in Paris. What’s more, the legendary Bolshoi Theatre in Russia has also just announced they will broadcast their best classical performances to the world, online, for free. From Swan Lake to Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, parents and children alike can view these epic performances from the comfort of the couch.

RAID THE CUPBOARDS

You will be surprised how creative you can be by just raiding a couple of household cupboards! Things like colanders, plastic containers, whisks and cotton tips can provide endless fun for toddlers. Use some of that excess rice or spaghetti to create sensory games or build a fort using pillows or blankets. Websites and bloggers such as Love.fromkatie and Busy Toddler feature some great ideas.

For the older kids, hide a toy, sticker or coin in the house and design a treasure hunt with clues to help them find it.  Get out the tent and see if they can work out how to pitch it in the backyard. Show your children how to film, edit and send a video message to a grandparent or older relative. Warm up those vocal chords and participate as a family in the next Couch Choir event, taking place from April 2-5. Or raid the recycling and create some trash art, cutting, gluing and painting empty boxes and plastic bottles.

SCHEDULE IN SOME SCREEN TIME

To avoid children over-indulging on TV or screen time, schedule this into their day and let them know when to expect it. Amazon Prime has just unlocked free streaming access to more than 40 children’s shows, so sign up and switch on a show (while you make those daily office zoom calls!).