For most children, the final exams are over and holidays have begun. Holidays are a great period to spend quality time with your children. However for some parents, holidays can be challenging as they need to keep their children occupied. Many parents try to enroll their children for different classes like art, sports, swimming, karate etc., in order for them to have their own much needed space, but these classes can be stressful for the child. In this article we talk about Activities To Keep Kids Busy.
Ensure that you allow your child enough free play time and ask them what activities they are really interested in. Many times children get enrolled for classes that their parents are interested in, rather than getting enrolled in classes of their own interest. So in order to avoid boredom setting in for the child, a little bit of advanced planning can help you to make their summer vacation fun-filled. You can include in their schedule some great fun ideas, DIY activites and also education learning activities.
Activities To Keep Kids Busy
Mini-chef in your kitchen – Cooking and Baking.
Many children, both boys and girls, love to try their hand at cooking. Almost everybody loves food and so wants to try out different recipes. You can ask them to help you in making their favourite dishes like cakes, cookies, pizzas etc.
Give them jobs like cleaning, washing the ingredients, mixing the cake batter, greasing the cake pan with butter, pouring the batter, decorating with choco chips etc. You can also ask them to arrange the cut vegetables for salads and decorate the same.
Try and make healthy dishes. Also do keep in mind that children are more likely to enjoy and eat the food that they prepare.
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Involve them in Gardening.
If you have a small garden in your front or backyard or even in your balcony or terrace, involve them in gardening jobs. Ask them to water the plants, clean the dry leaves, plant new plants, dig the soil, put manure like salt around the trees, gather the flowers, etc.
Explain to them the importance of growing trees. Tell them how to nurture and grow different plants and trees. Put on some old clothes and give them tools like a spade, a watering can etc. Just let them enjoy and have fun. You can get them started with flowers and some easy kitchen herbs.
Inculcate in them the habit of reading and enrol them in a library.
Reading is one of the best foundational habits. It improves your vocabulary and language skills. Get your children to read small books. Take them to the neighbouring library and allow them to choose the books that they would like to read. You can give them colouring books, story books, picture books, comics, sticker books, encyclopedias or fun books with good learning. Make reading a fun experience which will help them to enjoy while they learn.
Camping.
My daughters love to build their indoor tent. They build their tent in the backyard or in the front garden and take their books, snacks and relax in the shady portion of the garden. Ask them to call their friends and give them enough snacks and indoor games that they can play with.
It is a great experience that children love. Sometimes you can just lie on the green grass and watch the stars in the sky. These tents are easily available in the market and are a great source of entertainment and recreation for children.
Plan a visit to the zoo or aquarium.
Plan a day of outing with them. Take them to the nearest zoo, aquarium, wild life park or simply for a nature walk. Ensure that it is a fun day out. Children get very excited when visiting zoos. Recently the penguin enclosure in Mumbai (Byculla zoo) has been a great hit with children. The planetarium is also a very exciting place for children to explore the heavenly bodies in the sky.
Organize a music and dance session for your children.
If you have children who play musical instruments, then it is good to keep a concert or jamming session at home. Music is loved by one and all.
Encourage your children to come out and play the keyboard, guitar, tambourine, shakers, mouth organ etc. Those who do not know to play an instrument can jump, dance and sing along. This is a great source of fun and entertainment.
Drawing and painting.
Your child does not need to be an expert painter or a creative artist to paint. Give them lots of paint and chart papers and let their creativity loose. Ensure that you do this in your garden, garage or any area and cover it with lots of newspapers and plastic papers, to avoid any splashing of colour on your floor or walls.
A beach day out.
If you live close to a beach, it would be nice to spend a day at the beach. Swimming and playing in the sand are great stress busters for children. If there are no beaches, then go to the nearest swimming pool. Water provides a calming effect on children. Just playing in the water serves as a good relaxation for them.
Make a scrap book or summer diary.
Encourage your child to make a scrap book or dairy of all their summer fun activities. This will be a great source of joy in the future when they recollect and cherish those memories.
Easy DIY Projects.
Easy DIY projects are great fun. You can buy for them puzzles, artwork, jewellery making, science experiments such as the assembling the solar system or any other interesting science projects. Many online portals provide these DIY kits which are cheap, exciting and easy to make.
This summer vacation spend time with your children having fun by learning and doing creative activities together. The above are some great fun ideas which can help you and your child to enjoy their vacation.
