Indoor activities to keep kids occupied

By Lilly Herbert

With staying home becoming the new norm, there’s the need for activities that do not require a lot of movement. Whether you’re working from home with the kids or just running out of ways to keep them busy, these activities are a great way to get back to basics.

1. Colouring

Get some colouring books and some crayons and encourage your kids to get creative in mixing the colours to come up with captivating pictures. If you run out of colouring books (or your child has a specific interest), you can print pictures from the internet. If you have more than one child, create a competitive atmosphere by promising a reward for the best image.

2.Challenge them

Kids love challenges and they can spend a lot of time working on them just to prove to you that they are able. Give them toys that they can dismantle and build them up again. Puzzles that they can solve are a good challenge that they can take on. You can also use masking tape to create some roads and toys for obstacles and let them drive their toy cars while avoiding the obstacles.

3.Use their help

There is no better way to instill responsibilitythan assigning some house chores — no matter how old they are. You can let your kids help you do some chores as you guide them on how best to do them. It might be as simple as cleaning the windows and mirrors, tidying their rooms, sweeping the floors or basic preparation for dinner (like grating and peeling vegetables if they are old enough).

4.Sing together

Singing is always fun if you pick the right tune, andit can really help lift spirits if you’ve been inside together for a bit longer than you’d like. You can encourage each one of them to sing their favourite song as you take a video of them. For younger kids, the rhyming words in nursery rhymes are especially good and they can sing along. Put on a DVD, visit YouTube or put on Spotify and have your own lounge dance party.

5.Paint

If you have been planning on touching up the walls of your house or something outside,now is the ideal time to tackle such projects — but get the kids involved!If you’ve feeling brave, bring out your kids’ artistic side by letting them paint the walls of their rooms. If your house isn’t in needof any DIY, don't forget classic activities like finger-painting or thumb-print drawings.

6.Read a story together

No matter how old your kids are, there are far-reaching benefits to reading together. Get them off the screen by reading them an interesting storyand encourage them to act out the characters in the story. If your child has a speech problem, go for a book with colorful pictures. As you read, encourage him or her to repeat the words or identify the images. You can also encourage the other kids to identify more words with similar syllables while he or she repeats them.

7.Bake

Kids love some sweet treats, they will love it better if they make themselves. There are loads of fun recipes online If they make biscuits, let them shape the dough into their favourite animals’ shapes. Older kids can create their own recipes and bake them. Encourage messiness while cooking, but make sure that cleaning up is part of the activity.