Homeschooling, work from home, self-isolation, and so on has become a daunting reality. Little did we know that we would be stuck at home like this someday, trying to figure out some mind-stretching indoor activities for kids to keep them engaged every day. It is a task to make children happy at the same time actively busy, keeping them at bay from screens, but it isn't as difficult as one thinks. Let me take you through some of the very simple lockdown activities for kids that Rey and I did to have fun, play, and learn all at a time.
One of the life skills every child should try to learn is gardening and love for plants. Kids should be taught about the importance of nature, value mother earth and to nurture it. Have them plant a seed or a sapling to be potted, teach them about its growth, talk about a few propagation methods, etc. Give them the responsibility of watering the plants they potted. Tell them it is ok to get their hands a little muddy. They would love it.
2. What's in the box
3. Cup and String
4. Pretend play
Pretend play never loses its charm and is one of the best educational activities for kids . Take some real time roles like a shopkeeper, postman, or any event and enact a role play. Try to make it look as real with all the props you can get.
5. Bake together
When we think of activities to do at home with kids, baking should be included. Get those little hands busy in making the cake batter ready. Baking together is fun. You don't necessarily need an oven for baking. You can do it in a cooker or even a 'kadhai'. Help your kids with different ways to get creative in decorating the cake. Kids can think way beyond and their ideas are the cutest.
6. Gem of a game
Read: 10 Indoor Activities for Kids during Monsoon
7. ABC Hunt
Trust me this is a never-ending game and makes your brain cells work harder. Suitable for any age group, this fun indoor activity for kids can be made a little tougher by keeping time limits. Have your child pick up things from home starting with different letters. I was surprised to see Reyansh coming up with so many things during the play. Letter 'B' became our favorite as he picked the maximum with it. Blanket, book, ball, bat, basket, bus (toy), box, bicycle, banana, bowl, brush, and bag are things that he found within the time limit I had set for him. We tried being a little poetic by singing,"
A Boy with a Bag on his Back sitting on a Bicycle munching on his Banana (when he sat on his bicycle flaunting his letter B collection)".
Create something new with every act and it is fun. The letter 'B' stayed with us all day as we had new things added every time Rey found something new. Added to it were bells, blue color, biscuit, balcony, bathroom, bird and the list still is continuing.
Read: 9 Creative Ways To Teach Alphabets to Kids
8. A DIY tent
9. Make A Teepee
10. Picnic at Home
Get outdoors in. The tough days that we are now going through, doing a picnic at home is the ideal fun moment to have with your family. Our picnic at home added up a lot of memories to the album. We dressed up perfectly, played some board games, had a small cricket match, had lunch, read books, ate sandwiches, and watched a movie in our DIY tent (Refer point 8 ). A day very well spent capturing some great moments. 11. Treasure Hunt
A game we have been playing for ages now, this will make one of the best lockdown activities for kids . Let's introduce it to our little ones. Complicate the clues according to their age. Caption it as " Let's go for the treasure hunt" ( Make a song of it ☺ ). Rey did a very good job of guessing the hints and was delighted to see what the treasure was. I had put in Rey's first shoes, a lot of our pics, his early days dress and a cap as the treasure, which truly is. 12. Stacking and balancing
13. Bookmark making
14. Bookish play
15. When play meets magic
16. Go on a word hunt
18. Wrap up gifts
Kids love to wrap presents. Let them wrap up any book or a toy and add some décor elements to it. They will come up with beautiful ideas, and to see their little hands getting busy at work is a visual treat.
19. Plan a movie night
20. Best out of waste
21. Cotton ball painting
I love this idea to make painting easier, a little different, and entertaining for kids. Attach cotton balls to a cloth pin and dip them in the paint and use it as a brush. Kids would definitely enjoy this. To add more fun, I tried giving Rey an artist costume. The clean up after the activity is quite simpler as you just throw the cotton balls away.
22. Balloon stamp painting
This is another art and craft idea that can be done with less mess and lots of fun. Dip a small air-filled balloon in the paint and start painting.
23. Balloon play
Don't Let the Balloon Touch the Ground. The rules are simple - Strike the balloon up in the air but don't let it touch the ground. To make it more exciting for older kids, have them juggle more than 1 balloon, or tie one hand behind their back. Set your timer on for this one, or if you have multiple kids, have them count how many times they can hit it back and forth.
Read: 16 Brain-Boosting Fun Activities for Babies (Month-wise)
24. Balloon Blow
Set up a "course" and see if your child can blow a balloon all the way to the finish line. They'll have to do lots of army crawls and can get a bit tiring but it is worth it.
25. Penguin Waddle
Place a balloon between your child's knees and have them waddle across the room without dropping it. Make it more challenging for older kids by having them go around a few obstacles. If they drop it, they have to go back to the start.
26. Obstacle Course
An activity that requires zero expense, add this to your list of fun lockdown activities for kids at home . This tried-and-true idea is always a huge hit with kids and can be made different every time so it never gets old. Make sure to create an engaging course that includes a variety of motions (jumping, crawling, balancing, etc.). You can have a roundabout, a hump, etc. on the path just to give a real look.
27. Creating a co-working space
A workspace for your little ones to get their hands on their little work. Make a beautiful set up for you and your little one to share a space of working or reading together. With some indoor plants around, books, candles, and some cushions if it's a floor set up, you can create a lovely space. Have kids join in the making. Give them a few tasks like coloring or craft and you can keep them engaged for longer as they feel important to have got a workspace.
28. Picture collage
29. Where play meets exercise
30. Create a Race-Car Track
Use your painter's tape or any tape that you have (which is not too sticky to leave a mark on the floor) and make a road system for your kid's cars. Make it look real with some turns and ends. The key to making it active is to make it large, so they are engaging their core muscles while crawling all over. This is one of the fun activities for kids one must try. 31. Ice-breaking
Try out all these indoor lockdown activities for kids and treasure your little one's happiness. These difficult times shall too pass but the quality time that you can have with your loved ones should be engraved for a lifetime. Live every bit of the moments you have it now as it is a 'Present'.
