With COVID-19 restrictions being eased the world over, staying indoors is still largely the primary way to ensure safety and health. However, as you put your familys well-being first, keeping your little ones engaged at home can sometimes be a challenge. A few out of the box ideas can come to the rescue in such situations. They can add variety to your routine while helping your children learn at the same time!
To help you with this, we have carefully curated five activities for children at home that you and your little ones can take up together. Not only do these activities nurture your childs curiosity to learn and explore the world, but they are also a great way to introduce them to teamwork and the joy of creating together.
The frequency of most of these activities can span from a few days up to a few weeks based on what you think is the best fit for your childrens interest. They are also a great way for you to unwind and bond with them!
Here are activities for children in the age group of 3-5 years:
Baking with your child |
Frequency: You can take this up 1-2 times a week
Baking is filled with simple steps where you can involve your childs participation. Say for example, while baking a cake, you need 2 cups of flour, followed by 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Your child can help you measure flour and engage in simple counting of the ingredients. This way, your child practises the real application of counting, measuring, and following a sequence. Allowing your child to pour ingredients also improves their eye-hand coordination, and simple actions like stirring and kneading can help improve their motor skills too.
Painting vases and old pots |
Frequency: You can take this up 1-2 times a week
Painting is a great way to get your childs creative juices flowing as it provides them with a platform to express themselves. Unlike adults or older children, young ones in this age group arent as self-conscious. Any creative activity is a wonderful way for them to engage their senses and make something new. You can add some utility to this activity by choosing to paint a vase or an old pot with your child. This will help brighten your home while you take part in a creative activity with your little one. Click here to know how to make natural paint at home.
Here are activities for children in the age group of 6-8 years:
Starting an indoor kitchen garden |
Frequency: You can take this up every day
Starting a simple indoor kitchen garden with your child is a great way to teach them about germination and nature. You can use seeds straight from your kitchen (eg: fenugreek, mustard, coriander, etc.) and add them to a small planter with soil. Sustaining this kitchen garden by tending to it every day can instil a sense of responsibility in your child (unless they take care of the plant, it wont grow) while also teaching them about cause and effect (when they water the plant and give it ample sunlight, the plant will grow).
Clay Modelling |
Frequency: You can take this up 2-3 times a week
Children often love making clay art using playdough because it gives them the freedom to express themselves. You can choose to make one playdough figurine a day with your child and over the course of a week can make your own playdough garden, zoo or city! This activity can introduce them to play-based learning where they learn while engaged in play. Clay modelling using playdough is also a wonderful way for children to learn about trial and error since mistakes made in playdough can be easily corrected! Click here to know how to make safe playdough at home.
Learning a song together |
Frequency: You can take this up every day
The benefits of music for children range from better language acquisition to better reading skills, but more importantly, music brings joy to everyone around. Music can also help your child learn the value of discipline because refinement in anything musical needs a lot of practice! You can bond with your child by choosing to learn a song over the course of a week by practising every day. If you play any instruments yourself you can add that in the mix too! Click here to learn how to make a simple xylophone at home.
The time that parents spend with children during their formative years goes a long way in their all-round development. Taking up mini-projects like these can also give your child the opportunity to learn from their experiences. We hope these activities for children add a fun learning twist to your routine and bring you and your little ones closer together!
Ankita Dutta is a STORYWEAVER at BYJU?S. Avid reader and writer by day, a classical singer by night, Harry Potter nerd, a film aficionado, and the classroom joker in her yesteryear. Ankita believes that words can influence to a point where they change personalities and ideologies. Wish to contact her about intriguing debates, writing trends and stories? Drop in a mail to storyweavers@byjus.com
Comments
Pooja .v
June 12, 2020
Sounds interesting . By these activities we can make our child more active and they can learn many activities from this .??
Srishti Kashyap
June 14, 2020
what about older children? like 6-12 years old children?
Keerthana
June 23, 2020
Interesting! Thank you.
Vrinda Rao
June 23, 2020
Learning goes on even if a child does
not attend schoo!Apt activities to
engage children…cos learning has to go
beyond books and equip a child for life!
Great going!
Geetai
August 23, 2020
So interesting
Vaishnavi
August 26, 2020
Intresting to read and to follow