As working parents, it must be hard for you all to complete a day without getting stressed up. Right after waking up, a barrage of worries just storms your head every single day. Gotta get ready for work, prepare breakfast, get the children ready for school, etc. Even if you are a homemaker, the monotony of life sometimes tires you. You want to just lie down in your bed a little longer, trying to escape the dreaded reality. It takes a lot of effort and motivation to make everyday life a bit more enjoyable. With kids, it gets increasingly difficult. But why not give it a try? You can spice up your daily life with these fun things to do at home with kids to make life more exciting.
The idea is that these activities shouldn’t be boring for kids and at the same time, not suck your energy up even after a hard day.
Oh, and by the way, I’m not a Parent yet (actually not married either).
I am writing this post as a Mama (read Uncle) to a beautiful niece and I have spent the last year or so training myself to be a parent. (trust me, I understand their struggle).
Fun things to do at home with kids
1. Dance
I cannot explain how happy it makes me feel seeing kids dance. What makes me happier is when parents join them and shake a leg. Dance with them. You won’t regret it.
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Dancing is a form of art or expression, but genuinely speaking it’s the hidden language of the soul. Right now I am not talking about professional dance routines, just simple movements to a beat. That’s all. Kids do not understand the meaning of words behind the song, they just groove to the beats. That’s what makes it so much easier to enjoy this activity. Just join them already!!
Dance can be a great fun thing to do at home with your kids. I have outlined the benefits of dance to kids below.
You can tell from this image that it’s really more helpful than a lot of other activities, like for example watching T.V.
So how do you incorporate a dance session into your hectic daily life?
10 minutes. Just 10 minutes of dance daily or even on alternate days will not just boost your kid’s happiness, it will de-stress you as well. Investing time in finding clean and enjoyable music for kids is necessary, however. That’s part of the responsibility of this activity because music influences a child’s mood and behavior. So we must make a proper playlist that is fun but also not harmful to the development of the kid.
Don’t stop yourself from dancing with your kids. The benefits are paramount.
Key points:
- Ensure that wherever you are dancing, the floor or surface isn’t slippery. Kids often lose balance while dancing, which may cause injuries.
- Try to involve as many family members as possible. This can really make the kid feel close with all involved. From personal experience, my niece and I bonded a lot over small dance sessions.
- Kids love simple, non-lyrical, and instrumental music. Spend time finding what they might enjoy.
2. Indoor/Outdoor games
Children are spending more time on screen, and less time playing physically. One of the biggest causes of a lack of social development in kids is attributed to too much time spent in front of a T.V, Computer, or Mobile phone.
There are a lot of reasons to be concerned. More than any other activity, spending time with kids is the most vital step a parent must take to ensure the child grows up in a mentally healthy state. Therefore games can nicely fit in here and be a great fun activity for you and your kid.
Indoor Games:
To make things easier for both you and the kids, add some indoor games to your schedule. Here’s a list of some fun board games. This not only makes the kids comfortable and happy, but it is also is a perfect opportunity for you to teach them some of the most basic qualities such as:
- patience
- determination
- creativity
- paying attention
- social skills
- positive attitude
- reasoning, and a whole lot more…
Outdoor Games:
This may be relatively tough for a lot of parents, especially considering that safe and open spaces to play is not available to everyone. For those who do have some space outdoors, ensure to make use of it.
Outdoor games outweigh the benefits of indoor games, as it leads to a more wholesome development. Healthy physical development, increase in athletic ability, mental and personality development are some of the many advantages that outdoor games offer. Engaging in outdoor games can help kids develop their gross and fine motor skills. They achieve better agility, balance, and coordination by playing outdoor games.
Parents can teach a lot of these skills by being involved in some outdoor games with them. Maybe it is physically straining for parents to match up to their child’s level of energy, but even your mere presence in their playing activity makes them feel much better. The joy of watching them play and enjoy will motivate you to spend more time playing with them. Take this chance to make your bond stronger, make them feel like you are his/her best buddy!
Keynote:
A parent is basically a child’s first friend. It’s just your responsibility to be a good one. Before he/she makes a bunch of friends outside your home, most of their personalities will be shaped up by what they do at home. Make the most use of these opportunities and cultivate the best qualities in them so that they don’t feel left out or under-confident in front of their peers.
3. Art/Crafts
Kids absorb a lot of information every day and they are very visual about everything that happens around them. Visual ways to express their emotions and thoughts include arts and crafts. It is an environment that they can control and shape in any way they want by using any materials they like. Parents might get a better insight into how their child is feeling or what they are thinking by encouraging them to participate in arts and crafts activities.
Don’t know where to start? Just go to YouTube and find tons of DIY crafts that can be done with household items. Buy them some basic paint and coloring books to start with. Assist them in their learning journey and when you both finish your masterpiece, it would be such a moment of happiness, as the feeling of accomplishment surpasses the effort. As parents, you can even make a project of painting your child’s bedroom wall with some comic character that they love. Do it together and see how much they’ll love you for it.
As parents, this activity sheds light on the likes and tastes of your child. This is an activity where both learn, and in the end, there’s nothing but joy all around. (and maybe some extra work as things can get very messy)
In short, try to make their life colorful and crafty even if it means a bit more time cleaning up the mess. For parents, this activity can be useful to channel inner frustrations and letting them go.
4. Experiments
A child is naturally curious. All we need to do is nurture their curiosity.
Science Experiments:
Getting kids involved with science experiments enhances their
- intellectual curiosity
- resourcefulness
- setting goals and achieving them
- analytic skills
- problem-solving abilities
Experiments lead to children asking more questions and they find ways to understand nature and surroundings.
via GIPHY
As parents, we must get ourselves involved in helping kids discover the amazing world of science. It’s not that hard. Science experiments that can be done at home are very easily comprehensible and not hard to execute. All you need is time and a zeal to make it happen. Spend some weekends trying to find what experiments can be done at home and collect or buy whatever is required for the project. Truth be told, this is a very exciting prospect and doing science experiments with your kids is a sure way of enjoying the time watching ‘magic’ occur before your eyes.
But I am not a student of Science. How can I help them with science experiments?
Well then, that makes the situation more fun. What an experience this can be where both parent and child learn how to make invisible ink by using a lemon!
Access the internet to find thousands of DIY science experiments that can be done with household items.
Fixing household stuff:
Is the bathroom pipe leaking? Clogged kitchen sink? A battery-operated toy not working?
Children love digging their noses into things they don’t understand. Why not just help them understand it then? When kids and parents do a lot of activities together, they like to help parents out when fixing stuff. This may be a very irritable task for us, but for kids, it’s a wonderful process, in which they can learn where there is a leakage, what made the kitchen sink clog, and why their toy car suddenly stopped working.
Key points:
- Maintaining an utmost level of safety is the number one priority in the case of science experiments and for fixing items.
- While they should have the freedom to perform experiments on their own, it’s our duty to keep inedible and harmful chemicals/items away from their reach.
- Some experiments may be required to be done in a specific space, preferably in a backyard. Constrict your projects mostly to what can be done only at home.
5. Pets
Okay. Keep Calm. Hear me out.
Pets are not cute little toys that can be brought home just for amusement. They are a responsibility. A big one. Pets are not for everyone, and this piece of the article is for those who plan or have planned to keep pets in the long run.
You may want to read: 5 Things To Know Before Keeping A Pet Dog
Having a pet can literally shake your life up a bit. Not just a bit. A lot. But the fun part about it is that it brings up a fresh aspect of our lives. Especially in the first few months, these creatures can bring life into an otherwise dull atmosphere at home. Let’s take the example of a dog.
For Kids:
First of all, the children are gonna absolutely love it. They are gonna torture (I mean cuddle) that pup until it becomes a little less cute for their liking. Kids will stop every other thing they do daily, just to play with it. They might even let them sneak in into their bed and before you know it, they’ll be sleeping together.
via GIPHY
For Parents:
More importantly, however, as a parent, it’s your job to train it. Oh, and before all that, let me quote:
A well-trained dog is a happy dog. A well-exercised dog is a well-behaved dog.
Being a good pet parent involves a LOT of effort. Notice the uppercase in the lot. Just the training routine may take up to 6-8 months, and there are other responsibilities as well, so patience is the key. What I’m trying to convey is that bringing a pet home gives you an opportunity to do something different, to learn about a pet’s behavior, become more active, and reduce your stress. In return, you get a world of love, a faithful companion, an improved social life, and a lot of fur on your couch.
Keynote:
While planning which pet or what breed of pet you are going to bring home, involve the kids too. Tell them about the different types of domestic pets, the variety of breeds, the characteristics of each breed, and the pros and cons. Make it a learning experience for them.
6. Hobby together
Did you ever want to learn how to play guitar, and impress your colleagues, but neither got the opportunity nor time to do so? Hey, it seems your daughter wants to learn to play the guitar. Why not just join in?
Picking up a hobby together can open up new possibilities and ways of communicating with your child, and spark some interest back into your day-to-day existence. One way of making things interesting is by reversing roles – the child becomes the tutor. Letting your child learn first hand and then proceeding to make them teach you is advantageous in three ways:
- Opening new ways of communicating. Hence building a closer relationship with your child
- Teaching after learning something is an extremely effective method of the overall learning process. So this way, your child grasps her lessons better.
You get to impress your colleaguesYou learn the guitar in the process, which helps you to distract yourself from your work load.
Whatever be the nature of the hobby, exploring and learning them together is something that makes life more exciting for both the child and the parent. Imagine you and your daughter, both playing the guitar at some family get-together, beaming with joy as the claps echo on the background. Beautiful.
And you get to impress your colleagues as well.
You may also want to read: Hobbies for Moms and Homemakers worth picking up.
7. Take your children Out
This may be a bit more common than the other points mentioned, but it is still a great idea. Set aside one or two days a month where you head out for some recreational activity. This may include a short trip to your parents, a long drive to the outskirts of the city, going to a movie, visiting an amusement park, zoo, etc. Find the best spots in your city to take your kids out and have some fun. Remember not to choose a place where your kids may find really boring.
Let’s take the example of a dinner night. The idea is that it spares you a night of work in the kitchen, as well as creates a dedicated period of time which you will be spending only with the kids. To make it more interesting, let your kids order the food sometimes, and make it a deal to eat whatever they order for you.
It’s also an opportunity to teach them some basic etiquette, letting them explore different types of food, flavors, and dishes. If you are a food junkie and know a lot about different kinds of food, take this chance to explain the different kinds of food on the menu. Tell them about how it is prepared, what ingredients go into it etc. Let them know about all the other cuisines that originate from other places and explain to them its significance. This way your kids will learn to appreciate cuisines from all across the world.
Conclusion
There is one thing that is worth mentioning too. These activities are indeed intended to allow parents to make their daily life a bit more enjoyable, but there are some exceptions. Every child is unique. Naturally, some kids may be shy, or maybe they enjoy being alone. Some kids may be independent in nature, while some may demand more attention. Before incorporating these ideas, it would be better to know whether your child does want you to be involved more with him/her, or whether they enjoy their personal space and are self-sufficient with whatever their mode of fun is.
In short:
With that said, I do hope you enjoyed reading this article. If you have liked it, share it and let us know in the comments below if you have some more ingenious fun ideas. Don’t forget to like Momscove.com on Facebook for more articles about Moms and Homemakers.
Also, let us know in the comments below what are the fun things you do at home with kids?
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