During this time of physical distancing, we’re all spending a lot more time at home with our families. While it’s not ideal (unless you are my kids, who couldn’t be any happier to be out of school), there are several ways to make it more manageable and enjoyable. Early on during this situation we created a big list of fun activities for the kids to do at home. We got everyone’s input and have it hanging in the kitchen for the boys to refer to when they are ‘bored!’ It’s not always perfect, but we take it day by day which helps. If you’re looking for some ideas, read on for some of our favourites.
Screen time
Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first. Pre Covid-19, my kids didn’t get any screen time during the weekdays. But things are different now and some screen time allows us all to relax and unwind. We also implemented family movie night every other day as a way for us to spend quality time together after dinner. Tonight we’re going to watch the newly released family-friendly film The Willoughbys. The film is about siblings with some less than stellar parents. The kids hatch a plan to send their parents on a vacation while they embark on their own adventure to find the true meaning of a ‘perfect’ family. Not only does it look super cute, it has an amazing cast too including Alessia Cara, Jane Krakowski, Martin Short, Ricky Gervais and Maya Rudolph. It’s bound to be a family favourite. Here’s the trailer of the movie:
Workbook activities
When it’s not screen time and my kids need a quiet activity, they can either read or do a workbook activity. I have a bin full of workbook activities and arts and crafts for them to enjoy. Since it’s all accessible, it’s a ‘choose your own adventure’ which always makes the boys more enticed to participate. Things that I have in the box include paint, markers, beads, workbook activities like word searches and connect the dots. After watching our movie tonight, tomorrow we’re going to be work on these super cute Willoughbys inspired activity sheets. There are 4 sheets in total and you can find them all HERE. It’s a perfect conversation starter for discussing the movie with your kids. I’m interested to see what my kids perspective on the movie is… perhaps they will be more appreciate of everything John and I do for them, but I digress…
Scavenger hunts
This does require some input from John and I, as we are the ones responsible for creating the clues and putting them throughout the house. We recently started incorporating challenges within the scavenger hunt; tasks that they need to complete before they move on to the next clue. This includes activities like building specific things from Lego, taking shots on our basement hockey net, stacking their blocks as high as they can in 1 minute, playing their musical instruments, completing a puzzle, some form of exercise, or a worksheets and drawing. On their own, the boys like to do Easter egg scavenger hunts for one another. One of them hides the (plastic) eggs all over our backyard and inside the house while the other two search for them.
Baking
Ok, technically this one is more for me but sometimes the boys like to help me out. Especially when I’m baking cookies and muffins that include chocolate chips. They have yet to help me bake something from beginning to end, but that’s okay. I’ll take their participation when I get it. Something that we have been making weekly is challahs. They are so delicious and soft and we always make one with chocolate chips. You can find the recipe HERE.
What are some of your go-to kid activities to do at home?
Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Netflix Canada. The views and opinions expressed in this blog, however, are purely my own.
Let them go to school