Activities To Occupy Housebound Children

France has been in a confinement period since Tuesday, March 17. After the closure of nurseries and schools, many parents are wondering about the best way to educate and care for children confined at home. Having to stay indoors for several days can quickly become hell for both kids and their parents. It is therefore essential to distract them, without risking them to get bored. This guarantees that you will succeed in surviving the quarantine test all together.

There are plenty of ways to keep kids busy and happy at home. Of course, the strategy to adopt depends mainly on the kids' age, their skill and imagination, as well as their interests. In this vein, young kitties need toys and games that stimulate their curiosity and imagination. These are especially children from 1 to 3 years old whose need for attention from their parents is still very strong. As for kids ages 4 and up, who have endless energy, they need to be entertained and entertained in much more creative ways. For example, playing sports, running obstacles, and playing with pets are great ideas for harnessing the energy of kids.

The best activities to educate and occupy small children at home

Playing the puppet

Puppets are one of the favorite objects of small children because they allow them to pass from the real to the imaginary. Cuddly toys, finger puppets and even amigurumi come to life in front of the eyes of the loulous by amazed them. From 18 months to 3 years old, children can already put a puppet on their hands, but they do not know how to handle it. But they will probably try to imitate their parent. So a great idea would be to have a puppet speak to show the kid new words.

Read them fairy tales

Reading fairy tales to children has nothing but benefits. In addition to calming the little ones and helping them fall asleep faster, stories fuel the imagination, develop emotions and are essential for education. For older children, tales help build their own opinion and distinguish right from wrong, they learn to grow up. Add to that the fact that fairy tales are fun for both the kid and the parent reading to them.

Learn to draw

To occupy children confined at home, there is nothing more interesting than a painting workshop. Learning to draw and paint is arguably the favorite activity of kids of all ages. So get out pencils, markers, paints and brushes and let your little painters let their imaginations run wild. Have them draw their family, their pet, or a self-portrait. Another great idea would be to teach them to draw animals from numbers.

Take advantage of the moment to teach your loulou the alphabet

The alphabet is the essential first step in a child's learning and development. So, during confinement, you can introduce your child to the alphabet. This experience must be done in a fun way. For example, you can cut out all the letters of the alphabet out of cardboard, asking your kid to color them. Then you can place the letters in a small box. It would also be interesting to cut out an image, which he will have to glue on a sheet. Then ask him to paste the corresponding letter or all the letters necessary to make the word. Alphabet pasta is also great fun and kids just can't resist the urge to write their first names.

J ouer hide and seek plush

Playing hide and seek is an activity that promises a lot of fun for young and old alike. At home, you can simply hide a soft toy or other toy that your child needs to find. You can also participate in the quest or just guide the kid through the experience.

Invent fun and original musical instruments

Music is an effective stress reliever, so in the face of the coronavirus pandemic it can really help. Don't panic, you don't have to sing! However, you and your child should create your own musical instruments. We explain to you! You need containers that you fill with various seeds, pasta or pulses to create different sounds. You can use tin cans, small plastic bottles, old yoghurt pots, jars etc. Use glue or tape to seal the containers securely. Children can decorate these by painting them or covering them with washi-tape figurines for example. Let the concert begin!

What activities to occupy children over 5 years old?

Do school

As schools are closed due to confinement, homes must be schooled so that children continue to learn. In order to keep their minds sharp, it is necessary to find activities that will encourage kids to ask questions, to think and to learn. First of all, we recommend that you make a schedule for the day. This must include both learning hours and those scheduled for rest. Provide your children with interesting themes to explore, which will enrich their knowledge. For example, the following themes will certainly generate a great deal of interest: science, geography, animals, human body, seasons, universe, spelling etc. Remember to give kids at least one hour of reading per day. By reading, children work the imagination,grammar, spelling, expand their vocabulary and offer a moment of relaxation. Do not hesitate to take advantage of the learning platforms that have decided to offer free access.

Scientific experiments

Learning while having fun is why kids love science experiments. Discover our fun and fun ideas by consulting the link provided.

A botanical workshop

Children will be delighted to be able to regrow vegetables from their leftovers. You can even take the opportunity to educate them about ecology. Another great idea would be to grow microgreens at home. Thanks to this experience, you will succeed in introducing them to the care of plants.

Board games

An ideal alternative to keep children away from screens, board games help parents to entertain and occupy children during confinement. Scrabble, Don't worry, Monopoly: these are just a few of the iconic games for family fun. You can also choose dominoes, Jenga or noughts and crosses.

Obstacle races

Nothing like obstacle courses to entertain and occupy the children during the rainy days or in times of confinement at home. Kids love these kinds of activities that get them running, prone, crawling, bending, balancing, and overcoming obstacles. These kind of games help small children to develop gross motor skills as they experiment with different ways of moving. In addition, the kids learn to memorize and follow instructions in a specific order.



Magic trick

Teach children magic tricks to keep them entertained during home confinement. This great idea ensures that the kids won't get bored quickly. The art of illusion will amaze them in such a way that they will want to know more. May there be magic!

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