For most of us, 2020 has been the most challenging year of our lives. If working from home, staying safe and paying the bills during a pandemic wasn’t enough, we’ve also had to keep our kids entertained and educated through the quarantine.
Let’s face it: as much as we love our little ones, sometimes all we want is a break from juggling between games, school and housework, a break to play our playcroco games. But how can we do that when all our kids want is to spend quality time with us?
In my search for (at least) five minutes of freedom during quarantine, I’ve asked parents to share their own parenting hacks to keep children busy and entertained some try with sports and others with video games like WoW Classic that is a whole world of entertainment, and you can even find wow gold buy for the game here. Depending on your kids’ ages, these tricks can allow you to take a breath while your little ones have a blast!
Curious enough? Let’s have a look:
Idea #1: Do the dragon game
Erin Rossi, certified sleep science coach, recommends parents to play the ‘don’t wake the dragon’ game.
All you have to do is lay on the couch and pretend you’re a sleeping dragon. Your child has to steal a ‘treasure’ hidden somewhere in the room without waking you up. The treasure can be their favorite toy, a snack or anything you know they love.
If your little one makes a sound, open your eyes wide and make a ‘dragon’s growl’ to send them running into a ‘safe corner’ of the room. By the time your kid steals the treasure, you will both be happier!
Idea #2: Use sensory bins
Whenever she needed a break, single mom Jackie Omotalade used to give her daughter several sensory bowls to explore. One idea is to offer three bowls: one with ice and cold water, a second one with ice and hot water and a third bowl with ice alone. You can add some paint to make things even more exciting!
If your little boys enjoy construction instead, you can create sensory bins with common foods like rice, cornmeal or beans. Allow your kids to use shovels, mini excavators or any other construction-related tools to build a fun site. It may be messy, but it may also be worth it since this game also helps them explore new foods in a fun way.
Idea #3: Play a guessing game
Lifestyle and food blogger Sarah Cook was working full time, took care of her disabled parents and had an active toddler running around the house when she came up with this guessing game.
Once again, you have to lay face down on the couch and let your kid place a toy or an object on your back. Your only job is to try to guess what’s on your back; make sure to make things fun by ‘guessing’ silly items that make your kiddo laugh. Cook says she could easily get 20 minutes of rest this way!
Idea #4: Go for a bath
Liz Jeneault is a single mom and marketing vice president at Faveable using services such as phone box advertising agencies. Whenever something work-related comes up, she calls bath time with her toddler.
Whether we talk about bath crayons, bath foams or glitter bath bombs, any toy that does something when placed in water can be a real life saver during quarantine. My son loves any toy that shines a light when placed in the water (I may have told him it’s pure magic, but hey, it works!).
Of course, it’s absolutely necessary that you stay in the bathroom during this activity for your children’s safety. However, a break is still a break, right?
Idea #5: Freeze!
Rachel Kamath, founder of Small World Spanish and former teacher, discovered one of the most valuable toddler games on her Amazon Echo.
Alexa tells the kids they have to play pretend to be an object or an animal which begins with a random letter of the alphabet, while the device is playing fun music to dance. Alexa stops the music randomly at which the point the kids have to ‘freeze’ like statues. Needless to say, this game can go on for as long as your little ones like!
The secret feature of Alexa is called ‘Freeze Dance’ and you can download it for free. If you don’t have an Amazon device, you can be the DJ yourself and just hit play or pause from the comfort of your own couch.
Idea #6: Create a ‘bored box’
No matter how much your kids love to play with you, it’s equally important to teach them to play by themselves. One of the best methods to do so is to create a ‘bored box’ you can use whenever you need a break too.
Simply choose a big, beautiful box and fill it with your kids’ favorite items: LEGOs, play dough, science kits and any other game or toy that doesn’t necessarily require your involvement. Allow your little ones to search through the box and choose what (and how) to play with.
Idea #7: Organize a scavenger hunt
This idea is for older kiddos, but I promise it’s very effective. Make a list of items you want your children to find in the house or outdoors (if you have the possibility). Say each item one at a time and wait for the kids to find it.
Jaymi Torrez, teacher and parenting blogger, says you can use common things to make the game attainable: make the children look for something small, something big, something red, something you wear when it rains. The best part is that there are endless possibilities!
Also, make sure it’s all worth it: at the end of the game, let your kids choose an activity you can all enjoy together (reading, doing a roleplay, taking a walk etc).
Quarantine life may not be easy, but we can take advantage of today’s technology and tools to keep our little ones entertained while we work, clean or just enjoy a few minutes of silence.