Activities to engage your kids during lock down! - Updated

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All said and done, the optimists see this positive outcome of the whole Coronavirus situation: you get to spend more time with your kids. After the initial few days of making up for lost bonding time, it can be quite difficult to keep kids especially toddlers up and about. What makes it worse is that outdoor activity is restricted. And for some families, screen time is strictly controlled.
A quick google search will give you tons of ideas to keep your kids entertained and occupied. However, here’s a quick list of ideas to help you get going.

1. Podcasts
If youare one of those who prefer to avoid screen time as much as possible, podcasts can be your next best friend. Below are links to help you step into the world of kiddie podcasts.
Podcasts for kids NY Times
Audible Stories

2. Art and Craft
The most common activity to get the creative juices flowing. Pinterest has loads of ideas. Painting, suncatchers, DIY jewellery, play dough, stamps, photo frames etc. are great ideas. Remember all the toilet rolls you stocked upon. Here’s your chance to put the empty rolls to good use.

3. Baking
A fun activity that is a win-win for both as it always ends up with something sweet. Involve your child in the baking process, even if it just cutting out the cookies, or decorating those cupcakes. They are sure to enjoy it. Click here on tips for baking with toddlers and why you should. So turn on the oven and try out some of the recipes from below.
mykidslickthebowl.com
bbcgoodfood.com
playlikemum.com
delish.com

4. Yoga
There is no right time to get your child into yoga. The gift of a healthy body and mind is something that will always go a long way. Cosmic KidsYoga have some great videos on yoga for kids. They are interactive and make the whole session a lot of fun.

5. Improvised Games
You can’t go outdoors? No problem, move the games indoors. Improvise with what is available at home to play a fun game of bowling with empty cans/ bottles or balloon volleyball, tape games, treasure hunt and more. Click here for an exhaustive list of ideas.

6. Music & Dance
Now is the perfect time to hone those bathroom singing skills. And it wouldn’t be a bad idea to learn a few action songs or otherwise in a different language. Experiment with making your own instruments. Fill in glasses with varied levels of water to make your own xylophone. Check you Artsy Craftsy Mom and Felt Magnet for some great ideas. If you prefer something more upbeat, try Zumbini, the younger version of Zumba.

7. Sensory Play
Crucial for language development, cognitive growth, motor skills, and others, there are numerous benefits of sensory play. Click here for ideas involving all sense organs.

And if you still run out of things to do, lets just hope you have a good set of puzzles, mosaic peg boards, play dough, reusable sticker pads and loads of books to keep your little angels busy as a bee.

Stay at home and stay healthy :slight_smile:

PS: None of the above mentioned are affiliate links.

Audible is really keeping the kids intrigued :innocent:

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Today there was a miracle !!!

I got my 2 yr old occupied for almost 3 hours !!! Yes, you read that right… A challenge for most toddler parents accomplished… Courtesy: DIY Play Dough

My little one usually helps me with making chapathis… kneading the dough, rolling et al. So today, I decided to make some coloured play dough. This is the recipe that I used. However, I skipped the Kool-Aid and just used regular food colour. I added about a tsp of rose water for fragrance.

My kid thoroughly enjoyed not only making the dough, but playing with it thereafter too. I can assure you that this recipe works well. The dough is easy to work with and holds it’s shape. The best part about this dough is that it uses basic kitchen ingredients that are always available in the pantry.

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