Activities for Kids at Home
by Sarahpublished onStay at Home Kid Activities
Since many of us are social distancing right now, I have created a list of fun, simple and educational activities for kids to do at home. Many of these activities can be independent activities for children to occupy their time alone if you need some time to get work done. But if you are looking for some easy ways to spend quality time together during this period indoors, you can also do many of these things alongside your child.
- Write a story and draw some pictures together. One of my very favorite things to do with my kiddos is to plop down at the dining room table with a sketchpad, some markers and our wild imaginations. Together we write stories with recurring characters we have invented together—a superhero, a princess, and a mischievous baby who represent the members of our family. I draw the characters, with input from my preschoolers, and then they color in their outfits and add simple things to our pictures like sunshine, flowers, grass, hearts, smiley faces, stars and precious scribbles. We usually begin with “Once upon a time…” and take turns going around the table, each person adding their ideas to the story. I jot down the words for my pre-readers, but if you have older children they could write down the story your family comes up with!
- Read together. The benefits of reading aloud to our children are vast and I could probably write an entire post on that subject alone. Just to name a few benefits, reading aloud to our kiddos provides them with comfort, produces a positive association with reading, increases their attention span, enlarges their vocabulary, and creates a foundation that will help them to become lifelong readers.
Here are a few of my favorite books to read aloud to children between the ages of three and six:
5-Minute Adventure Bible Stories by Catherine DeVries and Jim Madsen
The New Adventures of Mother Goose: Gentle Rhymes for Happy Times by Bruce Lansky
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
The Frog and Toad Treasury by Arnold Lobel
The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman
Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
How to Entertain a 3 Year Old
I know what it is like to have a baby screaming for milk, a sink full of dishes that need to be tended to before the next meal, laundry waiting to be switched to the dryer, a mile-long to-do list looming in my mind, and bored preschoolers with pent up energy who are bouncing around like kangaroos, leaving giant messes in their wake. There are times all throughout each day that I find it important to fill my children’s metaphorical cups, look them in the eyes and spend intentional time with them.
However, quiet time is also a beautiful tool that can be used to everybody’s advantage. Once my children outgrew naps and I instituted a consistent daily quiet time, I found that my preschoolers actually craved that time of refreshment to do an activity they enjoy alone. A few weeks ago, when we had a busy day planned outside of the house, my daughter actually cried because she was going to “miss” quiet time! Praise the Lord that he designed even our energetic little ones to benefit from rest and downtime.
- My three-and-a-half-year-old son can easily occupy himself for an hour, sometimes more, if I put him in his room with MAGNA-TILES, LEGOS, or large floor puzzles. All three of these activities have great educational benefits for my little man. When he builds with his LEGOS, he is building his spatial abilities. And when he spends time completing his 48 piece Melissa and Doug floor puzzles, he is developing problem solving skills and expanding his ability to focus on a project for an extended period of time. When he builds giant MAGNA-TILE creations, he is learning about different shapes, colors and he is engaged in imaginative play. That is so important for young children. Play is how they learn.
How to Keep a Five-Year-Old Busy
My four-year-old (almost five!) is an extrovert. She loves to talk and engage with people as much as she possibly can. She is energized by parties, group activities and time spent with others. I try to meet this social need for her as best I can, but there are also times when it is important for her to do independent activities. Here is a list of things my daughter enjoys when it is time to occupy herself. These are great activities for older children as well.
- Folding, sorting and putting away her own laundry. She does not always do this alone. More often than not, the whole family hangs out together and folds clean laundry on the living room floor. But I have seen my daughter mature and become excellent at folding and hanging her own clothes and so there are times when I use the clean laundry as a tool to keep her busy. She does not always enjoy this. Sometimes she does it joyfully and is grateful to be given a productive task to accomplish, and other times she complains and drags this chore out just like us adults do. Regardless, she is capable of taking care of her clean laundry nicely and I find it a great way to occupy her time, especially if she complains of boredom. When I use this chore as an intentional tool to fill her time productively, I lay the laundry flat on her bed in piles sorted by pants, shirts, dresses, and undergarments. We don’t require folding of socks or underwear. She simply puts them in the correct bin. My husband taught our daughter the Konmari folding method for her pants and shirts. She hangs her dresses in her closet.
- Drawing and coloring. When given paper, markers and stickers, my daughter will easily entertain herself for thirty minutes to one hour by writing special notes to loved ones and drawing pictures. As she began to acquire basic reading skills, her love for books and eagerness to learn more led her to fill her time by copying the words out of storybooks word for word onto blank sheets of paper. I am so in awe of her thirst for knowledge!
- Beads and string! When my daughter was four years old she started making bracelets, necklaces and keychains during quiet time. She would lay out her finished creations on her desk and I would tie them for her when quiet time was over. I saw huge improvements in her hand dexterity after a few months of her putting small beads onto string for fun. Now, she can hold a pencil and write so much more legibly than before she began this hobby.
Calming Activity for Kids
Okay, I saved the best for last! This is my number one trick for calming kids down and keeping their minds occupied. Sometimes we do this activity together and sometimes they do it during quiet time. But no matter what, I have found this activity to be a surefire way to silence complaints of boredom, entertain my children, and create a sense of calm in our home. I especially love this activity for kids during the hectic evening hour when daddy is not home from work yet, everybody is restless, and I need to prepare dinner.
Audiobooks! You can use your local library’s website for free downloadable library books that you can play on your smartphone or computer. The physical library also lends audiobooks in CD form. You can also use audible and amazon to purchase audiobooks.
Both my three-year-old and four-year-old (almost five!) love to listen to audiobooks. They will listen while drawing, putting together a puzzle, resting, building LEGO creations, using playdough, painting, or just hanging out. Some of my favorite times with my kiddos have been when we listened to an audiobook altogether. I will pop one into our CD player in the living room while I am cooking dinner nearby in the kitchen and the kids will wander in and out to share with me the most exciting parts of the story.
Here is a list of a few of our favorite audiobooks for kids between the ages of three and eight:
The Beginner’s Bible
Frog and Toad
Little Bear
Little House on the Prairie
Adventure’s in Odyssey
Rabbit Ears Treasury of African American Heroes: Follow the Drinking Gourd; John Henry
What are some of your favorite ways to occupy your children at home? Share below some of your family's favorite pastimes!