The world is effectively at a standstill since the lockdown was announced. Now when the lockdown has no definite time period, we have more time on our hands. As opposed to the times, when kids were busy with, school, friends and their hobbies, they now have a lot of free time on their hands.
Every parent or guardian is struggling with the idea of their child not being able to spend their time constructively during the lockdown. Enrolling them into an online class or ensuring they workout, when they get time, are a few ways to confirm they do, however, parents can also take this time together to make sure their children learn a few skills that they would invariably need when they grow up.
Similarly, this time should also be used constructively by the parents to work on their self-development. With this working from home becoming the new normal, you now have time on your hands not only to spend with your children but also to invest in yourself to develop those skills that you might require in your professional field. The tricky part here tends to be how to concentrate on your self-development whilst taking care of your children.
To help you with this difficult part, we have come up with a list of some educational yet entertaining indoor activities for you and your kids that will not only help in contributing to development but also keep your children entertained during this boring lockdown.
1. Learning New Life Skills
Now that the schools are shut and extracurricular activities are closed due to strict restriction of social distancing, it very well may be hard to track downtime to impart some fundamental yet basic life skills to your kids. Basic things like meal planning, making bread from scratch, doing simple cooking using only the ingredients available, doing basic cleaning around the house, washing clothes, budgeting for necessities or using a knife safely when eating are basic and yet such life skills are crucial to acquire. Whatever the skills you think are essential for your children to know and learn, set aside the time and make the effort to acquaint it with them in an enjoyable and fun manner at home.
2. Meditation and Yoga
The two most boring words and activities that kids find are meditation and yoga. But doing these activities together can actually turn out to be quite entertaining and will help your children increase their concentration power, help you in your personal development and keep your family fit and healthy.
You can start with some basic yoga practices or you can do the role of the yoga instructor and the kids can follow you as per your instructions. Try to keep such sessions short and provide some breaks in between. In case they do not enjoy, turn these sessions into aerobics or Zumba classes. Nothing can be more healthy activity than exercise with your family.
3. Maintain a Journal
Maintaining a journal might come across as a strange activity which seems to have nothing in common with education, kids or even personal growth in that matter. However, maintaining a journal has proven to be one of the most important life skills when it comes to educational and personal development. Maintaining a journal not only helps in keeping a record of your daily activities but also in figuring out which of those activities were actually productive when you reflect back on them at the end of the day. The same process goes for your children as well. It also helps them with the development of their literary skills and maintains a schedule for their daily activities. You can even spice up this activity by rewarding your kids on a weekly basis for their achievements, thus encouraging them to repeat those activities that had a positive outcome.
These engagements will help you and your children counter the negative effects of lockdown and instead of just watching movies or playing videogames, these hands-on activities will improve their attention and concentration.
ABL Recruitment team
