With the busy world families are living in, it can be quite easy to hand an iPad to your child and let them play games and watch videos. However, extensive time on screens can lead to sleep disturbances, misbehavior, inattention, hyperactivity, aggression, and much more. There are so many activities out there that can captivate your child’s attention and make them forget about that device!
Sensory Activities
o Children love to explore things with their hands. The sense of touch can enrich any activity!
o Kinesthetic sand is so much fun to play with. It can hold its shape to make different structures and be torn down to create something new. For the child who loves dinosaurs, buy plastic dinosaurs and bury them in the kinesthetic sand. Give your child a little shovel and let them excavate dinosaurs, just like a real paleontologist!
o Don’t want to deal with the mess of sand? Create an ocean in a bag with your child! You’ll need hair gel, blue food coloring, duct tape, a Ziplock bag, and plastic sea animals. Combine the blue food coloring with the hair gel, and put it in the bag. Then, you’ll dump in your favorite sea creatures. Lastly, close your Ziplock bag and seal the edges of the bag with tape to prevent any leaks! Now you have a fun, educational toy that can go anywhere!
o In a bind and need something kinesthetic in a hurry? Grab some play-doh and some old kitchen tools, like a rolling pin and some forks. Your child can create all kinds of designs in their play-doh, or even make a pizza!
Family Activities
o Get the whole family together and play board games!
o Use this set of cards at the dinner table to open up insightful conversations!
o Go to the museum, zoo, or aquarium! Trapped indoors? Checkout these sites to explore the zoo and aquarium from home.
Physical Activities
o Go for a bike ride or a walk around the neighborhood!
o Turn on some music and dance like nobody's watching!
o Create a scavenger hunt for your children that will have them scavenging across the entire house!
o Take some sidewalk chalk and turn your driveway into a masterpiece
These are just some of the many activities that will create a positive and memorable experience for you and your child! For more ideas and resources, check out our other blog posts here. For more information about how our team can support you with home learning, visit our website.