COVID-19: keeping your children entertained, learning and happy at home

Coronavirus is now affecting the whole world, and according to UNESCO, more than 87% of the world’s student population is unable to go to school because of it. Meanwhile, parents who are working from home may find it tough to balance their work and making sure their kids maintain their educational routine and stay busy.

It can be challenging to keep your kids entertained when you face an entire day in the house - things can quickly become disorganised and a little boring. All kids need activities every day to promote their healthy growth and development. They also need some form of structure and routine, even when they say they don’t, it's very important for them.

So, here is a list of 20 fun activities, learning resources and games for your kids to make sure they keep learning and stay fully entertained throughout the day.

1. Create a game or ideas box

A creative way to keep your child entertained is to fill a box with fun games - such as puzzles, quizzes, colouring books and toys. When you are working and you need to keep your child busy, hand them the box and let them explore what’s inside. You can adjust the concept of the box if you like - it could be an ‘idea box’ where the whole family slowly adds fun ideas and when the kids become bored, they can pick out a random, fun activity to do.

2. Plants, flowers and grow a garden together

It could be one plant on the window sill or a collection of plants in your back garden. The idea is to let your little one have a plant and care for it themself. This will require your child to water them regularly which can be very rewarding and teach them a sense of responsibility.

3. Let them help you around the house

If you are organising your clothes, washing dishes, cooking, or cleaning, let them give you a hand. They may not do it perfectly which is fine; it’s a chance for them to learn domestic skills - which they are going to need one day anyway! If they are older get them to cut some vegetables, empty the bins or do some dusting.

4. Encourage arts and crafts projects

Encourage your child to draw and paint, or they can explore painting using natural objects like stones and leaves to keep activities interesting. For example, stones can be painted into ladybirds, pinecones can be made into hedgehogs, and so on. See some fun arts and crafts ideas from Arty Crafty Kids, and as Easter is coming up there are some great Easter-themed arts and craft ideas from One Little Project.

5. Keep them reading & learning

Many schools have already prepared homeschooling packs and materials, while several charities and educational organisations are offering creative resources on their websites. Let’s take a look:

• ABDO: Their entire eBook collection is now available to access at home for free which includes countless children’s stories and educational material.
• 2Simple: Purple Mash is a website made for kids aged 3-11. There are many cool and creative courses to learn coding, publishing, art, animation and various applications for maths and spelling.
• The Chipper Club: Sign your kids up to the club and they can take on some of Chipper’s Challenges during this lockdown. Every week the Chipper Club sets a fun, new project for kids to do from home, incorporating themes of friendship, helping parents, learning how to stay positive and being kind to animals. Each project is designed with help from primary school teachers to make sure they follow the national curriculum.
• Literacy Trust: this is a web portal for parents to access free reading and writing resources, audiobooks, competitions and reading challenges.

6. Build a den, fort or castle

For younger kids this is great, and even for us adults, it can be a lot of fun too! You could start by creating an imaginary ‘world’ for them to be a part of and act out, e.g. set a medieval scene and construct a castle to defend your territory. Use sheets, chairs, tables, pillows, pretty much anything around the house. This can keep them entertained for hours while you're working!

7. Embrace their talents

It’s a great time for them to practice something they are good at, and it’s also a good time for you to encourage them to explore new skills. NYMAZ is offering music lessons for kids and Busuu is giving out free online language classes for children taught by qualified language teachers!

8. Stay active with Joe Wicks as their PE teacher

Joe Wicks has been running PE sessions for all children online for as long as schools are closed. You can watch them on his YouTube channel, five days a week, Monday to Friday, each lasting 30 minutes long. Get your kids moving, feeling energised, and optimistic.

9. Let Carol Vorderman teach your child maths

Carol Verderman's, The Maths Factor, is now free for every child learning at home for the duration of the school closure period. Get your child involved in daily sessions where they can win real medals and trophies and play maths games.

10. Teach them to cook

You will, of course, need to supervise them, but get them involved in cooking lunch or dinner for the family. You could even make a family activity of baking cakes - carrot or lemon cakes are easy and tasty ones to start with!

11. Sing songs and dance!

Singing, skipping and dancing will boost their spirits and it also gets them moving and not slouched on the sofa. Ask them to build a playlist they can dance to. Exercise is not only good for your child’s physical health but combining music and exercise together will help improve their mental health too, especially during these difficult times.

12. Organise toys

This helps maintain an element of structure for them, which as we mentioned is vital at this time. You could ask them to start by organising their toys, and then get them involved in helping you organise the rest of the house - food cupboards, wardrobes, the garden shed, etc.

13. Donate unwanted toys and clothes

You can combine the previous idea with this one - it’s a great way to declutter your house and teaches your children small acts of kindness. Keep everything you don’t want anymore in a safe place ready to be donated when life gets back to normal. In the meantime, show your kids where this stuff is going and why it’s important to donate.

14. Organise treasure hunts

This can be done inside or in the garden and can be played by the whole family. Bear in mind, Easter is just around the corner, so you might want to save this one to do as an Easter egg hunt!

15. Play old school games

There are so many games for rainy days - the floor is lava, control the robot, 20 questions, the lego challenge, eye spy, etc. If you have a deck of cards, show your kids some fun card tricks to impress their friends when they go back to school!

16. Let them socialise however they can

Make sure they can video call family members and friends regularly. During this time, they will probably miss their school friends too, so allocate time throughout the week to do this. They can even write letters to their school friends which can also be an added activity throughout the day.

17. Listen to audiobooks

Audiobooks are readings of books, so listening to how books are read out loud will help your child develop their reading skills and pronunciation. You can combine audiobooks with hard copies so they can follow the words on the pages. There are so many free audiobooks online. If you are working from home and need some peace and quiet, this is a great way to keep them entertained independently.

18. Indoor camping experience

We all loved this as a child - an indoor camping experience was a fun-filled family adventure right in your living room. This can last all evening and you can even let them sleep overnight in the tent. You’ll need marshmallows of course and everything else in this useful indoor camping list from My Kids Adventure.

19. Teach them the art of recycling

Recycling can be fun! And it's the best time (if you haven't already done so) to adapt your house to better manage your family's waste. Teach them how to properly recycle, separate plastics and papers, and reduce their overall waste to look after mother earth.

20. Hold regular family meetings

Because of this dramatic change to our daily lives, this might be one of the most important things of all. Your kids undoubtedly have many questions and will want to express how this is making them feel. Organise a weekly family meeting to discuss what’s happening, clear up any doubts they have and plan the next few days - as doing so can help them to understand and manage the situation much better.

To stay up-to-date with the latest coronavirus (Covid-19) news, read our medical articles written by top medical professionals in the country.