MOM, I’m bored!
SUMMER is finally here! Unfortunately, children who were preparing for the bliss of the summer months with pool parties and other group activities might be in for a surprise since many parents, out of an abundance of caution, might decide to limit their group sessions and outdoor activities in light of the COVID-19 threat.
Admittedly, those of you with very active children on your hands have already started to feel the pressure of keeping your little ones happily engaged. And no matter how successful you have been at this, you know that it is only a matter of time before you hear those dreaded two words, “I’m bored” escape your little one’s lips.
Not to worry though, we have shared five inexpensive activities that you can add to your summer arsenal to help you with this.
Arts and crafts
There are a lot of arts and craft kits available at relatively low cost, but if you don’t want to go for something generic then you can choose different accessories and craft items that you child can use to make different items for themselves and others. For example, beads, strings, inexpensive jewellery and maybe a YouTube video or two are all you need to make fashion jewellery. You can also help them to make cute little accessories for the house, and relatives.
Side note: Some craft accessories are free — you can find them in nature, such as sand, rocks, seashells and leaves, all of which you can paint and use as decorative items in your craft pieces.
Plan a scavenger hunt
Children like the excitement of “hide and seek” or any other game where they are challenged to find someone or something. For the hunt, you can use objects, letters of the alphabet, sight words, shapes or other fun topics for your game. Another way that you can organise the hunt is to play I-spy. So, for example, you will say I-Spy something round, it is black and white, and you look forward to playing it with your dad.
Plan a picnic/camp outdoors
Depending on your child, you can choose between these two. If your child is into tea parties or picnics, this might be perfect for you. You can choose snacks that each person likes and ask the kids to help you prepare them.
Depending on the level of security outdoors, especially in the evenings, you will need to decide whether you will be camping inside or outside. Plan fun activities like storytelling, teach them about the stars, prepare your meals under your tent, sleep in sleeping bags… Make the experience fun and if you decide to camp out indoors instead of outdoors, make it as close to a real-life experience as possible.
Play board games
Invest in some board games if don’t have any now. They are fun, engaging and an opportunity for you to teach your children valuable lessons — for example, Monopoly is not just fun, it affords you the perfect opportunity to start teaching your child about money. Fitting up jigsaw puzzles and playing chess encourage critical thinking and are both guaranteed to keep your kids engaged.
Cooking and other experiments
The kitchen has been known to be the home of many masterful creations — from cupcakes with sprinkles to fruity popsicles and sorbets. Children usually love these cooking/food prep activities as much as they love eating them. Take advantage of available fruits and you can try safe, natural food colourings, character trays and edible pastry accessories.
Other fun stuff
Other experiments that you try with ingredients from your kitchen are home-made bubbles. All that is required is one cup of soap or soap powder, one litre of warm water, and liquid food colouring.
You can also make home-made ice cream by shaking salt, ice, cream (Lasco or flavoured milk) and sugar vigorously until the consistency is right, then enjoy.
Another one that you can try to do is to make a volcano. You can do this by mixing baking soda, vinegar, and glitter for a sparkly volcano.
