Written by: Emily Joswiak • January 7, 2021• Family

Ways To Keep Kids Entertained at Home

Ways to keep kids entertained at home isn’t a new idea, but it has definitely gained popularity during the pandemic. Many parents are working remotely from home and need to keep distractions to a minimum. Hearing, “Hey mom!” from another room too many times in a day can make work difficult. Even if not working from home, suddenly having the kids at home rather than school changes your daily routine. Homeschooling has its advantages, and you may even learn to like it, but when the school work is done, it’s time for some ideas to keep the kiddos occupied.

Create an Arts and Crafts Area

You don’t need a special room to have a designated area for things such as paints, markers, and plenty of paper. A corner near the dining room table will do. Now isn’t the time to worry about messes—you have enough on your plate as it is. However, offering some appropriate containers or shelves can help with the mess.

Plastic milk crates, shoebox-sized plastic containers, or a small cubby with bins all work great for kids and parents. If you enjoy labeling items, go for it. If not, simply having a place for them to store the arts and craft supplies when done will be enough to make you happy.

Allowing children the freedom to explore with things like art is one of the benefits of time at home. With all the new artwork covering your refrigerator, you may discover working and learning from home can be a beautiful thing.

Screen Time Isn’t Always Bad

Screen time has been getting a bad rap these days. As parents, we worry our children are getting overloaded with it. School, games, and chatting with friends means kids are on one screen or another for hours a day. Screen time should be limited—but it can still be used as one of the ways to keep children entertained at home.

Let the kids know that when school is done, they can reward themselves with the time allotted for their devices. Each child will vary according to age. This can be a great reward for finishing schoolwork, and also a great time for you to enjoy some quiet.

Make Reading Fun

For some children, the words “reading” and “fun” can never go hand in hand. Maybe it’s time to challenge that idea. As long as they are stuck at home, add some comfy bean bags which can only be used for reading time. They can move the bean bags to any area of the house they want.

Rewards for finishing a book can be fun for kids too. Brainstorm some simple treats to hand out as they finish their books. Choosing what’s for dinner or a treat basket filled with favorite candies are easy and inexpensive ways to motivate children to read. In the beautiful state of Florida, there’s never an excuse to not be outside. How about one chapter equals one hour of outdoor free time?

Hopefully, these simple ideas will spur you on to think of even more ideas that suit your family. Keep in mind, the most important thing is creating a warm and happy atmosphere in your home.

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