Keeping children busy in some way or the other during the holidays is both a necessary and a difficult task. Keeping kids engaged in hobby classes or extracurricular activities can help prevent wastage of time during the holidays. These activities will help children to learn new things and improve their progress.
Vacation does not mean that there should be no studies or homework and no specific timetable for children. Since they follow a fixed routine every day especially during school days, during holidays they just love to spend their free time and do what they like. But, after a few days, they get bored and may become more unruly or even try to go out into the sun to play.
The main problem in summer is to keep your children indoors. For this, you need to keep them under your control and this will be successful only if they can stay busy at home and the atmosphere at home is positive. Here
Below are some easy ways that can help you keep your kids busy during the holidays.
Ask your child to help you with your household chores. Children love to take on responsibilities, especially when they are assigned to do something that is considered less than them. They can fold clothes; Organize books and toys, dry utensils and plates, and many other household tasks. This will not only help them stay engaged, they will also learn cleanliness and be disciplined.
Don’t let your child watch TV or play video games all day. This will not be good for him, as it may damage his vision or cause him to gain weight during the holiday. Along with preparing their favorite foods, you should also pay attention to your child’s nutrition. Make sure you feed him fresh fruits and vegetables.
If you keep a few things in mind and help keep your children occupied during the holidays, you will notice a lot of difference in their behavior. Always pay attention to their interests and include them in different classes or opt for activities as per their interests. Below are 7 easy options you can choose from to keep your kids busy during the holidays, so parents can find time for themselves too:
1. Marble Painting
It is for children up to 8 years of age. Bring some tempera paint, poster paint in at least 6-7 colors; A small pack of stones; A metal box/canister (the kind chocolates come in), with sheets of poster paper thick enough to fit the bottom of the box. Now let the children color the marbles in different colors and drop them in the box. They can use as many marbles as they want depending on the amount of colors they want in their painting. Now close the lid and shake the box a few times. Open it and, the painting is ready! Now wash the marbles and try with different colors. Older children can carefully roll around in the open box or tray instead of closing the lid and shaking the box.
2. Travel Alphabet
Play this game with children of all ages while traveling in the car, especially long journeys. Run through the alphabet from A to Z by asking them, in sequence, on the number plates of other cars traveling on the road. You can switch the numbers. Next, try to identify objects or cars or buildings in different colors.
3. Car Racing Track
Add colored tape to the carpet or floor to create a road for your kids’ cars. You can also add prompts to make the activity more creative. Create a special zone for parking where cars come to a stop after playing. This will save you from tripping over toys that are scattered around the room. The tape will come off easily when you’re done.
4. Balloon volleyball
When you need to keep the kids active but it’s too hot to play outside, string a rope or two scarfs together in your hallway. Then hand out one balloon each to the kids and let them play balloon volleyball. Add rackets or paddle boards and it becomes balloon badminton!
5. Indoor bowling track
You can make a great ball play area using a wooden board or flattened cardboard box laid out on a flat surface. Use pencil erasers or thick crayon stubs for bowling pins. Marbles or ping pong balls as bowling balls. Set score and enjoy the game!
6. Race to clean the room
Set a timer, sit near the children and let them do all the work. Can they put all the pillows back on the couch in 30 seconds? Can all the toys spread out on the floor be put back in their place in one minute? Can all the shoes lying around the house be put back on the shoe rack in 2 minutes? Can all the clothes on the bed be folded in 10 minutes? The sound of the timer going off will excite your kids. Remember to have a reward ready for all the work done.
7. Questions about Indian states
This question-and-answer game can prove to be very entertaining and informative for children. The questions asked in this have to be answered in yes or no. In this, you can also do the same with the names of Indian states. Like which state is in the north of India? Is tea cultivated there? This game can be played while traveling with school children of all ages.
8. Cooking
You don’t need to get out your recipe books to cook meals with kids. There are a variety of options for cooking with a child – from cooking with older children (a muffin pan, eggs, flour, sugar and a couple of basic recipes you find online) to teaching a young or teenage child. For how to make a slice of bread, how to roll chapattis, how to cut a soft fruit like a banana with a blunt knife, how to whip some curd to make raita. Children can spill a lot of stuff in the kitchen while doing these tasks, so be patient.
9. My turn, my work
This game can be played when more children gather in the house due to some adjustment in the house like a birthday or party. Divide the children into two groups. Place some things in a row on a table, like milk, some vegetables/biscuits, boiled eggs, etc. (you can take anything of your choice). Have the children of each team stand in a line. The first person from each team will take turns and come back using something kept in the line. Then the second child will complete the same task further. This will develop collective sports and spirit in children. Like one child will peel some part of the vegetable and the other will peel the remaining part. By doing this they will work together and complete their work one by one.
Also, set a routine and follow it. Which will help you in time management. As:
| At 8:00 am | Wake up |
| 8:30 am -9:30 am | eating breakfast |
| 9:30-11:00 am | leave the house for an activity/work |
| 12:00 PM | Lunch |
| 12:30-2:30 pm | Read a book, paint, and playtime |
| 2:30-4:30 pm | Parks, pools, play time – physical activity |
| 4:30-6:30 pm | help with household chores |
| 06:30-7:30 | having dinner or watching tv |
| 7:30 -9:30 pm | listening to story, reading book |
| 9:30 pm | sleep time |