Published Aug 22, 2020
If you’re struggling to keep your children entertained during this period of quarantine and social distancing, then you’re not alone. Parents and guardians up and down the country are desperately looking for ways to alleviate the kid’s boredom (and sibling bickering and constant hunger) whilst the schools are closed and play dates are a long and distant memory.
So here’s our guide to keeping the younger members of the family entertained, so the older members get some relief from the moans of “I’m boooored” …
Don’t stop at rainbows!
The beautiful rainbow pictures celebrating the NHS that are adorned in windows everywhere are amazing – but you don’t have to stop there.
If you have chunky chalks, encourage the kids to use them to decorate the front garden path, your house walls or little patches of pavement with encouraging and loving messages and pictures for passers-by to admire.
Make the most of being outside
Thank goodness for small mercies – the coronavirus pandemic hit the UK just as spring was springing and on the whole, the weather is currently good. As it stands, we’re allowed outside for an hour’s worth of exercise a day, so make sure you’re getting outside for a family walk, jog or cycle every day.
Whilst you’re outside, look for the signs of nature that are everywhere – weeds in pavement cracks, trees shedding their spring blossom, new growth popping up in nearby gardens.
Add some fun by setting challenges – you could guess how bushy a bush is going to get or how long until a nearby lawn is cut. Or set challenges, such as how quickly you can all walk to the post box or around the local park.
Look out for animal trails too – many households are putting toy animals in windows so that kids can cross them off their list, and whole neighbourhoods are getting involved. Local neighbourhood websites such as Nextdoor and Facebook community forms will be a hive of information as to where your local trail or adventure might be. And if there isn’t one, why not start one?
Keep exercising
We don’t just have to exercise indoors – there are lots of celebrity trainers carrying out regular training sessions that are ideal for kids. Joe Wicks is perhaps the most popular with his daily PE lessons, but a quick search on YouTube reveals a lot more.
Having a set routine, where things such as exercise are done at the same time will help to add some structure to the day, and hopefully relieve some boredom.
If you’re home learning, you might find it easier to stick to a certain hour of the day for this too, rather than being ad hoc. If your kids are school age, they’ll be used to this kind of structure.
Home learning isn’t just numbers and writing!
Let’s face it, most kids think school and learning is boring. So make other things fun, such as cooking and baking. Without realising it, baking is quite scientific – all that measuring and dividing the mixture out helps little hands and minds learn new skills.
Other ways to make learning fun is to make up stories, re-write classic fairy tales or count insects in the garden. Anything that sparks creativity is also good, so look for jigsaw puzzles, building blocks and role play games.
Best of luck!
Written by Hannah De Gruchy
Health, Wellness & Environmental Writer | Human Biology BSc (Hons)
I have an extensive knowledge of diet, health and wellbeing topics and consistently produce high quality, fully researched content for blogs, features and articles.
I’ve always loved to write, and after spending the first ten years of my career laboratory based, embarked on a career change in 2009 by joining an innovative and first to market online doctor. I was responsible for managing all online and printed content including articles, product descriptions and marketing materials, and now have extensive knowledge of what it takes to write engaging, imaginative pieces.
In 2013 I had a major role in setting up https://www.emmbie.com and have had overall responsibility for all content (including the blog and product descriptions), social media and printed materials. Emmbie is an online health, diet, fitness and lifestyle company selling natural, organic, vegan health food supplements.
I also have experience in proofreading and editing content written by doctors, making sure it reads well as a non-doctor and am fully versed in being consistent with editorial guidelines.
I’m motivated and well organised for freelance working, my desk shares a space with a running machine, which often comes in handy when I’m told by my watch I’ve been sitting down too long or need some inspiration away from the screen!
I try to live a simple life, always conscious of my impact on the environment and have recently taken a keen interest in Buddhism. I choose natural beauty and household products and eat local, organic produce when I can. Staying true to both my way of life and my scientific background, I have a passion for writing on these subjects that is evident in my work.
