10 Ways to Entertain Your Kiddos at Home!
Easy, Fun, and Learn at the Same Time!
1. Get Them Gardening
Growing plants is great fun and it’s even more fun, if they can watch their work get bigger and flower in front of their eyes. There are lots of plants that even a young child can grow without too much trouble, from small trees to herbs and vegetables. If you don’t have a garden, then a window box or small pots are the answer and it won’t matter what time of year you plant them. Try growing herbs like basil, parsley or cress – that way they can eat them once they’ve grown.
2. Catch Some Water
If you’ve got them interested in gardening then you can make some gardening accessories, like a rain catcher. Take a large jar and mark lines half an inch apart going up the line jar. Leave it outside with the lid off to collect water when it rains. Your child will also be able to see how much rainfall there has been before watering his plants.
3. Play a Game
Encourage your child’s competitive streak and break out a fast-paced game like Connect 4, Cranium, or Scattergories. You’ll be surprised how quickly they get into it. Beware of arguments, though, when either you or your daughter start losing?!
4. Put a Play On
Encourage your child’s creative side, by finding a box of dressing-up clothes and get them to come up with a story for a play. You might need to help them with some ideas (princess trapped in a castle; stranded on a desert island are two). Don’t forget you’ll also have to sit through the performance.
5. Learn Origami
The ancient Japanese art of paper-folding easy to do and is also dead cheap. You can fold a sheet of paper into pretty much anything, as long as you’ve got a pattern. – Origami.com is a great place to start.
6. Build a Den
All you need is a large blanket or sheet and some cushions and let them pretend they’re in a tropical rainforest or somewhere similar. A large box is also a great idea for a cave – this is likely to entertain them for hours.
7. Make a Miniature Garden
Don’t ditch the foil trays that ready meals come in. They make great containers for a mini garden. You’ll just need a bit of tack to stick the rocks and twigs in. Add some toy figures to make it more lifelike. You could also use sand to make it a beach scene.
8. Make a Family Tree
How much do your kids know about their family? Do they know anything about your parents’ parents? Not only is drawing family trees fun, but it also teaches them a bit about history. You may unearth some really interesting stories about your own family that you never knew.
9. Get Them in the Kitchen
There are loads of simple recipes you can try out with your children. If you’re concerned about them getting things in and out of the oven, then why not try making chocolate crispy bars, which have to be chilled in the fridge. If they really love it, then why not challenge them to come up with different sandwich fillings for their tea? They many not particularly enjoy the results, but you’re teaching them about taste, as well as having fun! –
10. Raise Monarch Butterflies
I’ve got an entire step-by-step guide for this one. (How to raise monarchs) The kids love watching the caterpillars eat, turn into a chrysalis, and making that final transformation into a monarch butterfly. It’s a great learning experience as well as you’re helping to increase the monarch population.
