10 Ideas to Help You Stay Sane
Kids. You love them, but they’ll drive you crazy if you let them. After all, it’s not easy to deal with your children each and every day when you’re used to them being at school or preschool for 40 hours each week. Having them at home is a significant challenge. This pandemic has made at least me appreciate my kids’ preschool teachers that have to do all of these things for my kids. I have had them home these last few years for the smallest things. Runny noses, a cough, and so on.
If you are like me you hate to see them sit in front of the TV all day long, but you hate to hear them whine about being bored even more. Or having them sitting with a smart device, being lost to the world. I have this with my oldest. He has severe ADHD and a screen is unfortunate the only way he sits still and relaxes. So getting him to leave the Tv is a battle in itself.
Use these ideas to keep your kids busy at home while maintaining your sanity:
Write.
Most kids love to write stories, make lists, and record ideas. If your child is one of those that likes to write, give them a writing task.
Tell them to write a scary story about two friends lost in the woods.
Maybe your child is older and would like to keep a journal.
Write a story together. Take turns writing a couple of sentences. The next person has to pick up where the last person left off.
Art.
Regardless of age, there are many people that like to draw, paint, sculpt, color, or cut and paste. Have an art hour each day.
Watch a video on how to draw a face and practice together.
Give your child some chalk and tell them to play in the driveway.
In case of winter weather, use water-based paint and paint the snow. Or do snow sculptures and have a mini art exhibition.
Garden.
Gardening can be a lot of fun. It’s exciting to plant seeds and watch them grow. Flowers, vegetables, berries, and herbs are all options. Try planting some foods that your child loves to eat. Having a garden where the kids can pick their own fruit or pick berries to eat at will is a nice way to get them to eat more fruit and veg.
Hike.
Get out of the house and hike in the woods. Many parks have walking or hiking trails. It’s great exercise and an easy way to change the scenery for an hour or two. Also, a great way to get some exercise in. Pack some snacks and eat out in nature.
Bake.
Kids love to bake. Depending on their age, some children need more help than others. So bake a cake or make some cookies. If nothing else, kids like to lick the bowl and/or spoon. Also allow your child to fix or help with dinner. Why not try some new recipes. Let your kids pick a recipe each month to help with. Not only does your kid feel included but maybe you also get to try something new.
Remodel.
Let your child remodel their room. It might be time for a new color or a new desk. Perhaps the artwork on the walls is getting a little old. A new lamp? Give your child some freedom to make their own choices.
Watch old movies.
Has your child ever seen Goonies, The Karate Kid, or the original Star Wars? Honey, I Shrunk the Kids? Relive some of your favorite childhood movies with your children.
They might laugh at the special effects found in a movie from the ’70s or ’80s, but that’s part of the fun.
Talk about some of the differences between these old movies and the ones they normally see today.
Old toys.
Do you have any of these lying around: Pogo stick? Hula hoop? Hopscotch? Old board games? Or maybe pull out some of their old toys from the attic, basement, or garage.
Build.
Construct a birdhouse, treehouse, doghouse, or fort. Build something out of popsicle sticks. Construct a raised flower bed. Build some shelves. Age-appropriate of course. Letting a two-year-old loose with a knife maybe isn’t the best idea.
Zoom.
While there are many platforms for holding virtual meetings, Zoom has become especially popular these days. Set up a meeting for your kids and their friends. They can spend time together and catch up with each other’s lives. This is also a great way to keep in contact with relatives that you can’t visit as often.
There are a ton of more things you can do.
If you’re at the end of your rope with your kids, you’re not alone. It’s not easy to keep your kids occupied in a healthy way. However, there are plenty of things your kids would enjoy doing that they’ve or you never even considered. A tip is to go on Pinterest and get more ideas.
Put on your creative hat and give them a few things to do that will benefit them more than watching TV or playing video games. You’ll all be glad you did!