Home-Based Activities For Kids During Coronavirus (Covid-19) Quarantine

Home-Based Activities For Kids

The Covid-19 (Corona Virus) pandemic, or what was originally known at the ‘Wuhan Virus’, which emerged out of China in 2019, has spread with bittersweet feelings for most parents in Australia. While we are entirely grateful that our kids are safe, we also know that bored children can be quite a handful for parents to manage, especially when cooped up in the house as we self-isolate choosing to stay at home. Without enough activities for kids during coronavirus quarantine, whilst they are self-isolating from Covid-19, to keep them engaged and entertained they can quickly destroy your house. Not to mention all the screaming, fighting, and tears, particularly between bored siblings experiencing a change in their normal day-to-day routine.

Being away from school, pre-school, kindergarten and daycare due to the school shut-down in Australia from Corona Virus, their little growing brains may regress from all the screen time, and this can be a problem. Today’s post provides a collection of practical ideas perfect for parents, caregivers or grandparents of some engaging and fun activities your children can do during the Covid-19 quarantine lock-down in Australia.

1. Choose activities that encourage imaginative play

Let’s face it, kids have a wild imagination, and parents can tell by all the stories and questions they ask. Somehow, kids always have something to say, even when you are begging for ten minutes of calm and peace. No wonder parents hide in the bathroom to escape into Facebook, even for a few minutes, especially now that Australia is under lock-down.
Although children make parents want to pull off their hair, research shows that when kids engage in pretend play, they experiment with their social life and develop skills that help them succeed with peers. Little ones learn to co-operate and compromise, share, and know when to hold back. Their language and emotions also develop as kids begin to understand new words and express both negative and positive feelings.

All these benefits are great, but let’s get to the juice. Which activities can parents, grandparents, and relatives use to foster imaginative play during this remote learning period?

• • Playing with blocks

Even the simplest set of blocks is perfect. Kiddos can imagine, create, and destroy items only to start again and build something entirely different. And with the recent stay at home situation, this is bound to happen a lot. Kid’s fine motor skills develop as they figure out the block’s size, weight, shape, and stability level. This fosters skills such as geometry, math, cause, and effect, as well as problem-solving skills. AMouseWithAHouse has a variety of blocks your little ones can experiment with. These blocks are sturdy, safe, and come in tons of shapes, including rectangles, disks, and cylinders, to give your little one maximum fun.

• • Nature play

Whenever kids are home, they use every little opportunity to go outside, but with the Covid-19 social- isolation, that’s not an option. But that doesn’t mean the outside can’t come inside. Playing in nature helps your kids reduce anxiety, improves cognitive development, and sensory skills. Now that your children have to stay at home, having wooden toys around will do the trick for you For instance, AMouseWithAHouse branch wood toys are a great option. These 26-piece block-like toys are made of natural wood and still have their bark. This line also has other options that will intrigue your little ones to not only imagine they are playing outside but to use the rough edges to develop their motor and sensory skills.

2. Play with puzzles

When kids play, it’s hard for parents to notice the development they are undergoing, but with puzzles, you can see your little one’s brain working. Parents can almost see the light bulb go on when their little one finally gets the grip of things and scream in excitement. It’s thrilling to see your child’s chubby little hands struggle to place the correct piece, but most of all, the feeling of accomplishment when your kid gets it right can’t be matched.

Puzzles have been used by educators for thousands of years to help in early learning and cognitive development. Puzzles improve concentration, spatial awareness, shape recognition, fine motor skills, and help kids master topic-specific knowledge. It also enhances hand-eye coordination, problem-solving skills, and boosts memory. Parents and grandparents have every reason possible to incorporate puzzles into their daily activities.

For early learners and toddlers, AMouseWithAHouse has toddler puzzles that kids can fumble with as they learn how to use their hands. Older kids and preschoolers also have tons of variety to choose from available in the puzzle section from AMouseWithAHouse puzzle selection.

3. Get learning and play combo games

Teaching at home is the only option during the Wuhan pandemic, but kids would rather spend all their time in front of a screen. Sometimes, pushing a screen to your kiddo seems like the best option because when kids are screaming, nagging, and dragging on your leg. However, using educational games that are fun, entertaining, and engaging will accomplish the same thing. Your child may keep coming to you for help when they get stuck, but the benefits kids get from such games during remote education is better than any alternative. Here are some entertaining ideas parents ad grandparents can try as they home school little ones during self-isolation. The full range of educational toys from AMouseWithAHouse can be found here.

• • Art related games

Every kid loves art. Children want to experiment with colours, and incorporating learning into it may be a perfect way to help them learn as you teach at home. Art helps kids learn how to describe, analyze, and interpret. Kids learn to express their feelings with or without words, to be empathetic, and to collaborate with others. For instance, teach your kids rainbow colours and other everyday colours, shapes, and how they relate with each other through this range of toys.

• • Language games

Children need to learn how to spell and communicate. Language games are going to come in handy for them. According to experts, games make the learning process easier. For starters, language games serve as a much-needed diversion from regular classroom activities, making learning feel diverse and easier. These games also lower the stress and anxiety that comes with trying to learn something new, improving the child’s acquisition of language. These alphabet toys can help your little one learn the letters of the alphabet and how to spell. Whether it’s a robot or watermelon, your kids will have fun learning and spelling at home during the Australia lock-down.

• • Math and science games

Can you think of any field or industry that doesn’t use math? Math is the most vital base subject any child can learn at school, pre-school, and kindergarten. Mastering basic math skills is crucial for your kids, so they have the best foundation for their future. Games can be as simple as counting the number of pizza slices in a box and dividing them up equally between all family members, counting the red blocks in a block set. As parents gear up too home school, these math-related toys are excellent for older kids and quick learners, and early childhood education.

4. Get active

Ever heard of the phrase “all work without play makes Jack a dull boy?” According to the CDC, about one in four children below ten years suffer from obesity while one in five teens are obese. Obesity takes a toll on a kid’s physical and mental health, so they must keep active. Since nobody knows how long the ccp-virus quarantine will take, you must find ways to keep your kids busy during this self-distancing.

• • Kitchen toys sets

Every time parents want to cook, their little one will tag along and ask to help. To kids, all the mixing, tasting, and great smells are fascinating. Sometimes, though, all parents want to do is finish dinner so they can have a little time to rest. A great option would be to buy their little one a cooking set or kitchen set that they can play with as they prepare dinner. As they self-quarantine, your kids will also have a chance to imagine making a hearty meal for their dolls, and they may even cook you something as well. This will also keep kids active because they will stand a lot as they cook and move around to shop for ingredients they need in their kitchen. If your little one is a poor feeder, a cooking set might be what they need to stir their interest in food.

• • Have a race

Kids love running, but when it’s a race, the fun multiplies, and the adrenaline keeps it fun. Using your kids favourite pull toys, set a start and finish line on the hall wall and let your little ones compete on whose car is the fastest. Now that there is social distancing, parents can make the course a little more challenging by adding obstacles and using the kitchen island as a bend and create pumps using pillows. Make sure you are around as your kids play so you can keep an eye on them and help prevent accidents. If you have a backyard, these cars and carts are a great way to have a race and burn energy.

5. Theatre, Drama, Action

At school, kindergarten and daycare, kids have tons of activities, and one of the most enjoyable is theatre and drama. Now that children are remote learning, parents can bring the theatre to them by engaging them in music, theatre, and role-play. These ideas will get you started.

• • Make music and dance

When your kids stay locked down for a few days, it starts getting to them, and they could start acting out because of stress. Music will help. Besides this, music improves their brainpower, inspires creativity, helps build confidence, as well as teaching them values such as discipline and patience. It’s an excellent form of self-expression, and it is a way for kids to develop their social skills. A great way to get their music creative-juices running is through playing with musical toys. Kids can compose their songs, sing-along songs they love, or form a band with their imaginary friends and siblings. However they choose to do it, music will keep your kid’s stress levels low and create a fun environment for them. Dance to your kid's tune and their day will be made.

• • Role Play Creating their own story through role-play and puppet theatre

Have you ever asked your kids what they want to be when they grow up? Chances are your child said a teacher, police office, or perhaps a doctor. Role-play helps them understand difficult subjects and concepts such as the current China virus pandemic, stirs their imagination, and improves their communication skills. Your little ones can either engage in occupational role-play where they pretend to be a doctor, chef, and bus driver or use fantasy role-play where they imagine there were a dinosaur or superhero. AMouseWithAHouse has tons of role-play toys kids can use.

• • Have a puppet show

When growing up, puppets were fun toys we could use, but besides being a source of fun, puppets are a great educational tool for kids. Creating a puppet show will stimulate your child’s imagination, help in emotional development, and improve their motor skills. It also helps them boost their confidence in speaking and reading, and it can be used to communicate lessons such as etiquette. Puppet theatre toys are available to help your kids create new and exciting stories. The puppet show will not only bring the characters to life but also provide hours of entertainment for your kids.

• Create and tell their own stories

Ever listened to your little one play? Kids create stories and situations about life, which helps them understand what is happening around them. To get their brains active, take some wooden toys such as dolls, animals, and action figures, and help them to create a story of their own. This is a fun way to learn language skills as kids find the right words to tell what is happening, fostering self-expression as well. Without knowing it, kids also learn presentation skills and organization of thoughts as they plan what to say next and how to present it. Your little one can dramatize the story through actions, tone, and voice, or use descriptive language.

6. Water play

Kids love playing in water because it’s fun, and it’s a great way to cool down. It is also an excellent activity for sensory and imaginative play, fine motor development, and social skills. Even babies can engage in water play. What’s great about water play is that you don’t have to have a pool, you can use a bathtub or a large basin. Toys such as boats are great for water play. You can even sneak in some learning by talking about the various colour and shapes the toys have as you play with your child.

Wrap up

As parents home school their kids because of the coronavirus and shut down of Australia, they can take advantage of wooden toys highlighted in this post. Wooden toys are also safe and give kids multiple uses so little one can have a variety of ways to play. Prices are fair at AMouseWithAHouse and they offer same day dispatch of items. If you are lucky, you will also get a discount on selected items and have enough activities for kids during corona virus quarantine.