There are many fun activities to do with the family, which can be advantageous for everyone, as they can learn and have fun! Plenty of the items found at home can be used to explore the scientific and artistic side of you and your loved ones.
1. Game Time
• Board Games
If you’d prefer your family to spend screen-free time, try a classic board game. Whether you’re acquiring some real estate in Monopoly or hoping to land a triple-word score in Scrabble, playing board games is a great way to spend a leisurely day at home.
• Card Games
Card games are amazing for challenging young minds and creating hours of indoor fun. A single deck of cards can lead to hours of entertainment for everybody. Teach your kids to play, or suggest a card game they’d like to play. We all know that some of the best memories of quality time with family come from late nights playing cards!
2. Story-telling
Here’s a trick you can use to lend a new twist to the plain old story-telling activity and to give new life to old stories. Start reading one of your children’s favourite books. When you get to a critical point in the story, challenge them to take charge of the tale and to add their own twist. It teaches kids to think on their toes. For the adults, you can discuss real-life people who’re similar to the characters in storybooks that you’ve come across! We guarantee your kids will not want you to stop!
3. Cooking Together
Why not spend the day together making a family-favourite recipe? Make cooking fun by assigning responsibilities to your little assistant chefs. While one kid may like to mix, the other may like to measure the ingredients involved. Assign tasks according to their interests. They’ll feel proud they helped make something. Additionally, you’ll get some cooking done for the day!
4. Movie Marathon
There’s nothing better than family time with your kids and a table full of snacks for a family movie marathon! Everyone loves the opportunity to gorge on their favourite snacks and watch a full-length movie. Turn the family room into your very own personal theatre. Choose a movie the whole family will like, settle in and enjoy the show! And once the movie is over, move on to the next movie on the most-requested list!
5. Art and Craft Session
Grab the crayons, paint, and glitter and let everyone’s creativity shine. Give your kids a chance to embrace their artistic side. There’s no limit to what can come out of a simple art and craft idea. Try out some ideas that are easy, DIY, and can mostly be done with everyday items at your disposal. And since everyone’s doing their part for the environment while keeping themselves occupied at the same time, it’s a win-win situation for all! What’s that you hear? It’s probably the sound of laughter, fun and concentration, and certainly not a child yelling, “I’m bored!”
6. Dance Party
Who doesn’t love a family dance party? It’s fun, it gets everyone up and moving, and it takes zero planning time. Help release some of everyone’s unlimited energy with some amazing tunes. Dancing around the house will help burn off that pent-up energy while getting in some exercise done, and the heavier the music beat, the better! Turn it into a dance challenge for a little friendly competition.
7. Science Experiments
Teaching your kids about science may seem like a Herculean task. But, the good news is that there are a lot of fun, simple, and hands-on science projects families can do together to understand and learn some of the basic principles of the natural world. We bet you didn’t know that you could make a self-peeling egg with just a boiled or raw egg, a cup, and some vinegar! Sounds simple, fun, and enlightening, right? Without a doubt, the whole family can have a truckload of fun by just working together on any of the fun science experiments!
8. Gardening
The best kind of activity is the one that is engaging and encourages natural curiosity and self-expression. Take gardening, for example. Whether you’re simply planting seeds in a flower pot, tending to your existing herb or vegetable garden or something small like caring for a tiny little succulent, gardening with the family has many benefits like encouraging healthy eating, teaching responsibility, teaching patience, and last but not the least- encouraging family bonding.
9. Family Photo Shoot
All the best and most heart-warming memories we have are those that are with the family. And each of us holds on to these sweet memories in the form of family photographs. Now that the entire family is at home- why not make the most of this opportunity, and conduct your very own indoor photoshoot? You don’t need a professional photographer to make it possible. All you need is some great outfits, props, and a whole lot of fun! So go on, pose in the goofiest of poses, set the camera on self-timer and say ‘cheese’!
10. Indoor Gym
There are many easy props you can use around your house to help everyone burn off a little energy. You could place a rope on the floor to indicate a balance beam. Have the kids walk along the rope while carrying fun props on their heads like a small box or a stuffed animal. Kids also love playing ‘The floor is lava’, something that can be easily arranged with a handful of cushions or towels on the floor that you have to run and jump on to avoid the pretend fiery pit.
For the adults, you can burn calories with donkey kicks, which you can do with a chair by placing it against a wall. Use water bottles as weights and use chairs to work on your squats.
These activities will ensure that everyone ends up learning something new and picking up a skill that they might not have had earlier!
