Welcome to whatever week of quarantine it is we’re on (we’ve lost track), where you may feel like you have pulled every single rabbit out of your hat and your children have crafted every craft humanly possible. We get it – it’s easy to feel gung-ho at the beginning of quarantine when it comes to keeping kids busy in quarantine, only to have the momentum slow and have screentime become more frequent.
Instead of having another afternoon of screentime, we rounded up some of our favorite at-home activities that have an educational twist to help keep your little one busy and entertained. Even picking just one to do every day will help you and your little one feel more productive.
Creating a Reading Nook
There’s nothing a child loves more than to have their own dedicated space, where they’re able to hide and escape. Creating a reading nook with your little one can be a great way to encourage them to read by giving them their own little corner to crawl into. In addition, these blogs (here and here) outline some great ways to incorporate books into your daily life with your kids.
Reading Nook Must-Haves
- Some of the ways you can make a reading nook great include:
- Use a bed tent or teepee
- String some twinkle lights
- Make it extra comfy with new pillows and blankets that don’t leave the space
- Line the tent or teepee with a floormat
- Put a small shelf for books and games
- Hang a lantern or flashlight
Playing Tunnel Games
It’s important to keep kids active during the quarantine, but this can prove to be a little difficult within the confines of your home, paired with the fact that playgrounds and parks are closed. A great way to keep kids active is with a tunnel and some great tunnel games, which you can find right here!
The Pacific Play Tents Institutional 6 ft. Tunnel is excellent fun for developing cooperative play and even better for muscle development. Connect it to any of our tents and other tunnels to create your own custom maze and obstacle course while stimulating the imagination for creative playtime! This innovative design incorporates our tried-and-true “padded interior” system, which means more comfortable playtime on those little knees and elbows.
Want to drag it on outside? There is not a problem or a worry here, as it easily wipes clean with a damp cloth when you’re ready to bring it back inside. The Institutional Tunnel can also handle more wear and tear than the average tent or tunnel in our catalog, as it was designed for schools, gyms, gymnastics, sports, and really just anywhere that big groups will be playing! This means you will rest assured that you will have many years to come of fun games to play with your tunnel!
Keeping a Bed Routine
Let’s face it – this quarantine has let us adults fall into some pretty bad habits. By being encouraged to not leave the home, we are being a bit lazier, have less worry about personal appearance, and might be eating some more unhealthy foods than we normally would. While these are traumatic times and there’s nothing wrong with indulging every once in a while, it is important to make sure the kids keep up with a routine and don’t fall into any bad habits.
One of the ways you can keep your kids on track is by keeping a bed routine, and that’s not just for falling asleep at night. This blog from National Make Your Bed Day has tons of great tips and tricks to get your child to love their bed and keep a healthy habit, even if they might have fallen into some bad patterns lately.
Creating a Backyard Scavenger Hunt
Creating the perfect backyard scavenger hunt doesn’t have to involve tons of prep time and sneakily hiding things in the backyard. In fact, it doesn’t have to involve any prep time at all!
All you need to do is make a list of things that your kids can find in your very own backyard. Some ideas include pinecones, rocks, feathers, leaves of a certain color, or sticks of a certain length. We even have a printable here that you can download and print right from our blog!
Want more ideas? Check out this blog for a full breakdown of creating a fun and easy backyard scavenger hunt for your kids that will keep them busy for hours.
DIY Paper Bag Puppet Show
Sometimes, there’s nothing better than letting the little ones entertain you with a good ol’ fashioned puppet show! Pairing perfectly with our 2-in-1 Lil’ Grocery Store and Puppet Theatre House Tent, you can help your kids create a full production that will take them all day to put together.
The puppets themselves don’t have to be anything expensive, either. You can make them with supplies you likely have already at home – paper bags and construction paper! For full instructions, check out this blog.
How to Put On a Puppet Show
- Pick a showtime! When is it going to be? Set a date and time to have everything ready.
- Create a story! Who are the characters, and what will they be trying to accomplish? What happens along the way? Have your kids get creative and come up with a story idea.
- Write a script! Take the story to the next level and come up with a script for the puppet show, complete with dialogue and even song breaks.
- Create tickets! Your audience will need tickets to be able to see the show, after all.
- Set the stage! Whether you’re using the Puppet Theater House Tent or building something else, help your kids with the stage, lighting, and everything they will need.
Let Us Know!
What have been some of your secrets to keeping kids busy in quarantine? Let us know by leaving a comment below, or reach out to us on social media!