It is wonderful to get out and about with the children, visit a park or go for a walk and have a picnic. But what do you do on those rainy or lazy days or when your funds are low? Well, there are many indoor activities to keep the children entertained, and here are just a few ideas.
Why Not Try Traditional Games?
You can try the traditional paper and pen route. Drawing will always entertain children, or you can play tic tac toe, battleships, hangman, or dots and squares. Why not set them a drawing challenge, and you could even embed some math in there in a fun way!
Puzzles are also a great old-fashioned way to entertain the whole family. Try jigsaws, sudoku, or simple crosswords to improve their English. It is always fun if you make games into a competition, with maybe a little prize for the one who finishes first. Now they have improved both their math and English skills without even realizing it.
Try Some Card Games
There are many traditional card games you can play with a pack of cards, such as Go Fish, that will keep the children entertained for hours. You could try pairs or happy families, and again, you will be improving their memory and math skills. Why not get the children involved in a popular trading card game? You can teach them money skills learning how to trade and save for the cards that they want. They can pick one of their favorite shows such as Pokémon and they can have hours of fun and excitement. Children learn so much through play.
Get Them Moving
You can also play some of their favorite games that will involve them doing some exercise. You could try the freeze game, where they must stay still once the music stops. You will soon find them giggling and trying to make each other move and they will have had fun as well as some physical activity, even without going outdoors. You could even incorporate some yoga or hopping on one leg to add some more fun, exercise, and entertainment.
If you have enough space, you could set up an indoor hopscotch route, or what about a treasure hunt? You can spend some time creating fun colorful maps and hide some treats around the house. The children will love solving the clues and finding wonderful goodies around their home.
A good game of Simon Says can test their listening skills as well as being entertaining for all, and no childhood is ever complete without a good game of hide and seek. Again, this will get their blood pumping and their brains thinking as they try to outdo each other to find those secret little nooks and crannies to fool you.
Board or Building Games
Board games are a centuries-old way to keep the children, and adults, happy and entertained for hours. Monopoly, Cranium, Risk, and Scrabble are some excellent ideas of games to play that will improve literacy, numeracy, and dexterity skills while they enjoy their family time. You could also try some building games such as Jenga or traditional Lego, which will be fun for all the family.
Whatever you decide on, you are guaranteed to have fun even when you include educational elements for the children. They will much prefer this to you stating, “Let’s do some math and English”, which will go down like a lead balloon. You will also find that you thoroughly enjoy this special time with your children, as you are all laughing, happy and fully entertained for the day.
