How to Keep Your Kids Engaged During Summer 2020

For most parents, summer comes with excitement and a little bit of worrying on how to keep kids entertained for three months outside of school. With the present stay at home orders and social distancing rules due to the COVID-19 pandemic, summer 2020 presents some unique challenges for parents.

Whereas parents are relieved that remote learning is finally coming to an end, they’re equally worried about what the vacation brings. What will summer be like without camps, park visits, and other outdoor activities? The only thing you can count on is your kids being as playful, curious, and as energetic as ever.

Without their usual summer activities, this energy will be expelled in the house, and most of it will likely be directed to you. Without a proper place to channel such energy, kids can be destructive and hard to deal with.

Fortunately, there’s an easy fix for this. Instead of letting your kids find ways to keep themselves busy, mostly at the expense of your valuables, take a proactive approach, and find creative activities for them to do over the summer. This will not only keep them engaged, but also ensure they are safe.

In this article, you will find creative activities you can use to keep your children engaged and safe in these COVID times.

1. Go Old School With Board Games

As much as phones have made life simpler, people, including children, have developed some form of addiction to devices. Spending too much time on devices can have detrimental effects on the development of your child. However, it’s not enough to tell them to switch off their phones. You have to provide an alternative that will entice them.

There’s no better way to achieve that than with board games. Now that you are all spending more time at home, you might as well spend it together. It’s now time to take out the dusty board games you’ve stashed in your house. To avoid familiarity and boredom, do not play one board game for more than two consecutive nights.

Board games will not only help keep children engaged, but they challenge them to think critically and creatively, as well as provide a platform for bonding.

2. Teach Them How to Cook

Want a simple way to keep your child engaged in the afternoon that will be a treat for you as much as it is for them? Try cooking together. Reserve an hour or two every day (afternoons are best) to prepare a simple snack with your child.

Allow them to participate and give them small tasks such as mixing batter or adding ingredients. As you cook together, they will pick up a crucial life skill, and your relationship will become even better.

3. Try Some Art Work

Kids have a natural knack for creative exploration, which becomes suppressed if not utilized. One of the best, and more importantly, fun ways for unleashing their creative genius is through artwork. Even if you try, you can’t go wrong with art. There are so many options, such as drawing, painting, origami, and making ornaments, among others.

Prepare an art time table for them. For instance, you could have origami Mondays, painting Wednesdays, and drawing Fridays. Ensure that you have a new project every week. Who knows, they may just create the next Monalisa.

4. Have Weekly Treasure Hunts

As you come up with activities to keep kids busy daily, it is equally crucial to have some that could be done weekly to spice things up. Such an activity has to be unique and loads of fun to keep them eagerly waiting for it, and treasure hunts are ideal.

The key to a successful treasure hunt is planning. Prepare fun and well thought out clues that will keep them searching all over the place. Such clues could be riddles or puzzles that ensure their brains get some stimulus too. Once you have prepared a fun set of clues, ensure that the rewards are worthwhile.

5. Make an Indoor Obstacle Course

Indoor obstacle courses are another great weekly activity that you can alternate with treasure hunts. It does not have to be something big or complicated. Be creative and use household items to create your course. The goal of such an activity is to put their speed, strength, balance, endurance, and agility to the test.

6. Watch Educative Materials

Though it’s vacation time, it does not mean children shouldn’t learn. Whereas it may be challenging to get them to focus on books, learning is not just limited to their curriculum. There are things such as history or nature that they can learn about without getting bored.

Instead of seeing who can set the new high score on Candy Crush, stream some nature or history documentaries online. Animals and other natural phenomena will genuinely pique their interest. This way, they get to have fun as they learn about the world.

Another option to explore is museum tours. Thanks to the partnership between Google Arts & Culture with museums and galleries all over the world, you can take virtual tours to the most popular museums.

7. Teach Them Some Life Skills

Life skills are important as they help you navigate different situations and challenges effectively. It is never too early to start teaching your children basic life skills. Depending on their age, you can teach them things like:

• Knitting
• How to use tools
• Ironing
• Using a fire extinguisher
• First aid
• Financial management

Such skills are crucial as they will help keep them and others safe.

Be Keen on Continued Child Development

With the right approach, this summer presents you with a unique opportunity to bond with your children and help them realize hidden talents. However, once normalcy is restored, you may not be able to offer such support as much as you would like. This is why it is always important that children are enrolled in learning institutions that provide a conducive environment for learning and skills acquisition.

Las Vegas Day School is a learning institution committed to developing self-assured and all-rounded learners. Along with the numerous academic and social programs available at Las Vegas Day School, we will also be organizing LVDS summer camps. Reach out to us today to enroll your child for quality and interactive education.