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Did you know that the average child watches more than 4 hours of TV every day? That includes both the shows that they watch on their actual TV screens as well as any shows that they watch on smartphones, tablets, and other devices.
There is nothing wrong with kids watching some TV each day. It’s one of the most fun things to do for kids. But at the same time, you shouldn’t allow your kids to do nothing but watch TV all day long.
There are lots of other home activities for kids that they can take part in to keep them entertained. You should learn about them if your kids are constantly saying, “We’re bored!”, every time you shut their TV shows off.
Check out five exciting activities for kids below that will keep them occupied and away from the TV for a little while.
- Arts and Crafts
When you first tell your kids that you’re going to shut off the TV so that they can do something else, they might not love the idea. But they’ll like it a little bit more once they see you roll out a bunch of arts and crafts for them.
It’s a good idea for parents to invest in a bunch of arts and crafts supplies for their kids. You should buy everything from markers and crayons to popsicle sticks and pipe cleaners and let your kids go wild with them.
You can either come up with a specific arts and crafts project that you want your kids to work on or tell them that you want them to come up with something creative on their own. This is one of the best approaches to take to home activities for kids since it’ll allow your kids’ imaginations to run wild and make them forget all about watching TV. Check here for fairy crafts for kids.
- Dress-Up
Kids don’t usually get to pick out what they’re going to wear at the beginning of the day. As a result, they often love the idea of playing dress-up and putting on different outfits.
The next time you have a bag filled with clothes that you’re going to donate, hand the bag over to your kids first and tell them that you want them to put together a fashion show for you. Have them try on some of your clothes in an effort to create the best possible outfits.
Your kids will love getting the opportunity to try on some of your clothes, even if they’re on the bigger side. And they’ll also love walking down the runway for you and modeling the outfits that they’re able to create. It’ll be a fun afternoon for everyone, and when everything is all said and done, you can put the clothes back in the bag and donate them.
- Scavenger Hunt
If you really want to keep your kids busy for a while so that you can have some time for yourself, send them on a scavenger hunt either inside or outside of your home. Create a long list of things that you want them to find and tell them that you’ll give them a special prize if they’re able to work their way through your entire list.
Try to keep the list on the vague side, too, so that they don’t have too much trouble getting through it. Include things like “Something red” and “Something pointy” on it so that they’re able to show off their creativity while going on a scavenger hunt for you.
And of course, make sure that you have a great prize waiting for them at the end. They’ll love your scavenger hunt idea so much that they won’t be able to wait to go on another one sometime soon.
- Tea Party
Your kids are probably used to seeing you host dinner parties and other gatherings at your home by now. But they’ve likely never had the chance to host something similar themselves.
Change that by creating invitations for a tea party thrown by your kids. Tell them that they’re going to be in charge of coming up with everything from the decorations for the party to the food and drinks that will be served during it.
This is a good way to go about entertaining kids at home since it’ll take them some time to pull together their plans. Just be sure that you have some time set aside to attend their tea party once they’re all done with it.
- Online Games
Back at the beginning of this list of kid-friendly things to do at home, we stressed the importance of trying to encourage your kids to step away from their screens. It’s important for them to do this on a regular basis.
But it’s also important for you to show them how to use their screen time responsibly when you give it to them. One way that they can do this is by playing educational online games on their devices.
You should set your kids up with some online games that they can play when you need a break from entertaining them. They’ll say it’s one of the most fun things to do at home, and you’ll love that they’re learning while they play these games.
You should still get your kids off their screens early and often if you can. But if they’re going to be on them, you should make the most of their screen time by providing them with the right kinds of games.
Give Each of These Home Activities for Kids a Try
If your kids are home with you almost all the time, they’re going to get bored every now and then. Give them plenty of things to do by working your way down this list of home activities for kids.
You’ll get a great response from your kids when they’re participating in these fun things to do at home. They won’t miss watching TV at all while they’re doing them.
Find more great parenting tips and tricks by checking out the other articles on our blog. And, another option, is to volunteer abroad.
