If you went through the lockdown with toddlers and children at home, you must have realized how difficult it is to keep their attention. Kids usually have less patience and tolerance to deal with tedious situations, even when they are unavoidable.
Electronic devices such as mobile phones or tablets can help entertain young people for a while, but several other activities can entertain and teach at the same time. These ideas may seem challenging at first, but they are certainly rewarding.
Take a look at these six ideas to distract and entertain your bored kids.
- Read
Reading with a child will help keep them entertained in situations where they have to be quiet and patient, like a long car ride. There are good books suitable for all ages, but a good general choice would be ones that are more on the interactive side, as they stimulate a child’s imagination and gives them some control over the direction the narrative takes.
If kids are younger and still can’t read, choose a book yourself and try to narrate it, using an appropriate intonation for each character. That way, you keep the children distracted and better engaged.
- Activity and Coloring Books
Activity and coloring books are a great alternative to video games or TV. They will help keep a child entertained with something physical that they can touch – the opposite of video games.
In addition to encouraging them to show their creativity, activity and coloring books have the following benefits:
- Helps to develop memory and motor coordination.
- Requires the child to concentrate for a long time, requiring focus and attention.
- They are great alternatives for teaching to recognize and use colors.
- Allows you to explore combinations of colors and different materials (colored pencils, paints, etc.).
- Counting
During a long drive or rainy afternoon, challenge young children with a counting game. This type of activity will keep them quiet and focused while also sparking interest in numbers and basic math.
There are several games designed for younger or older kids. For example, inside a moving car, you can suggest that the little ones count how many vehicles of a certain color pass yours on the road, or even license plates with certain numbers.
If they are stuck indoors because of the rain, suggest a hunt for different objects throughout the house that have numbers on them – such as watches, phones, TV sets, calendars, etc.
- Dress Up
Kids of all ages love to wear different clothes and play roles. You can explore this activity as a supplement to reading books, allowing them to get excited as they try to dress up like the characters in the story.
But usually, children are already quite entertained just trying to imitate adults and trying on the clothes and accessories of parents. Have fun helping them to wear accessories like kids glasses, necklaces, bracelets, hats, etc. It’s an activity that should keep them busy for hours.
- Toys
When traveling by car or plane, or in any environment away from home, children often miss their toys and a familiar space where they can have fun. At these times, it’s important to have portable or travel toys close by.
Playing with them will help the kids to forget about the distance. Sticker books, card games, and miniature board games with magnetic pieces are always good options during travels.
However, if the child is very young, keep in mind that they can easily lose parts and become irritable. In these cases, a stuffed animal with interactive elements (such as zippers and Velcro openings) can help keep toddlers’ attention.
- Talk Things Through
When you only need to distract kids for a short time, try talking to them about what to expect after waiting. For example, if you’re waiting to see the doctor or in line at the grocery store, challenge the kids to guess what’s going to happen next.
This can become a question-and-answer game where you help them figure out what will happen or even a long conversation where you explain the next steps, leaving the children curious and anxious.
You can even turn the event into a fun adventure with some creativity, creating a fantasy story with the elements and people around you.
Keeping Parents and Kids Together
It can be stressful to spend a few hours in a queue or waiting room with young children or inside a car or plane during a long trip. If your kids are hyperactive and loud, things don’t take long to get out of hand.
Next time it happens, try one of these six activities to keep the kids’ attention for a while. Some ideas work best for specific ages, while others require a lot of work and creativity on your part as well.
You’ll find that the result is always rewarding, in addition to entertaining children, these activities keep parents and children together longer.