The coronavirus pandemic has closed schools worldwide. Most schools are catering for home learning so that children can continue with their education despite the necessary measures. Let’s take these difficult times as they come and try to focus on the positive rather than negative. Spending time at home allows you to spend some quality time with your children, which you may not have otherwise been able to have.

Below are some ideas of screen-free things you could do with your kids, during this time. Staying indoors to keep safe and healthy is imperative but it doesn’t have to be boring or detrimental. After your children have finished with their e-learning tasks, read on to see what you could do with them.

1. Homemade gifts. Encourage your child to make a gift for someone or a greeting card. There are many ideas and instructions online, start searching!
2. Get baking. Bake some cakes or biscuits. Have them help you in the kitchen! Who doesn’t need a great helper?
3. Reminisce. Sort through old photographs, make a scrapbook of memories. It might sound a bit old fashioned but it’s so therapeutic and you get to spend quality time with your kids.
4. Organise. Get your child to sort through their belongings and throw out what they don’t need. Ask them to organise their room.
5. Draw or create a family tree. Why don’t you even make an art gallery at home and show of your child’s artwork?
6. Chat. Let your child spend time with their friends on Skype or phone. Teenagers especially, truly feel isolated if their aren’t in contact with their friends.
7. Treasure hunt. If you are lucky enough to have a garden create an exciting treasure hunt with clues and home-made treasures for your kids to find.
8. Get gardening. Show your child how to take care of plants and let them garden, too. If you live in apartment, go to your balcony plant some flowers in pots.
9. Movie time. Having a family ‘film day’ is a great way of spending time together watching favourite movies. To make it educational, ask your child to write a film review or draw a movie poster.
10. Show time. If your children like performing, go through carnival/halloween outfits and help them to put on a show for the family. They can even work on some literacy skills in a fun way by writing a play script and act it out.
11. Puppets. Make finger puppets and help them create their own puppet show. Make a theatre out of a box and get creative.
12. Read. Start a family book club. Discuss what your favourite characters and what part you liked best and why.
13. Picnic time. Have a family picnic indoors, on the balcony or in the garden.
14. Create. Make potato stamps, stamp paper or even a shirt.
15. Adventure time. Go camping in the garden or the living room.
16. Sports. Make your own mini-golf course in the living room. There are many online ideas you can easily recreate.
17. Homemade games. In the evenings get the kids to design a game that you can make the next day – give them ideas to keep it simple such as a paper boat race in the bath or homemade skittles using a tennis ball and empty toilet rolls.
18. Origami. All you need is paper and instructions which can be found online, will keeps kids amused and they will learn a new skill.
19. Theatre. Encourage the kids to put on a play or a magic show. They could even use the dress up with clothes and props from around the house. If you have a camera, you can even film it to watch later or for some great memories.
20. Games. Play board games and card games, I’m sure there are some lurking somewhere in the house.

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