5 Ways To Keep Kids Engaged During Lockdown

As the 2nd wave of  COVID-19 pandemic hits India, life is again at a standstill. Just when we thought our lives are about to step back in the normal zone, the pandemic hit back hard and deadlier. And though the country is not observing a total lockdown like last year, corona curfews throughout the country are no less.

In this rare situation, the biggest problem faced by parents is engaging their kids indoor. The problem grows if you are a parent to a toddler because the elder ones may understand the gravity of the situation but toddlers live in a beautiful world of their own.

So here I am with some tips to rescue you:

Involve your kids in the household chores - Boredom right now has hit kids really hard. It has been more than a year now with no schools, no hobby classes and no friends to meet. One effective way to keep them busy is “involving them in household chores”. You may fix up their routine for some easy tasks like:

• Dusting
• Watering plants
• Cleaning up their wardrobes
• Putting back the washed utensils at their place
• Setting up the dining table for meals
• Letting them help you in preparing easy snacks.

And trust me, all you need to be is creative and you will have a never-ending list of such chores to keep your kids busy. Obviously do not expect perfection from them and know  that it is just a way of keeping them busy. Here are some pretend toys your little one can play with and learn before getting into real house chores.

Teach them the value of prayers and let them pray - Most of the Indian households have a corner or room in their house, dedicated to Gods. In these uncertain times, praying definitely offers solace but children these days are not involved much in religious activities. You may ask your kids to pray for at least 15 minutes a day and can also teach them the correct procedure to do so, if you have one in your household like firstly lighting the incense sticks, then saying the prayers and ending with a bhajan .Ask them to understand  the meaning of and learn the important mantras. You may also ask them to write these down like-Jai Shri Ram or Om or whichever verses that are used by you according to your religion. This will not only teach them the importance of God but also soothe them definitely.

Encouraging them to play the indoor games - Mobiles and video games are the most sought after gadgets by kids these days but during this pandemic one thing parents complained about the most is-excessive screen time in kids. Well, put in some extra effort and engage your kids in some indoor games according to their age group and include some fun playtime activities. Indoor games include a wide variety from ludo, rock paper scissor, hand cricket, change po and many more. You may play your childhood games with your kids. Also the internet provides you with a lot of options. You may also fix an hour for the whole family to sit and play some games together like Dumb Charades and Antakshari.

Family time - Fix a time which you may call the family time. You may drink coffee together at that time and interact with each other on various topics excluding COVID for mind diversion. You may pick up topics on general knowledge or discuss a book read recently. If you have a toddler, just sit patiently with them, ask them how their day was, ask  them about their toys and give them all your attention. Ask them just anything and listen to their little sentences and cherish the moments. Your attention will give them comfort and make them feel safe in these testing times because kids too young are unable to understand what COVID is or what has confined them indoors completely.

Involving them in any form of art - According to your child’s age, you may involve them in any form of art.

For the older kids, it is not so difficult as there are a lot of hobby classes and courses online which you may select as per your child’s interest. But to the toddlers you need to give your time and put in your effort .Some easy art/craft options for toddlers are:

• You may engage them in easy craft work like making paper boats,  aeroplanes  etc .Also you can prepare a craft copy in which you stick their creation daily so that they look forward to creating something new each day.
• You may also use play dough/normal dough and help them make shapes out of it. This will not only entertain them but also give them knowledge about the various shapes.
• Colors are too fascinating for young ones. Let them color and paint.
• You can also get plastic scissors for your little ones to cut various shapes out of paper. This is an extremely engrossing activity for  toddlers.

The crux of it is to divert your child’s mind from this pandemic situation and making their indoor time fun so that they do not take it as a punishment .Also the idea is to boost up positivity in their minds during these trying times.

And trust me, a happy kid always lights up the home with joy and glee.

Do not lose patience and understand that as much as we are feeling insecure during this period, our children too get those vibes. It is very important to keep them calm, carefree and cautious at the same time.

 Click here to read more articles on how keep your kids engaged during pandemic times.

Bulbul Tunkalia is a banker based in India. Her passion for reading and writing dates back to her childhood. As she became mother to an angel 2 years back, she stepped into parenting blogging so as to connect with other mothers around the world and share her experiences on this beautiful journey of motherhood. You may connect with her on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/bulbul.tunkalia

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