Whether you work from home or need to do household projects uninterrupted, these 10 ideas to keep kids busy are simple and fun.
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The post was written by my friend Amanda Long.
Amanda is a work-at-home virtual assistant, mom of one, and has tons of great ideas for fun kids activities that don’t require a lot of supervision. Keep your kids busy and get more done at home.
1. Draw on the floor
Ok no not literally on the floor, but a better idea could be to take the paper from the craft easel and line the floor. Let the kids go hog wild with their imaginations and they will feel special because this is not an everyday event.
2. Take photos
Give them your old cell phone or digital camera and have them set up and take photographs. It will be entertaining to see what all they come up with. I once had 25 awesome pictures of the dog staged with some of my son’s favorite toys, among other things.
3. Do a craft project
Deep down kids love to follow directions, have a purpose and please their parents. Setting up a learning area can be fun and inexpensive. Look for craft projects that are open-ended to hold their attention longer.
4. Play with playdough
I have a confession to make. I don’t like playdough and normally don’t let my son play with it. But when I’m trying to get something done like a huge spring cleaning or client project, I will resort to playdough. If you’re also wary of the mess, set up a drop cloth to protect the play area. You can shake it outside after cleanup.
5. Help you work
Depending on what you are working on you can easily involve the little ones. Dusting or cleaning the house, laundry, organizing books or papers could be fun for children and they would be very excited to be helping. You can make it even more fun by racing each other or against the clock to get done.
6. Free play
Designate one area of the child’s room or a small area of your house, where the child can make a mess whenever they want. This will give them the feeling of being in charge and free, but you will be expecting the mess so there are no surprises.
7. Indoor scavenger hunt
An indoor scavenger hunt is a perfect activity on a rainy day or when they can’t play outside. You can create your own or try this one from Amazon.com, which includes indoor and outdoor ideas for kids and adults.
8. Discover old toys
Every child has toys that they once loved but have fallen to the bottom of the toy box. Once or twice a year, take those toys and box them away, bring them out at times like this when you need to focus on a big task like spring cleaning the house.
9. Make art
Bring out the box of miscellaneous craft items, crayons, scrap and construction paper, and some tape or glue. Let them make a gift or card for someone special. It’s great if you have a little craft table near where you are working or just keep them at the kitchen table where the mess can be easily wiped away later.
10. Be bored
Boredom leads to ideas, thinking, and possible problem-solving. Letting the boredom happen can result in little minds getting great big ideas and entertaining themselves.
What’s next? Try these other fun and creative ideas on One Mama’s Daily Drama:
Thanks so much for posting with me today Keri. I enjoyed this so much and I hope it’s a blessing to your readers ! 🙂
I really appreciate you writing it! This is absolutely something I needed when my kids were younger and there are a few tips that are still pretty handy with older kids.
So helpful – love the kid photographer idea especially!