5 Ways To Keep The Kids Busy And Entertained During Coronavirus

On the 20th of March teachers, parents and children in England were updated with some shocking news which would completely change life as they knew it. The Education Secretary stated, “After schools shut their gates on Friday afternoon, they will remain closed until further notice”. The idea of homeschooling our children and teaching virtually was an unknown territory but here we are 7 weeks later… Since school closures our parents and teachers have done a remarkable job in entertaining and educating our children at home. Since we were told to stay at home and stay safe, many of us have had to think outside the box and find ways to keep our children busy. As we creep up to nearly 2 months since closures it is inevitable that many of us will start to lose momentum. 

With no current date set when children will be returning to the classroom, Kent-Teach have created some ideas and activities for those in need of some inspiration. 

1) Playdough making 

Get the kids to make their own colourful non-toxic dough with natural ingredients which you can find in the back of your cupboards. This activity is perfect for a rainy day and gives children hours of fun whilst they build their own models. Add materials including buttons or use toy animals and dinosaurs to make footprints in the dough. BBC Good Food website has a simple and clear method with list of ingredients required. 

2) Create a tent in the house 

Grab the sheets, cushions and blankets to build a comfortable tent indoors. Your little ones will love to hide away and pretend they are in a cave for the day. Spread sheets across two chairs and use this as your structure to keep it sturdy. You can call this a ‘den’ or ‘secret library’, children will appreciate the extra space created and gives you a minute or two to grab a coffee and break! 

3) Write a family tree 

With all this free time on their hand’s children can research their families and ancestors by picking up the telephone and calling their grandparents. This is a wonderful way to keep children busy whilst engaging with our loved ones who may be feeling lonely and isolated in the current pandemic. Teachers can get on board and use this as part of their virtual history lessons and homework. They could always set a competition and ask children to create a video where they present their family tree.

4) Wash the car 

Many of us will have unkept cars sitting on the drive and let’s face it, some of us have had very little reason to get in our cars. Gather some buckets, sponges, rags and soap and involve the whole family in a car wash…A great form of messy play but be sure to get dirty! 

5) Listen to stories 

We are all guilty of using the television to entertain our kids when we are busy, try an audio story book instead. Storynory has a collection of fairy tales, myths and education stories for all ages. Create a time in the day for children to sit peacefully and follow up with a short discussion to check their understanding of what is happening. A great way to get them excited about stories and keeps their minds busy! 

Don’t forget this is an extremely difficult time and we may not always get it right. If you are on the lookout for free education resources check our blog for ideas ‘5 Educational Resources for Teachers and Students’.