Stress-Free Parenting Tips for When Kids Are Cooped Up Inside
As a parent, you know that boredom can quickly turn into temper tantrums for kids of all ages. During the colder winter months though, keeping your kids entertained while they’re stuck indoors can be a major challenge.
So how can you prevent boredom without resorting to desperate measures? Try these family-friendly activities for those cooped up days.
When You Need to Keep Kids Busy...
Cold and cloudy days can be no fun for kids when they feel like they’re stuck inside, and they can be extra stressful for parents, especially when those parents need to work from home or get other chores done around the house.
If you think you may find yourself in this sort of situation, invest in a laptop or tablet that will help keep your kids occupied so you can get back to getting your work done. Kid-friendly laptops and tablets are pretty easy to find, but just make sure whatever you pick up is easy to use, loaded with features, and tough enough to stand up to your youngsters.
This tech can keep your children engaged and entertained for hours with educational apps and programs to keep them learning, so not only do they love it, you can feel good about offering it to them.
When You Want to Help Kids Learn…
Tablets aren’t the only educational resource you can keep at your fingertips. When you also want to connect and spend quality time with your kids on those bleary days, consider planning fun and simple hands-on learning activities instead.
For instance, you can put together some pretty cool home science experiments with inexpensive ingredients you likely already have around your home. Break out some goggles and aprons, and then get your kids into the kitchen to make their own rock candy, oobleck slime, and rubber eggs or chicken bones!
When You Need to Wear Kids Out…
If your kids have way too much energy to sit still for science experiments or educational apps, then you need to find ways to get them up and moving.
Since it’s too cold to go outside for playtime, that means finding more active activities that your kids can comfortably do indoors. If you have teenagers, you can always give them online workouts that will help them burn off bored energy and develop healthier habits.
Verywell Fit notes jazzercise, mermaid fitness, and even Crossfit are all super fun and high energy workouts teens and even older kids will love! Just make sure your teens are comfortable trying these new workouts.
When you need kids to chill out or calm down anxious energy, you can also look for online yoga tutorials to play on those cold and rainy days. There are sequences for all ages and yoga can help your children decompress and unwind.
When You Want Kids to Be Creative...
Sometimes your kids may need to burn off some creative energy in order to stave off a meltdown or bad mood when they are stuck inside. So in addition to the rainy and cold day activities mentioned above, you should also keep some arts and crafts activities up your sleeve to keep boredom at bay.
Grab some paper plates and paints so your kids can have a blast creating brightly-colored jellyfish or use old highlighters to help them make their very own glowing bubbles.
Aside from giving children something constructive to do on chilly winter weekends, Artful Parent points out that expressing creativity through art can also give children an edge when it comes to learning other subjects. If you’re concerned about having to clean up after these craft sessions you can also look for mess-free art activities to keep your children busy on colder days.
Winter days don’t have to have your children feeling bored, and they definitely shouldn’t have you feeling overwhelmed! So before the next cold front comes through your area, make sure you’re prepared with enough fun and educational activities for your entire family. From tech to crafts, there are many ways to keep kids entertained and engaged!
Contributed by thespencersadventures.net