10 screen free ways to keep kids busy
Sometimes you really need to do some chores, cooking, or work. That is when some quick ideas could be helpful to keep your kiddies occupied for short periods of time. We have put together a list that we hope may occupy your child while you do what you have to do while keeping an eye on them. Of course, playing should always be the first option but if that’s not going to happen then consider these.
Have a special kitchen drawer that is filled with interesting plastic containers and lids for your child to unpack and pack again. You could also add plastic spoons and cups or any other interesting plastic shapes. If you are brave, pots and pans are another more noisy option.
Have a big box handy to give your child to play with. Big boxes can become anything your child wants it to be and may be the answer to stimulate play.
Have a making area on a table or keep all the making things in a special box. Have ribbon, tape, pens, glue sticks, paper, cards and scissors if your child is old enough. Add different items such as small boxes, tubes, stickers and bottle tops to stimulate creativity.
Make boxes with sets of collections such as shells or leaves. Include a magnifying glass to keep the interest going. Sets of magnetic shapes or small building blocks are two more suggestions for special boxes.
Freeze ice and put the cubes in a container for your child to explore. The ice cubes will take time to dissolve and will work well if your child is intrigued with the melting process.
Sometimes birthday and Christmas presents are more than you need out for your child. Keep a few aside that you can take out for busy occasions. Toys that have buttons to push or can be taken apart and put together again are great. Remember to put the toys away when your child is done. Rotate the special toys to keep the interest going longer.
Chores are tedious to you but they could be fascinating to your child. If that is the case then involve your child in what you are doing. For example, passing you the pegs when you hang up washing or helping you clean the windows. The more practise they have with doing chores, the better they will become at doing them. Learning to do chores is learning life skills for later.
Throw a blanket over a table or four chairs and make a fort or a house. If your child has never done this before, this will probably keep your child busy for a long time.
Egg boxes are great for filling with pompoms, buttons, bottle tops and counters. You could challenge your child to use kids tweezers or a spoon to fill the egg box.
Your child may want to be involved in what you are doing. If you are doing work then have some books and pens or a working calculator for your child to do their “work.” If you are busy with chores, find the simplest task relating to the chore you are doing. If you are happy with this task, let your child give it a go. You can both feel a sense of accomplishment when the job is done!
If all else fails, download and print this look and find colouring page. Kids will love finding the pictures and colouring them in. Click the download button to get your copy.
