With COVID-19 still around, many countries and cities are still on lockdown. During this time, kids are growing increasingly restless. They need some activity to keep their brains occupied that doesn’t involve their usual online learning.
Just because you can’t go out doesn’t mean fun can’t be had. There are plenty of awesome indoor hobbies for kids to enjoy. Hobbies that can help your child’s brain develop without them even realizing it.
Their favorite video game even has learning potential, believe it or not. Check out this guide for a list of things that any child would enjoy doing during their time in lockdown.
1. Indoor Gardening
If your children are itching to go outside to play again, introducing them to indoor gardening might be the best solution to sate them until the pandemic is over.
It gives them a chance to get their hands dirty and play in soil without stepping outside. It offers plenty of learning opportunities as well.
Responsibility
To teach children responsibility, many parents buy them a pet. Dogs and cats require love, attention, food, and water. If your child is too young to take on this level of responsibility, or you don’t think they’re ready yet, indoor gardening is a great way to instill the same lessons.
If your kids don’t give the plants water and tend to them the way they should, they’ll wither and die. It’s a hard lesson to learn, but an important one.
Science and Discovery
As your children take care of their potted plants, they’ll grow curious about how they work. They’ll discover new scientific terms while gardening.
They’ll ask you about the plant’s nutrition, the weather, and other nature-like questions. Over time, their love of nature will grow until they’ll become mini scientists.
Self-Confidence
Nothing is more amazing than seeing your plants bloom. If your kids can nurse their pots to this point, it will give them a sense of self-confidence. They’ll feel proud of their creations.
This is especially true of they’re growing something that they can eat. Eating fresh food that they made will make them feel great about themselves. It teaches them the importance of healthy eating, as well.
2. Video Games
Many parents view video games as mind-numbing, but they’re one of the best activities for kids. We know, it’s hard to believe that they might be gaining something from gaming. However, playing games can teach creative problem-solving skills, coordination, and more.
Coordination
To an outsider, watching someone play video games looks like a bunch of senseless button mashing. What you don’t realize is that there is an action that’s mapped to each of the buttons your child is pressing.
They have to hit certain buttons to get the character on the screen through the level. It takes a lot of coordination to pull off the right combos.
Problem Solving
Every video game out there has a set of rules that must be followed to make it through the levels or missions. Children have to keep these rules in the back of their minds and come up with creative ways to use them to their advantage.
They’ll come to a roadblock at some point. It takes careful and strategic thinking to figure out a quick solution to the problem. It’s kind of like real life in that sense.
Memory
Every single video game out there has a lengthy tutorial sequence where they teach you how to play the game. You learn the extent of what you can do to make it through the various levels. You’ll have to remember these instructions as you advance or you will get stuck at some point.
Some games will also throw puzzles at you with steps that you have to remember. Enemies all have attack patterns. If you can memorize their attack patterns, you’ll have a better chance at beating them.
3. Cooking and Baking
Between throwing flour at each other and licking the cake batter bowl clean, baking is one of the more enjoyable indoor activities for kids and parents alike. If you’re a baker yourself, you know there’s more to it than cracking the eggs without getting shell in the batter. You’ve got to be able to read the recipes and get the measurements just right.
Language Development
As you’re going through a recipe, there will be many words that your child doesn’t know. Explaining these terms to them will help increase their vocabulary.
As your child adds ingredients into the mix, have them tell you what they’re doing. Ask them to guess what will go into your mixture next. As you can see, there’s a wide range of language development opportunities.
Fine Motor Skills
Cooking involves a lot of working with your hands. You’re rolling dough, flipping pancakes, adding ingredients into a mixture, and using a cookie cutter to make perfectly shaped treats. It’s a bunch of work.
Teaching your child how to do all of this will do more than enhance their skills in the kitchen. It will also help them develop their fine motor skills. This is crucial for school activities such as writing and coloring.
Mathematics
Math is an iffy subject for kids to learn. Some thrive with it, while for others, it’s an all-out struggle. Having your children assist you in the kitchen will help them succeed in their math classes.
When it comes to recipes, there’s a lot of measurements involved. Your children will learn fractions, addition, subtraction, and other basics.
4. Writing Stories
Writing isn’t only for English class. Children have an untapped, almost unlimited capacity for imagination. Creative writing is the perfect thing to help nurture this imagination and help it grow.
Let your children tell you a story and teach them how to put it into words. You may have an entire book ready to go before the pandemic is over.
Imagination
Again, children have an almost unlimited imagination. You’ll never believe the kind of stories they can tell. Creative writing allows them to get a little practice with it and stretch their creativity muscle.
It can also teach them problem-solving, believe it or not. As your child goes on about their story, keep an ear out for any plot holes. Now, don’t be harsh about pointing them out.
You don’t want to discourage them. Gently prompt them to work out these plot holes in creative ways.
Self-Expression
Many people have difficulty expressing how they feel. Children are no exception to this. They may be scared to come out with it or just not know how.
Writing is a great outlet that can help them work through their problems in a safe way. This is why if your child is a little hesitant to let you read their writing, you shouldn’t push them. On the flip side of this, if they do want you to read it, do so with gusto.
Communication
A well-written story needs a lot of thought and organization to express the writer’s views. You have to convince the reader that something is the way it is for a reason.
By writing a story, it gives children practice doing this early. This will make them good at communicating their points later on in life.
5. Board Games and Puzzles
Everyone loves a good, family game night. When you’ve got a lot of games to pull from, it’s what to do when stuck at home. Depending on what games you play, your kids could be getting a nice brain boost from it.
Everyone Gets a Brain Boost
Board games involve a lot of problem-solving, decision making, planning, and organization. All things that assist with frontal lobe development in children.
Children aren’t the only ones that can get something out of the family game night. Teens aren’t quite done developing yet so, it helps with their brain development as well.
Improved Focus
It takes a ton of focus to sit there and wait for your turn to come around when playing a game. If everyone can commit to a full game of Monopoly without any interruptions, it will increase your child’s attention span.
It also takes a lot of focus to figure out what to do during your turn. If your mind isn’t all the way there, you may make a game-altering mistake.
Teamwork
Not every game is as competitive as Monopoly. Some games require the players to work together to reach some common goal. These games can teach kids the valuable lesson of teamwork.
6. Learn Foreign Language
Another great way to keep kids’ minds occupied while indoors is to start learning Dutch or other foreign languages. Learning a new language not only improves cognitive function but also helps children become more open-minded and culturally aware. With a wide range of language learning apps and resources available online, parents can encourage their children to pick up a new language in a fun and engaging way. Additionally, it can provide a sense of accomplishment and confidence as children develop their language skills
Indoor Hobbies for Kids to Enjoy
With the pandemic still in full swing, many children are still stuck in lockdown. If they don’t find something to do, they’ll become restless and bored. Help keep your little ones occupied with some of the indoor hobbies for kids on this list.
Looking for more awesome activities that you can do with your children? Check out the lifestyle section of our blog for more posts like this one.