Due to coronavirus COVID-19, we all know it is not business as usual at the moment, but our children need as much (if not more!) stability as possible, especially during such uncertain times.
They look to us on how they should respond in the current pandemic, and our words and actions are powerful ways to provide this re-assurance. Keeping a certain amount of structure to any day or week for your child is something that will certainly reassure them and help keep them entertained, plus avoid any unnecessary tantrums.
Here are some of the top ideas and tips on indoor play for little ones by the founder of Baby Souk and mum, Kirsten Fairfield.
Make Music
It is a great way to entertain and let off steam. From rock and mole guitars, Skip Hop explore and more musical instrument sets, tambourins and Xylophone foxes, options for kids toys are endless! If it gets too noisy build a hide away or den - create their own escape place, with a teepee, cotton houses or even recycled boxes in the house.
Take Part in Daily Arts And Crafts
Set yourself a project, paint a picture, try your hand at bead sets to make your favourite jewellery - my kids for example love using leaves and flowers to paint and make prints. Another tip is to use potato cutouts to dip in paint and stamp. There are some great websites we love to help kids learn how to draw – for example, https://www.artforkidshub.com is super creative. We also sell wonderful colour pads and paint kits from Melissa and Doug on babysouk.com.
Engage In Roll Play
Kids love to do what we do - create a shop or market stall, go shopping, price up food, cook lunch in a pretend kitchen, set up tea time with a tea set, create a restaurant – the list is endless. Another great idea is to use masking tape on the floor and create a road or track for cars so your children can ‘transport’ themselves from place to place. Vilac and Melissa and Doug have some beautiful wooden roll play toys that help the imagination get going.
Get Involved In Web Cams And Youtube
My kids love watching feeding time at the zoo so we often login in to Edinburgh Zoo or San Diego Zoo - they have live feeding times so you can easily plot these viewing sessions into your schedule. If your kids love animals, our ultimate favourite is WildEarth’s safariLIVE - an award winning, expert hosted LIVE safari, broadcast directly from the African wilderness into your home. They are usually on in the morning and early evening. If your kids want to play with some ‘real life’ animals, we have some great books, games and toys to keep them entertained – find out more HERE.
Get Creative In the Kitchen
Choose simple options like homemade pizza, get all the ingredients into little bowls and they can add the toppings – you can make your own faces etc. Another favourite in our household is rice crispy cakes. If you want to get your little ones their own kitchen, we have some great sets on the site from Viga, Hape, Vilac and Melissa and Doug – find out more HERE.
Remember mums - confront the topic head on, reassure your kids that someone will always be there to take care of them, and get ready to get creative!