Keep mom and dad busy kids!
With the festive season in full swing and children wandering around wondering what to do, we searched the internet and sourced these great budget-friendly ideas.
• Origami
Get the little ones stacks of scrap paper (you can even collect a free newspapers) and make use of platforms such as YouTube and Pinterest for ideas and folding instructions on a wide variety of origami designs.
Use thread to hang them from the ceiling.
• Puzzles
Building puzzles are not only a super fun family activity, but it also has many cognitive benefits for the little ones, such as attention to detail, improves memory, increases IQ, improve problem-solving abilities and better collaboration
and teamwork.
• Prepare meals as a family
Long gone are the days of having to wonder how to make a dish. Search the internet to find great easy to make recipes and start making meals as a family. Not only does this promote the children to help around the house making your job easier, it also is a fun family bonding experience.
Here are a few fun dishes you can make with the whole family:
Make your own pizza
Make your own pancake stack
Build your own burger
• Home day spa
Mom (or dad) might have had a spa experience, but the children probable have not. Planning one as a family can be exciting. Get them bathrobes, some massage oils, a few towels and a classical playlist.
Top the ambience off with some scented candles and you are good to go. Chances are the kids will pass out on the bed after they have been pampered and give you the chance for some alone time.
• Create fun science experiments
Search the internet for super fun children friendly science experiments that make use of ingredients and products that should be available in your kitchen cupboards or on your garage shelves.
Not only is it fun, but they also learn something from it.
• Watch old movies
We all have family favourite movies which we can watch time and again without getting tired of them. Some classics are available on Showmax and Netflix.
Do you still remember the heart-warming Shrek, Matilda, Annie, Shark Tale, The Lion King, Finding Nemo, Toy Story, Home Alone, The Karate Kid, The Incredibles,
Beauty and the Beast and The Parent Trap?
• Play board games
Get your children off their phones and do something that will challenge them. Board games may sound like an old boring idea, but it still is one of the best ways to spend quality time as a family (while you are having fun).
• National Geographic Kids
This channel on YouTube is filled with professionally produced videos with interesting trivia facts, animals and science topics. You can choose between short minute-long videos which you and your child can take in and digest easily, as well
as longer more in-depth videos which delve deeper into a specific topic.
• Picnic in the backyard
With summer in full swing, make use of the good weather and have a picnic in the backyard or in a nearby park. Grab a blanket, pack a picnic basket and head
outside.
• Play a game of freeze dance
Music is such a great way to sway a mood! Compile a playlist of the children’s favourite tunes, turn up the volume and ask them to dance until the music stops. When it does, they have to freeze in whatever position they find themselves in – even if they have one leg up. To make the game more challenging, ask the kids to freeze in specific poses, like animals, shapes, letters or even yoga postures.
