Parents- Check out these at-home activities for kids

Some schools are sending kids home with devices, workbooks, and other resources — but many others may not. Either way, parents are left with a dual challenge: managing new ways of working, while not allowing their kids to disappear into social media and video games for weeks or months.

Most school-age children have assignments to help keep them busy, but you’ll find there is still plenty of time in the day for boredom to sink in. Here are some easy activities and tips to try out to help keep boredom at bay.  

Stick to Your Normal Routine: Develop a schedule for your kids that mimics their classroom schedule as closely as possible. Stick to it as much as you can with minor adjustments only as necessary. I know, it's hard when you suddenly are forced to #homeschool your kids, especially if you are trying to stick to your work schedule. But once a schedule is set, you can make adjustments around your workflow to find quiet time for the kids. This will help you finish your most challenging work-from-home assignments. Aim to schedule your most engaging/reliable activities for the kids to be on their own during the time you need to be most productive. 

Create a NEW Schedule: If your child does not have assigned tasks from school, this could be a fun opportunity to create your schedule. You’ll want to make sure your schedule is addressing these six NEEDS:

• Brain: Read a book, play a board game, write a story, learn something new
• Body: Yoga, Dance, Sit-ups, Push-ups, Jumping Jacks, Simon Says, Hokey Pokey
• Home: Disinfect surfaces, clean up, put away laundry, organize a drawer/room/closet
• Creativity: Draw, paint, sing, play an instrument, build with play-doh or Legos, create an animal using recycled materials
• Environment: water plants, pick up litter outside, weed the garden
• Family/Friends: Write a note, do a good deed, make a phone call, create a homemade gift

Schedule Virtual Playdates: Caribu, a video-calling app, is offering free services with unlimited access during this time. Create an account to enjoy stories, games and coloring activities during a video call with friends and family.

Doodle: Mo Willems, the Kennedy Center Education Artist-in-Residence, is offering free lunch doodle sessions as he guides you through drawing activities using one of his favorite characters as inspiration.

Dance Party! Set up your smart speaker (Google Home/Alexa) in your living room or another room with lots of floor space. Allow your kids each a turn to request certain songs while everyone dances. It’s great exercise and a fun way to help ward off cabin fever.

Learn From Home (Scholastic) Check out these day-by-day projects to keep kids reading, thinking, and growing. You can also check out free printable worksheets and educational activities to help to make learning fun. 123 Homeschool4me offers resources arranged by grade or subject. 

Get Outside: Go for a walk, take a bike ride start your spring garden with help from the kids.

In-Home Performance! Allow your children the opportunity to be creative by choreographing their play or dance performance for you. This should give them one hour, or more, of planning and practicing before they reveal their awesome talents in a social media-worthy show.

Free Virtual Learning Opportunities: Click here to see what famous museums are offering free virtual museum tours.