Although we love to occasionally slow down and go nowhere, being stuck inside for the whole day is not natural for anyone. Especially for little explorers whose everyday routine consists of going outside at least once.

Hey, you don’t mind me stopping you for a sec there? 😉
Since we’re all staying home, I believe now is the perfect time to plan a certain set of helpful activities for your little ones.
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Before our country’s government has announced quarantine to stop the Covid-19 pandemic, my husband and I have decided to self-isolate for the sake of better times to come.

Anyways, here we are, at home all day, with a 4-year-old who needs entertainment, hoping for people to finally start taking it seriously and stay home. Here’s what we do to keep the sanity on track while staying safely stuck inside!

1 Dance.

Out of nowhere, my son’s been requesting that he and I dance through the whole morning. So, these days, whilst preparing our breakfast and being stuck inside, I’m also holding a four-year-old and swaying with the music.

It’s super hard since I’m on caffeine detox these days, I only drink 2 coffees daily. My goal is to try and ditch coffee completely, so I don’t drink it first thing in the morning. And we wake up around 7 AM.

But, it’s getting easier each day and I do believe being busy first thing in the morning really helps. So thank you, my little one, for helping mom ditch the caffeine and making this quarantine mornings fun!

2 Books with cards and stickers.

If you’ve been following along for a while now, then you might have seen how I’ve planned this year’s activities for my kid here. However, that has to change because of what’s happening in the world.

But the books with cards and stickers, like the Montessori book I’ve mentioned in that post, bring so much fun when we’re stuck inside! We’ve fastened the process and almost figured out the whole book.

He likes to learn whenever learning includes stickers, plus it’s a great way of improving fine motor skills. Here are some of our favourite books with cards and stickers, which you can order online!

3 Art in all of its shapes.

Recently, he found the pink paper we’re using for photography and asked if we could let him paint it. Of course, we agreed since, usually, those activities that he asks for by himself, keep his attention for a long time. So, busy parents, it’s time that you finally start reading between the lines!

Guess what? He did not only spend two hours drawing roads, but we turned it into a little city where we all play with cars! This one usually buys me 30 minutes to an hour every day and he’s also very excited when I bring the pink paper to the table.

Apart from this, he likes playing with play foam (it was a New Year’s present he wanted) and play dough, kinetic sand, and similar art supplies. That’s when I let him create listening to music. We’re also doing art projects together.

4 Music.

Music is a passion in our family, therefore our son’s already been creating on his drums, guitar and piano for 3 years. Now that a musician dad is home the whole day, we’ve decided not to waste precious time. We both agreed to make the most of these stuck inside days. Mostly, to catch up on life and stay positive.

So he’ll be starting chord and scales lesson with him soon and new rhythms on drums. We’ll keep you updated on progress and we’ll also make a full starting guide for kids between 3 and 6 years old. So keep your mails wide open!

And, if not already, subscribe here and we’ll send you a free worksheet about how to plan activities for your kids. It’s super helpful for these stuck inside days especially, to plan a whole bunch of educational activities for littles! Meanwhile, swipe to watch him play the drums here!

5 Let the kids dress you and do your makeup.

They’ll treat you as a work of art if you bring this up. Sometimes, kids get crazy over this activity and laugh so hard at you being a clown. Other times, they get into a serious role in making you prettier. Depending on kids and their mood, it’s probably a win either way! I always love to see which of my clothes my son likes at that time!

6 Write and illustrate a book.

I’ve never tried this with my kid, but it was one of my favourite activities in school. So, we’re doing it one of these days for sure! Since he’s only 4 years old, we’ll do it together, a sentence me, a sentence him. Then we’ll illustrate it.

I believe he’d enjoy this one since he already has books included in daily routine twice. During learning time and as part of his bedtime routine, but there are times he also asks for a certain book throughout the day.

7 Puppet theater.

When I was young, I had a weekly activity at a creative club where we had this theatre. I was a huge fan of the puppet theatre shows, so it usually belonged to me, the storyteller.

These days it’s hard to find a good puppet show. We tried twice already and my son hated the yelling all the time and how they changed voices. So I’ve decided to make a DIY puppet theatre and create a funny story for him. Popcorn and a daddy to hug is a plus. And, even kids can enjoy acting and improvising.

8 Race.

Whenever there’s too much of negative energy in that little body, I suggest race, workout or obstacle course. And we do all the different kinds of races: crawling, jumping, skipping on one leg or fast walking. If you’re clumsy, here’s where you finally get an A+ for it because your kid will love that!

9 Obstacle course or gym challenge.

You can either make an obstacle course or make a funny workout challenge for everyone! I suggest making a competition of it to boost motivation since staying active is super important when you’re stuck inside!

For instance, you might consider giving points or even treats! Whatever works for your little one and motivates them to compete.

10 Make a yoga video.

To help introduce yoga to your kids, suggest to them that you record your flow. If you’re not a pro yogi, educate on flows suitable for kids and then learn the flow completely. It’s important to stay secure and free during your flow.

Every kid would probably enjoy being a yoga vlogger for the day, so give it a go! They’ll have fun, feel energised, calm and happy. There’s also a big chance that they’ll fall in love with yoga right from the start! You just have to make it easy and beautiful. Here’s an example of a fun yoga flow you could try.

– Related: My Current Workout Plan –

11 Treasure hunt.

If they’ve been acting super good that day, let them hunt some treats and be whatever they want! Pirates or detectives, this is a great play that keeps them active, raises their imagination and tickle their brain cells.

12 Play truth or dare.

So funny, but might be hard for the first-timers to figure it out! Anyways, even the little ones love this game, especially if you give hilarious dares. Like, ask a parent of your choice to support you walking on hands. Or, find daddy’s/mommy’s underwear and wear it. Fun guaranteed!

13 Scary stories.

Turn off all lights, get blankets and have a scary stories marathon. With popcorn and milk/home-made juice/fruit infused water. This is an everyday activity for us since our son wants us to spread this kind of stories all the time.

But, don’t go for this if your kid doesn’t enjoy any scary activities. Try with favourite books or funny stories from your childhood. Or even go back to the little one’s childhood to see how much he/she remembers it.

14 Talk in funny voices.

This has to be part of your everyday routine! Children enjoy when we change our voices imitating cartoon characters or imaginative character on our own. Silly voices bring so much laughter every time.

Chase them with a “boo” voice and tickle them with a silly one. Sing the funny high notes while they’re brushing teeth. Pretend like you’re that funny person driving that toy car and you’ll meet the kid’s car with it. Just tickle your imagination!

15 Guess the animal game.

Ask everyone to think of an animal, then throw dice to choose who goes first. It should be like a pantomime game. While the one is showing, the others have to guess the animal in order.

Let there be a big price and small prices. It would be a great test to see whether your kids are eager to share their prices with the crow. If not, you’ll be able to talk them into sharing easily since they’ll be in a good mood. A great way of teaching how much sharing is important!

16 SPA centre at home.

The perfect activity for moms and daughters only. If you’re having a son too, make sure that dad can spend some bonding time with him alone. They could do sports, watch a movie or make a DIY toy together.

But, trust me, the spa centre is for boys too! As long as there are fun and laughter! So why shouldn’t they enjoy putting colourful masks on their face and having a hot bath?! Of course, make sure you make DIY natural masks for kids only.

If possible, you can also have a spa centre as a family, including the rest of the kids and dad. Well, including dad in this will be the laughter trigger. Kids don’t see daddy doing mommy stuff all the time…

17 Who knows me better?

Give a paper to everyone and ask of them to write mysterious questions about themselves. If your kids are little, you can build two teams. Or a parent may help the kid write a question. You can also make this all about you.

18 Nursery rhymes karaoke.

It’s helpful to teach your kids popular nursery rhymes, especially if you’re preparing them for kindergarten. However, this isn’t much fun if you’re making them do it. Try through karaoke instead.

If there’s one thing kids love, that’s music. So, bring out your music equipment, or play karaoke on YouTube and let the party start! We do it on our own many ways too, playing the tunes together!

19 Make a fort with sheets and chairs.

I’ve never met a kid who disapproves this activity. My brother and I were doing this the whole day every summer vacation. It’s something about those DIY houses that feels secure and cosy. We could imagine being on a boat, in a treehouse or inside the castle so we could play any game.

So good for imaginative play and when kids need some time alone. Help them build a fort, stay for the show for a half an hour and then let them touch their imagination’s horizons alone.

20 DIY toy.

It could be a DIY slime, marble run, sensory toys for little brother or sister or science experiments. This is a good way to bond with kids but also boost their confidence. Make sure to involve them as much as possible and let them express creativity.

Let’s bond, learn and have fun!

I’d like to encourage you to use technology as less as possible. If you’re already stuck inside, then make a good time out of it. Use it to truly stay present, pay attention to what your kid desires. Bond with each other and have fun while learning a whole bunch of new things through tech-free games!

Don’t forget about the importance of the physical activity. Kill boredom with funny moves through games mentioned above, or do some funny exercises. My kid loves jumping jacks, squats, and mostly all yoga moves. Anything that seems funny to them, they’ll do!

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